Lee Bowyer to hold talks with Birmingham City as speculation mounts about club takeover

Bowyer is set for talks with the club’s owners
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Birmingham City boss Lee Bowyer will hold talks about his and the club’s future on Monday after their 2-1 home defeat to Blackburn ended with a full-scale pitch invasion from angry fans.

Thousands of Blues supporters flooded the playing area after the final whistle to protest against Hong Kong-based owners Birmingham Sport Holdings, despite repeated pleas from the PA system and the presence of dozens of stewards and police.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Bowyer says he will meet with chairman Zhao Wenging to discuss plans as speculation mounts about a £35million takeover of the club by a mystery UK-based group.

Lee Bowyer Lee Bowyer
Lee Bowyer

“I’m meeting on Monday and I’m sure we will talk about how we can improve going forward,” said Bowyer.

“I would like to hear they understand the situation I’ve had to face this season; we all have to be realistic.

“I want clarity in terms of what the plan is and how we can improve because I want to be the person challenging up the other end and winning things.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“But I know one thing, it is going to take time because there are contracts people are on and they’ve got years to run.”

Bowyer will also seek answers on any potential takeover of the club.

“How many times do you think a club is being taken over and it doesn’t happen? It happens up and down the country. If you are just going to wait for that to happen you could be waiting a long time,” he said.

“Whether I am here or not, the club has to move forward and start planning. These are things I am sure we will find out on Monday.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Regarding the pitch invasion, Bowyer added: “I didn’t really see the full scale of it. But I saw the fans come on to the pitch and you could see their frustrations. I think we all have our own frustrations.”

Goals from John Buckley, in the 29th minute, and Ben Bereton Diaz, on the stroke of half-time, ensured Blackburn finished eighth – their highest position under departing manager Tony Mowbray – before Kristian Pedersen’s 78th-minute consolation.

Mowbray announced last month he expected to leave Ewood Park at the end of the season after five years in charge, with no offer of a new deal from Rovers.

And despite a positive finish to the campaign, the 58-year-old says he will not be changing his plans.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Nothing is going to change my mind now – we’ve gone too far down the line,” he said.

“This was my last game for the club, and if the owners phone me I’ll wish them well and thank them for the opportunity they gave me.

“I’ve had a good, emotional chat with the players. They’re a good young bunch, desperate to do well.

“It’s not my job to pick the next coach but I hope it’s somebody who wants to develop young players.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I just want to give myself a chance to compete in the Premier League at a club that’s got everything around it to compete in this league at the top, and be disappointed if you don’t get out of the division.”

A message from the editor:

Thank you for reading. BirminghamWorld is Birmingham’s latest news website, championing everything that is great about our city - reporting on news, lifestyle and sport. Find out more about who’s who in the team, and our editorial values. We want to start a community among our readers, so please follow us on Facebook,Twitter and Instagram, and keep the conversation going.

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.