Blog: A whirlwind 24 hours for Birmingham City

By James Clark, ITV News Central Sports Journalist

The last 24 hours have been a whirlwind for Birmingham City fans!

At lunchtime yesterday, Gary Rowett was sacked by the club's new owners. He was the man who the majority of the fans adored and was leading the club towards a potential promotion.

In October, shortly after the takeover by Trillion Trophy Asia Limited, I interviewed Gary, who said:

"It came across to me as though they [ the new owners ] were happy with the way the club was ran, happy with the way the club is working and they were just really there to maintain and support that progress."

I was fortunate enough to interview Gary on several occasions and was always impressed by his honesty and passion he had for Birmingham City. It was clear his goal was to get the club back to the Premier League. I, like many of the Blues fans, was shocked when I heard the news that his contract had been terminated.

Seven hours after Rowett's departure, his successor, Gianfranco Zola was appointed, along with his backroom staff, on two-and-a-half-year contracts.

He has a big reputation as a player. Zola is best known for his time at Chelsea between 1996 and 2003.

But as a manager his CV is mixed. He was sacked by West Ham, resigned from Watford, and was most recently sacked by a club in Qatar.

He will meet the media later today at St Andrew's and set out his plans for Birmingham City.

There's no doubt that one of Zola's biggest challenges will be assuring the fans that he will be able to take off from where Rowett left in Birmingham's quest to reach the Premier League.