Gary Rowett is back at Birmingham City have stepped in as interim manager while Tony Mowbray continues his recuperation from medical treatment.

Former boss Rowett will name a Blues side for the first time in six years at Queens Park Rangers on Good Friday, the first of eight games for which he will be in charge.

The task is to make sure Blues don’t fall any lower than their current Championship standing, one place above the relegation zone and to then hand the reins back to Mowbray in the summer.

He has brought in ex-Blues skipper Paul Robinson to help him, with a hectic week in what was supposed to be a quiet international break the subject of our discussion on the Keep Right On podcast.

Here’s a run-down of what Brian Dick and Shane Ireland discussed

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Rowett appointment

SI: I feel that Blues probably had no option but to roll the dice with eight games to go. What was happening wasn't working, as much as Mark Venus was trying his best. That's not a position he's used to and the players are clearly low on confidence. We're back in the kind of relegation dogfight we’ve seen so often at Blues

BD: I guess the difficulty we have had is we we've only ever had a part of the story, we've never had the whole picture in terms of the most important aspect being Tony Mowbray’s health and it's private medical information, and we're just going to leave it at that. So that being said, it doesn't preclude me from being happy about Gary Rowett turning up. I'm probably on board with that as well.

SI: I think in the last three games, I can't see Blues scoring goals and getting enough points in this way of playing under Venus for us to have it in our own hands and for us to get ourselves up the table and away from it.

So I'd say in the last fortnight or three weeks, my views have changed and I think something had to give. And for all that's happened this season in terms of Rooney coming in and the rest, what you can say about Knighthead is they haven't been slow to change things when they think something needs changing. And I do think something needed changing.

I certainly think Blues now have a better chance of survival with Gary Rowett as the interim manager than they would have if they'd have carried on with how it was set up.

Rowett’s first Blues miracle

SI: I was at the 8-0 before he was first appointed but I will admit I left at half time to spare myself what appeared to be a very obvious continuation of the onslaught in that first half. It seemed genuinely like rock bottom.

And then the difference in the next game going to Wolves away was genuinely incredible.

To turn around the players in that short amount of time, players who were absolutely on the floor and had no belief, was brilliant.

This feels like it's not quite as stark as that, but something similar needs to happen again.

Club statement

BD: Both Tom Wagner and Garry Cook mentioned leadership. Tom Wagner said: “Gary is an experienced leader and has our full support.” Garry Cook said: “A strong leader is needed to to guide the players.”

That's what it's all been about, it just feels like there's been a lack of leadership, certainly on the pitch and I don't want to get stuck into Venus, particularly. But it doesn't feel like there's been that sort of big personality on the sideline.

Birmingham City chairman Tom Wagner (left) and CEO Garry Cook
Birmingham City chairman Tom Wagner (left) and CEO Garry Cook

SI: It kind of felt like a similar issue when Rooney was the manager as well.

BD: John Ruddy's tried to do that, but it's difficult to influence a game from goal. Now there will be Rowett and Paul Robinson in the technical area barking out orders, issuing instructions, applauding, dishing out a few rollickings here and there. It just feels like there's going to be more personality around the first team squad.

Rowett’s No 1 priority

SI: The absolute No 1 thing is just getting confidence in the players. These players aren't bad players. These players are the players who have looked brilliant playing under Tony Mowbray and players who've looked brilliant playing under John Eustace - and in certain occasions look brilliant under Wayne Rooney.

There are some really good footballers in the team and they need somebody to remind them of that.

What's really frustrating about this is that the way the season's panned out and the way we kind of kind of had all that brilliant stuff in the summer, the takeover and new players being brought in and what you would say is a better squad than previous squads that have faced relegations, that we've ended up in in this situation again.

BD: You have to look at the defensive situation. I think the key issue is Blues have kept only seven clean sheets this season, they have to rectify that and yes that will potentially mean taking fewer risks and therefore maybe creating fewer opportunities, which might sound absolutely horrendous, given the fact that they haven’t scored a goal for three matches.

But I think Saturday was a case in point where if they're not taking the chance that Emanuel Aiwu took, they probably draw that game. Key to that, I think, is playing centre backs in central defensive positions. I would like to see Sanderson come back in into the side. I wonder if Rowett sees a centre back in Bielik in the way Mowbray does.

I think we could see a little bit of Marc Roberts over the coming weeks as well, if if he's fit.

SI: You'd probably say back in the day Morrison and Shotton were nailed on the team sheet, weren't they?

Centre back is such an important position where you want a bit of clarity and you want to know who your teammate is and you want to know where that player is likely to be.

I don't see Bielik playing as a centre back under Gary Rowett.

Set pieces

BD: Blues have scored seven, which is the fifth fewest in the league this season, we've seen all season a vulnerability at set pieces, especially when players punch the ball into the net like they did at Hull.

The set piece issue is a big one for me. Rowett’s Millwall last season, scored 24 set piece goals and that was the most in the Championship.

Players in from the cold

SI: Somebody who's been well and truly on on the fringes is Oliver Burke. Rowett and Burke aren't strangers. Burke played under Rowett at Millwall and played actually quite a lot of games.

Siriki Dembele's situation is interesting because at times he's looked like Blues’ best player, and at times he's been so out of position defensively where he hasn't got back. I'm not sure how Rowett will feel about him.

Birmingham City attacker Siriki Dembele
Birmingham City attacker Siriki Dembele

BD: Given what we've seen so far this season, I do struggle to see him being sort of airdropped into the into the 11.

The one I'm curious about will be Scott Hogan. If Jutkiewicz is out and I've talked quite a lot about Stansfield not looking that comfortable playing right up against a defence, then I do wonder if there is an opportunity for a reinvigorated Scott Hogan to come back in and make an impact.

I wouldn't be against Hogan and Stansfield, but potentially playing up top together, either.

I just wonder if Hogan's ability to play up against the defence and lead the line might be something that Rowett looks at.

Lots of teams defend in a 4-4-2 and you could see Stansfield and Hogan being quite effective.

One player from Rowett’s first spell (Courtesy Paul Delves)

SI: Immediately two players spring to mind at opposite ends of the pitch. One would be Clayton Donaldson and the other one would be Michael Morrison.

Donaldson was the perfect player for the Rowett system and he thrived in it and Blues don't have that similar kind of striker at the moment.

I'm going to go for the attacking edge and say Clayton Donaldson

BD: I think I've got to go with the defence. I think the centre back I'd go for would be Ryan Shotton, physically impressive, really athletic, would would put his body on the line. I think there was a Premier League player in Shotton when he was on his game.

I suppose the obvious answer is Demarai Gray, isn't it?

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