This potential Birmingham City appointment could be enough for Jordan James to want to stay put.
Birmingham City will want their next managerial appointment to be their last decision taken over the St. Andrew’s hot seat for some time, having gone through managers rashly in recent years.
This season just gone saw the Blues go through four different bosses, with Tony Mowbray only lasting a matter of months in the job post, but the experienced 60-year-old manager stepped down due to health-related issues as opposed to being given the axe harshly.
This upcoming appointment feels like the most pivotal for quite a long stretch as well, with the Blues now languishing in League One ahead of what could be an entertaining season for Birmingham fans to latch onto, especially if they taste promotion at the first time of asking.
Just ask the likes of Mowbray’s former clubs Sunderland and Blackburn Rovers about their experiences in the third tier, however, with the relegated Blues quite rightly setting their sights on a recent promotion winner from the level to avoid overstaying their welcome in the lowly league.
Birmingham looking at “shrewd” Mowbray successor
The overwhelming frontrunner for the vacancy in the West Midlands continues to look like being former Black Cats manager Alex Neil, who was embraced by Sunderland fans quickly during his speedy stint in charge, with promotion secured after just 24 games in the dug-out.
With the Scotsman also now having been interviewed, it could be a matter of time before his official announcement, as a number of football pundits weigh in on their thoughts regarding the previous promotion-winning boss.
| Neil’s managerial record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Games managed | Wins | Draws | Losses |
| Stoke City | 66 | 22 | 13 | 31 |
| Sunderland | 24 | 12 | 9 | 3 |
| Preston North End | 191 | 73 | 46 | 72 |
| Norwich City | 108 | 45 | 21 | 42 |
| Hamilton Academical | 77 | 43 | 15 | 19
|
Carlton Palmer, when speaking with Football League World, described the potential acquisition of Neil as a “great” appointment, further praising his “shrewd” nature tactically across his career, which saw him also win promotion up to the Premier League with Norwich City.
Why Neil could benefit Jordan James
The Scot will have to make do with scrapping it in the third tier again, however, with the ambitious swoop for the 42-year-old potentially enough for Jordan James to stay put at St. Andrew’s for one more year, instead of becoming another youth product like Jude or Jobe Bellingham who left Birmingham behind for better things right as they got into their stride.
Birmingham have a reputation now for allowing young gems the platform to dazzle through their esteemed youth set-up straight up to the main team, seen in the aforementioned names above, and in the present with the electric James.
The 19-year-old, who has become involved with the Wales senior set-up off-the-back of his exploits even in the midst of a disappointing relegation season, picked up eight goals from the centre of the park last campaign and could tear League One to shreds if kept around.
| Jordan James’ stats – 2023/24 | |
|---|---|
| Games played | 47 |
| Goals | 8 |
| Assists | 0 |
| Shots per game | 1.0 |
| Big chances created | 3 |
| Balls recovered per game | 2.6 |
| Stats per Transfermarkt/Sofascore
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The tenacious 19-year-old could well look to what Neil managed to get out of Wes Hoolahan during his time in Norfolk with the iconic attack-oriented midfielder to then stick around, as the now 42-year-old picked up a fantastic 15 goal contributions from just 36 games on the way to promotion glory being savoured back at the end of 2014-15 season.
Yet, the allure of clubs such as far-away Atalanta in Italy and Premier League suitors in West Ham United taking an interest could be too tempting for the homegrown gem to resist, even if the XI next campaign could be moulded around him.
Neil will need to just try and convince the 19-year-old starlet to stay and battle it out for the Blues next season, with the Scotsman’s promotion credentials a potential swaying factor, if the Welsh youngster knows his still-fledging career will only be somewhat derailed for a year or so.
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