'Control' - Birmingham City boss receives instruction from former Stoke City and Portsmouth figure

Former Stoke City and West Brom boss Tony Pulis has given some advice to Gary Rowett as he bids to keep Birmingham City in the division.

Blues are currently in the relegation zone, occupying the third and final spot. They’ve got a crucial relegation six pointer against Huddersfield Town at the weekend before facing play-off chasing Norwich City on the final day.

Rowett has been in management for 12-years and so he is well equipped for the challenge in front of him. The 50-year-old played and then managed Birmingham so there's not an individual more motivated than he is to stop them from going down. He has received some advice however from Pulis, who managed for 30 years and has been there and done it in both the Championship and the Premier League.

Speaking to OLBG, Pulis said: “Managers like Gary Rowett, who are fighting to avoid relegation at this time of the season, have got make sure they manage themselves and control their emotions first and foremost. The ones that can do that best will succeed. 

“I really think that coping with this period of the season is why managers get paid the money they do.”

Birmingham have had three permanent managers in the dugout this season, as well as three others who have taken charge on a temporary basis. John Eustace began the season in charge but was replaced by Wayne Rooney, and then his short reign was ended and Steve Spooner took over for a brief period.

Tony Mowbray was installed as Rooney’s permanent successor but had to stand aside whilst he recovered and his assistant Mark Venus took control, but he failed to win and was subsequently replaced by Rowett in March. Rowett had been out of work after stepping down as Millwall manager, and has since won two of the six games overseen.

Despite the uncertainty over what division they will be playing in next season, the club’s hierachy have announced grand new plans for the future. A new state-of-the-art stadium along with the facilities to go with it have been spoken about as well as improvements to St Andrew’s in the mean time. The former West Brom and Portsmouth boss though believes that the main priority however should be what is happening on the pitch.

“They've got rich owners there now and it sounds as if they want to be progressive,” Pulis said about Tom Wagner and Knighthead.

“However, you can have the best stadium in the world but if your team is not winning matches, you're not going to fill it. 

“Tom Brady and the owners' priority has to be staying up first. After staying up, they need to look at strengthening the team on the pitch so they can stabilise in the Championship.

“Talk of building stadiums and doing this or that is good, and I'm sure the supporters are excited, but if you ask the majority of supporters will want the team to be sorted out before anything else.”