Posts about Gianfranco Zola
EDIT: He's been sacked. Leaving this up as a testament to the state he's left in the club in. Ta Zola.
On December 13th, 2016, Gary Rowett's Birmingham City defeated Championship rivals Ipswich Town to go to 7th place in the table, held out of the playoff places on goal difference alone.
Rowett was fired the next day and replaced by Gianfranco Zola, ex-Chelsea legend.
Here's what happened next.
2 wins in 23 games.
13 points from a possible 66
Blues have scored more than once in only TWO games
Blues have dropped 13 places and are now just 3 points and 2 games out of the relegation zone
The players have begun fighting amongst themselves (something Zola called "normal")
Yet the board (in control since October 2016) continues to back Zola
Some context (feel free to stop reading and comment angrily here)
When Gianfranco Zola was appointed to the position of manager of Birmingham City, he was stepping into an admittedly difficult situation.
Despite sitting in 7th place, out of the playoff places only on goal difference, the new Birmingham City board had sacked manager Gary Rowett. Fans were furious. Rowett was being questioned more than in previous seasons โ fans were beginning to tire of his defense-first mentality โ but nobody wanted to see him go after he almost single-handedly pulled Blues up from the relegation zone and towards the playoff places.
Since then, the season has become a disaster. Blues look absolutely awful (which we do often, tbf, but this is next level).
With a 2-0 loss to Burton Albion today, Birmingham are just three points away from the relegation zone (with the second worst goal difference in the division) with three games to go. Most around the club are confident that we will be relegated. The players have given up. Zola has given up. The fans are calling for his head at home AND away games.
