Birmingham City came from behind to beat Hull City 2-1 in the FA Cup last night, handing Tony Mowbray his first win in charge.
Wayne Rooney only recorded two wins during his 15 games in charge of Birmingham City, even going winless after his first five games in charge.
But Mowbray after two games in charge has taken a point from Swansea City in the Championship, then last night earning a win over Hull City in the FA Cup.
Blues found themselves a goal behind at half-time but goals from Jay Stansfield and Koji Miyoshi sealed a late and dramatic comeback win for Birmingham City, booking themselves a Fourth Rounds clash with league leaders Leicester City.
And last night’s game saw a first start under Mowbray for Jordan James.
Jordan James the standout in Hull City clash
James was benched for Mowbray’s opener vs Swansea City in a move that surprised many.
He came off the bench to score the equaliser that day and somewhat forced himself into starting contention for last night’s game, and he didn’t disappoint.
Birmingham Live and Birmingham World both rated him as 7/10 on the night; journalist Alex Dicken described James as a ‘real force’ in the Blues midfield whilst Charlie Haffenden said James had an ‘excellent work rate’ on the night.
At first, Mowbray deployed James in a more attacking role, with the Welshman looking to add to his impressive tally of six goals this season, before dropping back down into a deeper role in the second half where he arguably proved more effective.
James holds the key, and Mowbray could entice him to stay at Birmingham City
There’s been a lot of talk about James potentially leaving Birminghm City for Atalanta this month.
Given the volume of reports, it seems like the interest must be genuine, and a move to a top flight European outfit would no doubt prove attractive to James.
And should Rooney have remained at the helm then few would’ve blamed James if he opted to move. But with Mowbray now in place and Blues already looking like they have more togetherness, James could be encouraged to stay until the summer at least.
He’s out of contract in 2025 and so Blues might be forced to sell him this coming summer should he stay.
And right now, the transfer values that we’re seeing tied to James’ name seem very low, so James could do his club a favour by staying a few more months, putting in the work rate and scoring a few more goals to boost his value and help the club beat the drop.
It’s a tricky situation for all involved, but as a club, last night’s win will do the players’ confidence a world of good, ahead of a tough trip to Stoke City in the Championship this weekend.