Birmingham could hire Mowbray successor who’s perfect for James
The new owners at Birmingham City, SCL, could well decide one statement appointment hasn't quite been enough during their bumpy tenure to date, hopeful that lightning won't strike twice and their next managerial choice will not backfire like Wayne Rooney's.
Only mustering up two wins in the Blues hot-seat from a dire 15 games in charge, Tom Wagner and Co could now look to appoint one of Rooney's trusted England international teammates to further put Birmingham on the footballing map, even with the West Midlands club now lingering in League One for the first time in 29 years.
This appointment could well work wonders on the pitch besides from just grabbing headlines over being a notorious name, with Jordan James licking his lips at the prospect of working under said manager's guidance, as opposed to walking away in the summer in the aftermath of relegation.
Birmingham interested in former midfield great
It was revealed that former Chelsea midfield great Frank Lampard was in the running for the Birmingham job when being spoken of on an episode of the Keep Right On podcast, with one of the hosts Alex Dicken – who is also a journalist for BirminghamLive – stating that he would be a "credible candidate" to take on the reins after Mowbray.
This would be a departure from talk focusing on Alex Neil being the major frontrunner, with the Blues eyeing up another coup appointment based on the manager in question's playing days, alongside the fact Lampard has also been successful in the past with Derby County in the EFL.
The bold appointment of the 45-year-old would also be music to the ears of the youngsters attempting to cut their teeth at St. Andrew's, with Lampard a similar style of player for Chelsea as James is now for Birmingham, alongside the fact his Rams side was brimming with top young talents who have since gone on to star further up the football food chain.
Why Lampard would be great for Birmingham
Away from talk of his "disaster" second spell at Stamford Bridge – as it was described by football writer Casey Evans – Lampard would be perfect for the aforementioned 19-year-old.
James took the Championship by storm last season, even during his side's dreadful demise down to League One, with eight goals managed from 47 appearances to be a constant bright spark when the mood was gloomy otherwise.
Stat
James (23/24)
Lampard
Bellingham
Games played
47
31
44
Goals scored
8
5
4
Assists
0
1
2
Sourced by Transfermarkt
Beating both Lampard and Bellingham's numbers from their first breakout campaigns for both West Ham United and the Blues, the world really is James' oyster, but he might not want to instantly throw himself into the limelight like Bellingham with a big move if Lampard rocks up to St. Andrew's to tutor him further.
Reportedly eyed up by the likes of Lampard's former Hammers, and even from far-away Atalanta, James will also look and see what the ex-Derby manager did for Mason Mount in such a short span of time at Pride Park as further grounds to stay rooted at his boyhood employers.
Mount excelled as an attack-minded midfielder in the Rams side constructed by Lampard, that would eventually shock Marcelo Bielsa's Leeds United all the way to a Championship play-off final, scoring 11 times from 44 games, including this hat-trick against Bolton Wanderers.
Going on to flop at Manchester United – scoring just once all term – Mount hasn't quite ever gone on to reach the heights expected of him after bursting onto the scene in Derbyshire, but James will just hope he can set League One alight in a similar fashion to what the current Red Devil managed in the second-tier.
As much as Lampard's reputation as a manager has taken a bruising, he could get his tainted career as a boss back on track at St. Andrew's, especially if he wins promotion at the first time of asking.
SCL could hire "brilliant" Mowbray successor who's beaten Birmingham twice
Birmingham City’s owners could show how ambitious they are with this Tony Mowbray successor coming in.
ByKelan Sarson Jun 2, 2024