"Would be a very exciting appointment" - Pundit reacts to Birmingham City, Alex Neil update | OneFootball

Former England midfielder Carlton Palmer believes ex-Stoke City manager Alex Neil would be an exciting appointment for Birmingham City.

This comes as the Blues are looking for a new manager after it was confirmed that Tony Mowbray will not be returning to the club next season.

Mowbray arrived as the club’s new manager in January and did win four of his first eight games, but he had to temporarily step away from the club in February due to ill health.

It was expected that he would return at the start of next season, but Mowbray has confirmed that will not be the case, as he looks to prioritise his health and family.

So, Birmingham have been starting the process of looking for a new manager, one that they will hope can lead them out of League One next season, as they finished third from bottom in the 2023/24 campaign, ending their stay in the second tier.

According to the Telegraph’s John Percy, Birmingham have held ‘initial talks’ with former Sunderland and Stoke City manager Neil.

He states that Neil is seen as a good option by the Blues, as he’s won promotions with Norwich, Sunderland, and Scottish side Hamilton.

Percy does add that their appointment process is still ongoing, which could indicate that there may be more candidates out there that they would like to speak to.

Neil has been out of work since December, when he was sacked by Stoke City after a poor start to the season.

Carlton Palmer: Alex Neil would be an exciting appointment for Birmingham City

Here, we asked former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Carlton Palmer for his thoughts on Birmingham City holding talks with Alex Neil over their vacant managerial position.

Palmer exclusively told Football League World: “It has been reported that Birmingham City have held initial talks with Alex Neil, the former Preston, Sunderland, and Stoke City manager.

“Alex has three promotions to his name and Birmingham City got it all wrong this season, with getting rid of John Eustace, that came back to bite them on the backside with Birmingham getting relegated and Blackburn staying up.

“I don’t believe that would have happened if Tony Mowbray had been at the helm, but unfortunately, Tony has suffered ill health, and he will not be returning to Birmingham City.

“Neil was doing a good job at Sunderland, everything was going well for him, he jumped ship to go to Stoke, and it didn’t work out at Stoke, and he ended up getting the sack.

“But I am a big admirer of Alex Neil, he is very tactically assured and just because it didn’t work out at one football club, doesn’t mean that it won’t go and work at Birmingham City.

“Birmingham City will be looking to get back into the Championship at the first attempt and I think, given the tools, Alex Neil has proven that he can get teams promoted.

“So yes, I think this would be a very exciting appointment. He was also very instrumental with Pritchard. Mowbray brought Pritchard in from Sunderland, and he has struggled since arriving, but he flourished under Mowbray and Alex Neil.

“So, he is one of the players who will be delighted to see Alex Neil at the football club.”

Alex Neil would be a good appointment for Birmingham City

Alex Neil may not be the ideal pick for many Birmingham City supporters, but it can easily be understood why the club’s hierarchy is looking at the Scotsman.

Neil has been rather successful in his managerial career, earning promotions at Hamilton, Norwich City, and Sunderland.

The only sides he didn’t win promotions with were Preston and Stoke, but he again did a great job with the Lilywhites.

It is his spell with the Potters that may put supporters of him off, as his time at the Bet365 Stadium didn’t go very well. But if you look past that, he is a manager who knows how to get promoted, and more importantly, he knows how to do it out of League One, which is what Birmingham need next season.