"Massive mistake" - Jermaine Pennant pinpoints fatal Tom Wagner error at Birmingham City | OneFootball

Jermaine Pennant has taken a swipe at the Birmingham City owners following the club’s relegation to League One.

A 1-0 win against Norwich City on the final day of the season was not enough to keep the Blues in the Championship for another year.

The Midlands outfit endured a difficult campaign, ultimately finishing 22nd in the table and one point adrift of safety.

The club will now be preparing for life in League One, as they make their return to the third tier for the first time since 1995.

This was Birmingham’s first year under new ownership, with Tom Wagner having bought the club last summer.

Jermaine Pennant criticises Birmingham City owners

Pennant has pinpointed the decision to replace John Eustace with Wayne Rooney as the biggest mistake of the new owners’ tenure so far.

He believes this is a mistake that they must learn from if they are to turn around the fortunes of the club.

“It's a very big club and they’re looking to build a new stadium which seems like a great project, to go down to League One is a big shame and the fans will not be happy,” said Pennant, via FastestPayoutOnlineCasino.com.

“I think they made a massive mistake in the change of managers.

“It was the wrong decision to appoint Wayne Rooney.

“It was a baffling decision, John Eustace had them battling for the play-offs and they weren’t in any shape or form thinking about battling relegation.

“They must’ve assumed that the next manager would take over and continue to do well but football doesn’t work like that with different philosophies and styles of play.

“If you don’t have the right players then the results won’t come and that’s what we saw.

“I think the board will have an end of season meeting and acknowledge that they made a massive, massive mistake.

“They shouldn't have changed managers when there was no need to and should’ve seen how it played out.

“They might have been in the playoff places or even in mid-table, but to make that decision so early was a huge mistake.

“I think they’ll learn from that.”

Next steps for Birmingham City following relegation

Birmingham will now be planning for the upcoming summer transfer window.

The club will be hoping to build a side capable of fighting for promotion straight back to the Championship at the first attempt.

Tony Mowbray’s future as manager remains uncertain, with the 60-year-old absent for the end of the campaign due to illness.

Gary Rowett was placed in charge on an interim basis, but his second stint at St. Andrew’s is over following the end of the Championship season.

Birmingham paid for Rooney gamble

The decision to sack Eustace was widely criticised at the time, with Birmingham sitting sixth in the table when he was dismissed.

Rooney’s experience in the Championship was quite limited, having only worked with cash-strapped Derby County before then.

His time in the US also wasn’t inspiring, having struggled to get results from his DC United squad.

It was a huge risk to make a change when the team was playing well, and the owners ultimately paid the price as the side never recovered their form after Eustace’s departure.