Former West Brom and Sunderland man leaves role after six months as Cardiff hero is linked with Burnley job
The latest headlines from the Championship as a former West Brom coach leaves his position
Former West Brom assistant coach Mark Venus has confirmed that he is leaving Midlands rivals Birmingham City following the resignation of manager Tony Mowbray.
Venus, who spent time in the Midlands as a player with Leicester City and Wolves between 1985 and 1997, began his career in coaching with Mowbray at Edinburgh side Hibernian, where he also played one match before retiring as a footballer.
The Wolves hero joined Mowbray at the Hawthorns Stadium when he became head coach of West Brom and the pair enjoyed a fairly successful three-year stint which saw the team lift the 2007/08 Championship title whilst playing an entertaining attacking brand of football. Before suffering relegation in their first season back in the top-flight.
Venus has since worked alongside Mowbray at various big clubs including Celtic, Middlesbrough, Blackburn and Sunderland.
On 8 January 2024, he arrived to help Mowbray at a struggling Birmingham side and the pair originally inspired an upturn in fortunes by winning four and drawing one of their opening eight games.
Venus took temporary charge of the Blues when Mowbray stepped down for medical issues, but took gardening leave in March when Gary Rowett arrived as interim manager.
Next season will be Birmingham's first in the third-tier of English football since 1995 as they target an immediate return to the Championship.
Former Cardiff City and Newcastle star shortlisted for Burnley job
Former Cardiff City hero Craig Bellamy is among the leading contenders to take over from Vincent Kompany as Burnley’s new manager. The Clarets are currently searching for a candidate to replace Kompany after his shock move to 33-time German champions Bayern Munich.
The likes of Frank Lampard, Scott Parker, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and even David Moyes have been linked with the role at Turf Moor in recent weeks. However, according to reporter Alan Nixon, Bellamy’s chances of securing a permanent role are increasing after he was named as acting head coach on an interim basis.
Bellamy has been a part of Burnley’s coaching staff since the summer of 2022 and worked a assistant to Kompany when the team steamrolled to the Championship title in 2022/23.
Bellamy has no experience in management, but is reportedly deemed a worthy candidate by many behind the scenes at Burnley due to his knowledge of the club, player and the system in which the board operate.
Although he was known for being hot-headed and clashing with several managers in his playing days, those who have worked with Bellamy, including former Aberdeen boss Neil Warnock, have tipped him to be a successful manager in the future. In 2018, Warnock said: “He has got all the attributes. He has been coaching now for a while. He was disappointed, I think not to get the Welsh job.”
Former Liverpool strike partner Peter Crouch also said: “I know he was hot-headed as a player, but he's mellowed a bit now. He thinks about football 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
Bellamy’s odds to become Burnley manager currently stand at 2/1 making him second favourite behind Lampard. His odds have dropped slightly from the 3/1 odds he was given on Monday 3 June.