Birmingham City: The controversial calls that link Knighthead with former owners | OneFootball

The decision to replace John Eustace with Wayne Rooney remains a black mark on the record of Birmingham City's new owners.

Birmingham City have made an excellent start to life in League One and they will be hoping to bounce back to the Championship at the first attempt this season.

Birmingham are playing in the third tier of English football for the first time in almost 30 years following their relegation from the second tier last season but it is clear they have no intention of sticking around at that level.

Manager Chris Davies was provided with strong backing in the summer transfer window as 17 new players arrived at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park, and while the exact amount is disputed, Blues reportedly spent a total of around £24 million, including £15 million on Fulham striker Jay Stansfield.

After a turbulent time under previous owners Birmingham Sports Holdings, the investment in the summer has given supporters hope that a corner has been turned under Knighthead while chairman Tom Wagner's ambitions extend far beyond getting back to the Championship.

In April, Birmingham announced that they had bought a 48-acre site in the east of the city to build a brand new Sports Quarter, including a 60,000-seater stadium and Wagner stated in September that his plans for the club would "blow people’s minds".

That may well be true, but the reality is that Blues currently find themselves languishing in League One, largely as a result of Knighthead's poor decision-making and the sacking of John Eustace.

Disastrous John Eustace call will still anger Birmingham City supporters

Given the strength of Birmingham's squad, there is every chance they will make an immediate return to the Championship this season, but in truth, their relegation was entirely avoidable.

After a strong start to last season, Blues sat sixth in the table heading into the October international break. With new owners and a popular manager in Eustace in the dugout, everything at the club seemed positive.

However, Birmingham shocked the football world by parting company with Eustace, replacing him with Wayne Rooney, and that led to suggestions that the ex-England international had only been given the job due to his status as a big-name former player, an accusation based on his underwhelming managerial record at Derby County and DC United.

Even though many had reservations about the appointment of Rooney, few could have predicted quite how disastrous his tenure would be, and the 39-year-old was sacked in January after just three months at the helm, during which time he only won two of his 15 games in charge, drawing four and losing nine.

Blues plummeted towards the relegation zone under Rooney and after a 3-0 defeat at Leeds United on New Year's Day left them 20th in the table, the board had no choice but to take action.

Tony Mowbray was named as Rooney's successor and he made an impressive start to life as Birmingham manager but he was forced to step down in February due to health reasons, with his assistant Mark Venus taking over on an interim basis in his absence.

Knighthead then made their second catastrophic mistake of the season as they allowed Venus to remain in charge for far too long, and the five defeats in six games they suffered under his guidance contributed hugely to their eventual demise.

Blues did turn to an experienced manager when they brought former boss Gary Rowett back in March but while the 50-year-old won three and drew two of his eight games in charge, it was not enough to save the club from relegation.

Wayne Rooney decision will draw Gianfranco Zola comparisons

Birmingham supporters are understandably optimistic that a bright future is ahead under Knighthead but the sacking of Eustace and appointment of Rooney will forever link them to one of the previous owners' worst decisions.

Blues sat eighth in the Championship table and were just three points off third place when Birmingham Sports Holdings decided to part company with Rowett and replace him with Gianfranco Zola in December 2016.

The events that unfolded were remarkably similar to what happened after Rooney took over from Eustace as Birmingham fell down the standings at an alarming rate under the Italian.

Zola won just two of his 24 games in charge of Blues, drawing eight and losing 14, and he was dismissed in April 2017 after a 2-0 home defeat to Burton Albion left his side 20th in the table, with veteran manager Harry Redknapp coming in and leading the club to safety on the final day.

While the sacking of Rowett was a huge mistake, Knighthead's decision to replace Eustace was arguably even worse as Zola sported better managerial credentials than Rooney, having led Watford to the play-off final in 2013.

Birmingham's previous owners were fortunate that Redknapp was able to keep the club in the division but Knighthead were not quite as lucky and they paid the ultimate price of relegation for their woeful decision-making.

Given their significant financial investment and clear passion for the club, it is somewhat unfair to compare Knighthead and Birmingham Sports Holdings, but until they manage to deliver on their big ambitions, Eustace's exit will remain a black mark on their record and a call that links them to the mistakes of the past.