A number of senior Birmingham City stars missed Gary Rowett’s first training session due to injury. Rowett was parachuted in last week to save Blues from relegation to League One after it was confirmed that Tony Mowbray will step aside until the summer to recover from medical treatment.
Mark Venus had been leading the team in Mowbray’s absence but owners Knighthead acted after a run of five defeats in six matches left the team lingering above the relegation zone on goal difference. Rowett will oversee the final eight games of the 2023/24 campaign ahead of Mowbray’s anticipated return in time for pre-season.
First up for Rowett is a huge relegation six-pointer against Queens Park Rangers on Good Friday (3pm kick-off). Blues can leapfrog QPR – the team directly above them in the table – with victory at Loftus Road.
Rowett might have to contend without a number of Blues players. None of Krystian Bielik, Marc Roberts, Siriki Dembele, Keshi Anderson, Alex Pritchard or Lukas Jutkiewicz were pictured in Rowett’s first training session last week. The quintet picked up injuries before the international break and Rowett will be asked about their progress at his first press conference later this week.
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Oliver Burke was another notable absentee from training. Burke was frozen out by Mowbray and Venus but Rowett has signed the 26-year-old winger twice previously and could unlock his potential at St Andrew’s. Alfie Chang also missed the session due to a long-term knee injury.
Here is the latest team news before Blues take on QPR…
Krystian Bielik
Injury: Stomach
Bielik returned from a groin injury on the eve of the Southampton match only to tear a muscle in his stomach in training. He has missed Blues’ last six matches.
Marc Roberts
Injury: Calf
Roberts recently spent time on the sidelines with his third separate calf injury of the season before returning to marshal Blues’ defence at Millwall. He started against Middlesbrough before succumbing to the pain and hobbling off with a recurrence of his troublesome injury.
Former interim boss Venus said (March 14): “Marc has damaged his calf again, I would suggest he is going to need a period out of the team. He has had a sore calf for a period of time.
“He was completing training sessions and the calf wasn’t breaking down on him, but the other night it broke down. He’s out and that’s what happens in football clubs. We have to deal with it.”
