Clubs are getting more and more impatient with their managers and with owners eager for instant success, it is becoming harder and harder for managers to build a squad around their ideas. Birmingham City are a prime example of this impatience, having had three managers in charge during the 2016/17 season and have already had two managers this season. Their cross-city rivals Aston Villa on the other hand have a lot more patience, with current manager Steve Bruce having been at the helm since October 2016.
The last time these two rivals were in the Premier League together was back in the 2010/11 season, Aston Villa were sitting comfortably in 9th, while Birmingham were relegated in 18th position, just one solitary point from safety. Since then, the blue half of Birmingham has remained in the Championship, while the Villains remained in the top flight, until their relegation in the 2015/16 season, ending 28 years in England’s top division.
Last season saw Aston Villa end the season with the bragging rights, having secured more points in the Second City derby fixtures and also having finished above them in the league. The first derby match of the 2016/17 season finished 1-1 at St Andrews in October, while the reverse fixture in April 2017 ended in a 1-0 win to Villa. City finished the season in 19th place, just two points above the relegation zone, while Villa managed to finish in 13th.
It is perhaps no wonder then that the two clubs have different managerial policies, with Birmingham consistently struggling and wanting to avoid falling into the third tier of English football, as so many other former Premier League teams have done in the past. A team struggling is akin to a never ending downward spiral, with owners wanting to keep changing managers until they find someone who can get the best out of the current crop of players on the club’s books.
Meanwhile Aston Villa have had the luxury of bigger parachute payments from the Premier League, a financial package which no doubt has helped them to build a solid squad to try and return to the Premier League. As the fans learned from their time in the Premier League, bad or uninterested owners can be a club’s worst nightmare as Randy Lerner proved during Aston Villa’s final Premier League days, before he sold the club to Dr Tony Xia, who has already been more than happy to have faith in a manager and invest in the first team squad.
Birmingham City started the 2016/17 season with Gary Rowett as manager and he appeared to be demonstrating just how good he is as a manager, by taking the club to 7th place before being sacked in the December. He was replaced by Gianfranco Zola who resigned just four months after taking the job following two wins in 22 games, things were starting to look bleak for Birmingham. So in came Harry Redknapp and the club managed to retain its Champions status.
Following a dismal season in 2016/17 Harry Redknapp, who guided them to survival, set to work on revamping the squad, getting rid of seven first team players and signing nine permanent transfers. Unfortunately for Redknapp these signings were not enough to kick start a resurgence in the blue half of the city and after a fifth straight defeat in the league and with the club languishing in 23rd position, he was sacked in September 2017.
He has been replaced by his former assistant Steve Cotterill who certainly knows a thing or two about working in a difficult and challenging situation, having been manager at Portsmouth during their financial troubles in the Championship. With new board members being one of the reasons why Rowett was sacked, Cotterill will need to produce something spectacular in order to avoid facing the same fate as Redknapp. A win again city rivals Villa would be an excellent start to his managerial career and would be sure to get the fans and football betting odds on side immediately.
Villa on the other hand have only changed manager once since Tony Xia took over, as he believed his initial appointment, Roberto Di Matteo, was not quite up to the job at hand and so in October 2016 he replaced him with Steve Bruce. Their first season under Bruce was nothing special however they are looking like serious contenders for a play-off spot. They currently sit in 7th place, a mere one point off a play-off spot. Not bad for a team that only had 7 points from a possible 21 in the first 7 games of the season.
Dr Tony Xia certainly seems to be a more patient owner, which can only be a good thing for both Steve Bruce and the fans. Long gone is Lerner’s chopping and changing tactic, Villa fans have cause to be optimistic this season with an owner willing to give the manager time as well as give him the funds needed in order to build a promotion challenging team.
When the two teams meet on Sunday 29th October at St Andrews it could be a whole different story for Birmingham, but one thing is for sure, Villa are going to be raring to go to their rivals and take all three points.
