‘BROKEN’ WINDOW SHATTERED STEVE

BIRMINGHAM have been lurching from one crisis to another for too long and Steve Cotterill is the latest victim.

Mirror Sport understands City’s struggling players found recent times ‘difficult’ under Cotterill (right), who was at loggerheads with chief executive officer Xuandong Ren.

Blues players felt Cotterill let turmoil with Ren affect his coaching at St Andrew’s. By the end of his reign, Cotterill could not contain his frustration at the club’s botched January transfer window, which he described as a “bugbear”.

He was left fuming at the failure to sign anyone after being promised a new striker when he took over in October.

Cotterill felt their business was damaged by rookie Ren taking control of transfers off football consultant Darren Dein following a bust-up. Ren failed to land any of Cotterill’s early new year targets – primarily Jordan Hugill and Kasey Palmer, who later opted for West Ham and Derby respectively.

Ren instead recommended players to Cotterill from overseas, including South Korea and Iceland.

Tensions rose at St Andrew’s between the pair while agent Dein, on a £25,000-a-month retainer, has been frozen out this year.