There are several names being tipped to become the next Birmingham City manager, including a recently-axed Premier League boss.
Birmingham City have sacked Wayne Rooney after just 15 Championship games in charge.
He won just two of those, taking just 10 points from a possible 45 and leaving Blues in 20th place of the Championship table; now just six points above the drop zone.
Several names have so far been linked with the St Andrew’s opening including former Nottingham Forest and Swansea City boss Steve Cooper, as well as former Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch.
Other names, including Lee Carsley and Ralph Hasenhuttl have been mentioned, with Reims boss Will Still and recently-axed Sheffield United boss Paul Heckingbottom.
Will Still and Paul Heckingbottom in running to become next Birmingham City manager
Still, aged just 31, was recently in headlines amid strong links to Sunderland before they hired Michael Beale.
The Belgian-English boss is currently in charge of Ligue 1 outfit Reims who sit in 8th place of the French top tier, with Still widely recognised as a leading tactician and up and coming coach in the game.
Heckingbottom meanwhile is best known for his stint at Sheffield United which came to an end last month; formerly manager of Barnsley, Leeds United, and Hibernian, the 46-year-old guided United to promotion from the Championship last time round.
Still could be a gamble, Heckingbottom would be a safe bet
After the Rooney gamble backfired, how Birmingham City will approach this next manager appointment remains to be seen.
But expect the owners’ mantra to stay the same; they wanted Rooney to bring that ‘no fear football’ that was coined upon his appointment, so expect Blues’ next boss to try and so the same.
And Rooney made definite changes to the style but they proved ineffective.
Someone like Heckingbottom though could be a safe bet given his experience in the Championship and his track record with Sheffield United.
His Blades side were plagued by injuries last season but got the job done in the end, doing so playing attacking and daring football scoring 73 goals across the last campaign.
Still seems like he’s set for a bright career in the dugout and despite his young age, there’s speculation growing around his future with the Sunderland links and now this Birmingham City link.
But whoever hires him will be taking a risk and for Blues, who are in a pretty desperate position, an appointment like this doesn’t seem to make sense right now.
Birmingham City need an experienced head to get them through this season at least and Heckingbottom is just that and more.
He could not only give the club a chance to finish this season comfortably, but take them forward next season.
The Birmingham City opening may not be such an attractive one for an experienced and credible boss like Heckingbottom, after seeing the club sack a well-performing manager in John Eustace then hire and later sack Rooney, but the club remains one with huge ambitions and if they can tempt Heckingbottom into becoming the next Birmingham City manager, it would be a very sound appointment.