Birmingham City need clarity on three coaches – and it all depends on the manager

Not just Birmingham City’s eight senior players without contracts need clarification about their futures this summer. The Blues have a lot of unsolved questions about their coaching staff going into the offseason.

Blues’ first objective must be to get the manager’s situation clarified.With the hope that he would return and guide the team throughout preseason, Tony Mowbray stood down in February to receive medical attention.

Mowbray’s well-being takes precedence above any football result, but the Blues cannot afford to enter June with uncertainty around their managerial future. Before the transfer window opens next month, everyone should be aware of the Blues’ new manager for the upcoming campaign.

During Mark Venus’s brief tenure as acting manager, we saw firsthand how crucial the team’s leader is. In the absence of their captain on the touchline, Venus and the players seemed disoriented.

Venus’s future also need resolution. The 57-year-old’s six-game stint in the month after Mowbray’s resignation only produced one point and played a part in the Blues’ relegation.

Venus is without a doubt Mowbray’s most reliable ally in the game and has been his number two for the past 20 years. Venus’s absence from Blues would be shocking if Mowbray returned with him this summer.

What will happen to the residual vestiges of the Wayne Rooney administration, though? Gary Rowett did not hire Pete Shuttleworth, who is the sole remaining Rooney-appointed coach on the Blues’ roster. Rowett wanted Shuttleworth moved and there were fewer voices in the camp.

Rowett made use of Ashley Cole, who joined at the same time as Rooney but was pursued by the hierarchy. Throughout the season, one of Cole’s main responsibilities has been providing set piece coaching.

Will Cole continue to serve as a coach for the team in the future? That may vary based on the manager’s identity. Nearly all things are dependent upon that. This summer, there will undoubtedly be more club declarations than ever before.

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