Birmingham scanned over 1,000 managers so Tom Brady can’t repeat Wayne Rooney’s mistake

Birmingham City looked at over 1,000 managers before hiring Chris Davies to become their new manager.

The former Tottenham Hotspur assistant signed a four-year deal on Thursday to take over at St Andrew’s, succeeding Tony Mowbray at the newly relegated League One club. The Blues agreed a compensation package with Spurs as the 39-year-old had two years left on his contract.

Birmingham welcomed NFL legend Tom Brady as a minority owner of the club last August. But last season could not have gone any worse for the seven-time Super Bowl champions as the Blues were relegated to the third tier of English football for the first time since 1995.

Brady’s first campaign at Birmingham saw the club go through four different managers, seeing Wayne Rooney replace John Eustace in October, before being shown the exit door in January after winning just two of his 15 games in charge as the club sank into the relegation zone. Gary Rowett ended the season as caretaker boss after Mowbray underwent unexpected surgery.

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Keen to make an immediate return to the Championship, Blues bosses claim they looked at more than 1,000 managers and held talks with 40 potential targets before landing Davies. It is his first senior managerial job after previously managing Spurs, Liverpool and Celtic.

Speaking about their new manager, Chief Executive Officer Garry Cook said: “Chris is an outstanding coach who has been part of Championship, Cup and promotion winning teams, working with world class players and managers. Perfect fit for the Blues. “He is the manager we wanted. The Blues are the club we wanted. We are very pleased he is here.”

In his first venture as a manager, Davies praised the project he joined in Birmingham, saying: “As soon as I spoke to Tom, Garry, Tom Brady and other members of the board, it was clear to me how passionate and employed is the football management team. are to bring success to this club.

“I will give my all to build an attacking team that reflects this great city and, most importantly, to produce a team that our supporters can be proud of.”

Club owner and chairman Tom Wagner, who sits on the recruitment panel alongside Brady and Cook, added: “From our first meeting, it was clear that we aligned in values ​​and shared ambition for the Blues.

“He is widely respected in the game and fulfills our objective of appointing an ambitious and forward-thinking manager. He is motivated to help redefine the club, its culture and its playing identity.”