Birmingham City sack Redknapp days after profit warning

Birmingham City’s owners are searching for their fourth manager in nine months, just days after issuing a profit warning to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Harry Redknapp, whose three-match spell at the end of last season saw the club stay in the Championship, has been dismissed with the club second from bottom in the table with four points from eight games. His departure follows Gary Rowett, who was surprisingly sacked in December 2016, and Gianfranco Zola, who resigned in April.

Birmingham Sports Holdings, the ownership vehicle of Trillion Trophy Asia, warned shareholders the business is likely to face a “substantial increase” in its losses compared with last year’s £6m shortfall.

The costs of appointing Harry Redknapp and his management team in April and the subsequent signing of 14 players over the summer were blamed for this, while last season’s poor performance impacted on attendances and other income.

A club statement said: “Unfortunately due to the poor start to the campaign which sees the club second from bottom of the Championship, we are left with no choice but to terminate the contract of the manager with immediate effect.

“We thank him for all his efforts and wish him good luck for the future.”

The sacking brings Redknapp’s one-year contract to an abrupt end, just weeks into a season that Blues fans had been so optimistic about.

It also continues the self-inflicted chaos that has engulfed the club since last December, when new owners Trillion Trophy Asia dismissed manager Rowett eight weeks after completing their takeover of the St Andrews club.

Rowett had been in charge for two years and Birmingham City were seventh in the Championship. Zola was appointed and his catastrophic spell in charge saw just two wins in 24 games, putting Birmingham City in real danger of relegation to League One.

Redknapp’s rescue act had seemed to draw a line under the on-field problems, but six straight defeats, including Saturday’s 3-1 defeat at home to Preston North End, has plunged the club back into crisis.