Birmingham City supporters ‘showed themselves selfish’ in showering Tony Mowbray with well wishes

Tony Mowbray has resigned as first team manager of Birmingham City for good, with supporters wishing him well in their droves.

The 60-year-old took charge at the St. Andrews in January, although he had to withdraw a month later to undergo treatment for a medical diagnosis. Assistant Mark Venus stepped in for a while until Gary Rowett was appointed as caretaker, with the club eventually relegated to League One at the end of the 2023/24 campaign.

As preparations begin for next season in the third tier, high on the list was sorting out Mowbray’s future. Understandably, health comes first as a club statement confirmed his departure on Tuesday morning.

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“As people will be aware, I am currently undertaking an extended period of recovery following significant and unexpected surgery earlier in the year which required me to take a period of sick leave,” the outgoing manager explained.

“Throughout this period I have watched every Birmingham City game along with every training session, while staying in a positive and constructive dialogue with Tom Wagner, Garry Cook and Craig Gardner.

“In recent days it has become apparent to me that I will not be fully fit to resume my duties as manager of Birmingham City in the timeframe that would allow the club to best prepare for next season and therefore from unfortunately, I have decided to step down from my role at this time.

“Once fully recovered, it’s important for me to then spend some quality time with my wife and boys before fully committing to work,” he concluded, before thanking everyone associated with the club.

Birmingham Live collected just some of the responses to this message, wishing Mowbray well…

@LukeKiely96: “Not the decision we all wanted, but completely understandable. We wish Tony all the best in his recovery, health is the most important thing! Keep it up Tony!”

@_James_Jones_: “This is a very worrying message this morning. I wish Tony nothing but the best. Selfish though, health above all and I wish him the best. Thanks Uncle Tone #bcfc for health!”

@LucyClough1: “Hopefully it will be better in the long run! UTB.”

@stellytalks: “Absolutely devastated. I wish TM well. I hope we now give Rowett the job permanently and move on. It would be great to have TM in the background in some capacity. KRO.”

@1Dandrews: “I wish Tony a speedy recovery. Health conquers all. Keep up the good work!!”

@PeterElson1983: “Extremely sad news for the club but what a man. He did the right thing for himself and his family and will always be welcome back at the Blues. #KRO.”

@milcaptures: “Thank you for what you did during your time with us, Tony! Best wishes.”

@ben_flavelle: “Avoided, I think it was the right decision entirely or not, his family needs him more than football does, up the blues TM.”

@9_Hendo: “Think deep down we all expected it, but it’s a shame. In the end, it comes down to a person’s health, which means a lot more than football. Tony Fantastico”.

@Real_Rob_Warner: “I hope you can be healthy, Tony.” A proper football man.

Finally, the official Ipswich Town – the club where Mowbray spent the last five years of his playing career and received his managerial break – account ( @IpswichTown ) also replied to those in Birmingham with the message: “I wish you all the best Mogga,” accompanied by a blue heart emoji.

What do you think of the news, Blues fans? Let us know in the comments section HERE