Birmingham City are facing a big rebuild in the summer transfer window after losing their Championship status
Nearly three years ago, there was scepticism when Craig Gardner was given the keys to Birmingham City’s dilapidated castle. It appeared that the former coach and player for the Blues had no expertise to be appointed technical director of a football team that was then in the Championship, and that the appointment was merely another poor decision made by the previous owners.
Despite all of the outside commotion, Gardner took the position seriously and pushed himself into it. He also spoke fast about how to solve the Blues’ Financial Fair Play issues and add quality players to a team that has historically been made up of expensive players who have more experience in the rear of the pitch than in front of it. Gardner has not spoken in public since his initial interviews, which were followed up a few months later by a meeting with fan clubs and the media.
Nevertheless, he has kept up his job in the background and was able to take advantage of the generosity brought about by Tom Wagner’s takeover last summer. Additionally, he was tasked with adding Frank McParland and Joe Carnall to his recruitment team.
Gardner would undoubtedly argue that he has spent a great deal of his time on things other than transfers; in fact, he played a key role in making the takeover successful. However, he is most often judged by those most prominent yardsticks, especially after the transfer optimism of last summer resulted in relegation. Once more, fingers have been pointed.
Thus, we examine the more than thirty deals he has managed across his six windows in the position, as well as his hit ratio on those deals.
Chuks Aneke (Charlton, free) HIT
Never more than a small part player, he returned to rejoin Lee Bowyer and was eventually sold for a tidy sum of money. Aneke never seemed to be a good fit for the Championship, even while there wasn’t much of a return in terms of football, and as far as business goes, it was all clever work by Gardner.
Jordan Graham (Gillingham, free) HIT
most likely the best ball crosser in his two seasons at the Blues, but Bowyer’s preference for a wing back system put an early end to his dreams of being a winger.
Graham undoubtedly made an effort to put himself into a role that he had despised during his time with the Wolves, but he was never able to persuade Bowyer or John Eustace that he was deserving of a regular starting spot. A return on investment of fifty-four appearances in two seasons is not terrible. That would be too harsh to call a miss.
Ryan Woods (Stoke, free) MISS
For a few games, the sand-wedge passes to the full backs were entertaining to watch, and there was a lot of optimism that Woods would be the pivotal player who would turn the Blues into a more possession-based team.
But just when the Blues’ collective lack of athleticism started to hurt them, Woods’ flaws were also made more apparent. He ultimately played for Blues for just one season, with progressively worse performances, before Eustace shipped him to Hull City.
Juan Castillo (Chelsea, loan) MISS
The greatest Gardner era swing and miss. “When he first came, he was overweight, couldn’t run, and broke down in the first week or two of preseason because he was out of shape,” Bowyer said, hardly giving him a chance.
He only made three appearances for Blues in the Championship, and the following window saw the termination of his loan.
Troy Deeney (Watford, free) HIT
The dream had an enticing quality. Following ten years of success in the Premier League, the childhood Blues supporter comes back to propel his side to the next level. In addition, the dream was completely surreal.
Having spent two seasons with the Blues, Deeney was likely more taken aback by the decline in expectations, realising that it was no longer about fitting in as many parts as possible rather than being the missing piece.
With the high expectations at the beginning, it’s difficult to believe that everything went as smoothly as everyone had hoped. Unfortunately, his fitness issues prevented him from having as big of an impact on the pitch as he would have liked. But off the pitch, there was a rise in quality, and Deeney should be commended for that.
Riley McGree (Charlotte, loan) HIT
Aitor Karanka had mostly disregarded the Australian until Gardner invited McGree back to the team. His real value didn’t surface until injuries to other players made Bowyer choose the Australian.
McGree unexpectedly found himself in demand by other teams, and the Blues were unable to compete. Still, he can’t see his time with the Blues as a failure.
