Birmingham City have brought back popular former manager Gary Rowett as interim boss until the end of the season in a bid to end their alarming run of Championship results.<\/span><\/p>\n The 50-year-old, who has been doing media work since <\/span>leaving Millwall in October,<\/span><\/a> has taken charge in the continued absence of Tony Mowbray.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Assistant Mark Venus has stood in <\/span>since Mowbray stepped away<\/span><\/a> on 19 February.<\/span><\/p>\n But Blues have picked up just one point in the six Championship matches since.<\/span><\/p>\n That has left <\/span>the US-owned club<\/span><\/a> on the edge of the relegation zone with eight games left this season, kept <\/span>out of the bottom three only on goal difference.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Mowbray is having medical treatment for an unnamed illness and the club confirmed he “will take a formal medical leave of absence until the start of pre-season 2024-25”.<\/span><\/p>\n Venus will also step away until the start of next season.<\/span><\/p>\n Mowbray played a role in identifying Rowett as the man to take on the role in his absence, the club added. <\/span><\/p>\n “Based on Tony’s decision to take some additional time away, we agreed it is in the club’s best interests to appoint Gary Rowett to lead the team forward from the touchline for the final eight games of the season. Gary is an experienced leader and has our full support,” said co-owner and chairman Tom Wagner.<\/span><\/p>\n Former Blues player and manager Rowett is back at the club for a third time and will become the sixth different man to pick a team this season, following John Eustace, Wayne Rooney, caretaker Steve Spooner, Mowbray and Venus.<\/span><\/p>\n He was sacked by Blues’ previous owners in December 2016 when Blues were seventh in the Championship, kept out of the play-off zone only on goal difference.<\/span><\/p>\n Birmingham’s next game is after the international break against QPR on Friday, 29 March.<\/span><\/p>\n Blues are the longest surviving club in the Championship, in their 13th straight season in the second tier following relegation from the Premier League in 2011. <\/span><\/p>\n They were most recently in the third tier in 1995, before being promoted under Barry Fry.<\/span><\/p>\n Former Cambridge United, Everton, Blackpool, Derby, Birmingham, Leicester City, Charlton Athletic and Burton Albion right-back Rowett made 444 appearances in his 19-year professional career.<\/span><\/p>\n After taking his first job as a manager at Burton in 2012, he left to <\/span>return to Birmingham as manager<\/span><\/a> in October 2014, taking over with Blues 23rd in the second tier.<\/span><\/p>\n Rowett led them to 10th place that season, which is where they also finished the following campaign, 11 points off the play-offs.<\/span><\/p>\n With his team well placed in the promotion hunt in December 2016, he was <\/span>sacked by Blues’ then newly appointed owners<\/span><\/a> after being linked to vacancies at QPR and Fulham, and replaced by Gianfranco Zola.<\/span><\/p>\n Three months later he was <\/span>named manager of Derby County,<\/span><\/a> who he took to the Championship play-offs in 2018 before <\/span>resigning to join Stoke City.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n![\"Mark](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/onesport\/cps\/624\/cpsprodpb\/D184\/production\/_132963635_venomogga.jpg\")
<\/span><\/span>Rowett’s managerial CV<\/h3>\n
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