Birmingham City sack Garry Monk after 15 months in charge

Birmingham City have risked an angry backlash from their supporters by sacking Garry Monk. In a announcement that made little sense on the face of it, yet also came as no real surprise amid a backdrop of unrest behind the scenes, the club confirmed that Monk had been dismissed as manager and that his assistant, Pep Clotet, has been placed in charge on a caretaker basis.

The news went down badly with Birmingham fans, who had warmed to Monk after he turned round the club’s fortunes by staving off the threat of relegation when he was appointed in March 2018 and leading the team to safety last season despite a nine-point deduction being imposed for breaking the Football League’s profitability and sustainability rules. The 40-yearold galvanised the St Andrew’s fanbase in the process.

Birmingham finished in 17th place and it is understood that Monk was preparing for the campaign ahead by seeking clarity on the club’s plans, only for his request to be met by silence. It emerged that Birmingham’s board were unhappy with the style of football last season – something that was referenced in their statement and arguably overlooks the fact that Monk had been forced to work in challenging circumstances that restricted him to signing players on free transfers or on loan.

The decision to sack Monk has echoes of the bizarre judgement call that Birmingham made in December 2016, when Gary Rowett was dismissed at a time when the club was seventh in the Championship, and leaves the chief executive, Xuandong Ren, with many questions to answer.

A club statement said: “The board of directors believe this [decision] to be