Garry Cook admits Birmingham City 'mistakes' as club chief breaks silence after relegation

Birmingham City’s chief executive officer Garry Cook has admitted mistakes were made during his first full season, ultimately leading to relegation to League One.

Blues’ fate was sealed on the final day of the Championship season as Gary Rowett’s men ran out 1-0 victors against Norwich but favours elsewhere didn’t come in. Sheffield Wednesday, Blackburn Rovers and Plymouth Argyle all claimed three points, making it impossible for Birmingham to survive.

Cook, in an open letter to supporters, has directly addressed the first dropdown to the third tier in 29 years. “Today was a disappointing day for our football club, as our stay in the Sky Bet Championship came to an end,” his statement began.

“I deeply regret that in some areas we have fallen short of the expectations we all had for this season. Some mistakes have been made and we will learn from them and take the necessary actions to ensure they never happen again.

“It has been a difficult season for our supporters, and I want to thank you all for your loyal and unwavering support of the team, right to the final whistle today. You have reminded the football world why a full St. Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park is such a unique experience.

“Despite the outcome of today, I want to reassure you that we have an executive leadership team that knows we must do better. The foundations are being put in place to ensure our Club will come back stronger.

“We have the full support of Tom Wagner and Knighthead Capital Management LLC to invest in the team, technology, people and infrastructure. Tom stated at the recent April Blues Open House that his ambition is for Blues to be in the Premier League, competing against the best teams in the country.

“Relegation will not change or dampen this ambition. I know you are hurting, everyone at the Club is, but let me stress there are great days ahead for us all. We are Blues. We may lose, but we are never beaten. Keep right on,” Cook concluded.