Birmingham’s problems could be further highlighted by Rowett’s Derby

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Gary Rowett welcomes Birmingham to Derby with the chance to further highlight the mistakes made by his former employers.

Gary Rowett, manager of Derby County, looks on during the Sky Bet Championship match against Hull City.

It was less than a year ago that to the surprise of almost everyone, Birmingham City sacked Gary Rowett as manager on December 16.

At the time the Blues were seventh in the Championship table and three points off third place, having also finished in the top half the previous two seasons with Rowett in charge.

Gianfranco Zola, manager of Birmingham City, during the Sky Bet Championship match against Burton Albion.

Four months later his replacement Gianfranco Zola had resigned having won just two of his 24 games, leaving the club in 20th and three points above the relegation zone with three matches remaining. Harry Redknapp was drafted in and kept them up with a final day win at Bristol City, but on Saturday (September 16) he too was sacked with Birmingham second bottom after losing five straight league ties.

It has taken just nine months to undo all the great work Rowett had achieved during his two years at St Andrew’s and with Lee Carsley acting as caretaker to try and maintain some of the chaos on a temporary basis, who should they be facing in their next fixture? That’s right, Rowett’s Derby County.

It is not the first time the Midlands club have faced the 45-year-old since his sacking, with the Rams beating them 2-1 at home back in April shortly before Zola handed in his notice.

Gary Rowett, manager of Derby County.

Yet not much has changed since then and while publicly Rowett will be keen to assure everyone revenge is not on his mind, it would be hard not to allow him a certain amount of schadenfreude by heaping more misery on his former club with three points for Derby on Saturday (September 23).

Mind you, owners Trillion Trophy Asia probably realised that they had made the wrong decision on the management front by January. Not that they’d ever admit it.