GARY Rowett has refuted suggestions he was angling to leave Birmingham City when he was their manager – ahead of a reunion with his former club this Saturday.
Rowett was appointed Blues boss in October 2014 and guided the side from 21st in the Championship to a tenth-place finish.
They also finished tenth the following season before Rowett was sacked in December 2016 despite the side sitting seventh in the table. Birmingham had just beaten Ipswich 2-1 and were only three points off Reading in third.
There were murmurs Rowett had been looking for a move away. He had been linked with a host of top-tier Championship clubs.
Gianfranco Zola took over from Rowett but left the following April after a disastrous run saw the side plunge towards the relegation zone. Harry Redknapp succeeded Zola as Blues finished nineteenth.
Rowett denied he was courting other interest when he was in charge of Birmingham.
“People have spoken about it since and said, ‘he wanted to leave’, but if a manager wants to leave and you have a clause in your contract that says so then you can leave, so I think it’s clear to see that I didn’t want to leave,” Rowett said.
“I felt we were building something good. As soon as someone does that to you then your mindset changes and focuses on what you have to do in the future to get success and improve as a manager. It’s as simple as that.
“I loved my time there, I’ve got a lot of fond memories. The fan base are tremendous, one of the best in the Championship. It’s good to go back. I’m sure I’m bound to get a little bit of stick which is a shame but that’s how it goes.
“We’ve [his coaching staff] been back three times and have won twice and lost once. It will be a difficult challenge but one we’ll look forward to.
“I think at Stoke where perhaps you haven’t performed to the level people expected and you get sacked you can understand it.
“We [Birmingham] were three points off third with, I think, the third-lowest budget in the division.
“But I’ve said it before, I’ve no problem because if an owner invests a hell of a lot of money in a football club, it’s a business, they can do whatever they want. They’re entitled to do what they want. I don’t even necessarily blame the owners.”
Image: Millwall FC