Garry Monk took up his third managerial position inside twelve months at Birmingham City, having left both Leeds and Middlesbrough after short spells.

He made his name as manager of Swansea City, but upon taking his latest role, he's confident it won't be as hard as the task he performed at the Liberty Stadium.

"I’ve been in the deep end quite a few times,” Wales Online reports him as saying. “I don’t need armbands right now. It will never be harder than when I first went into management – it doesn’t come much more in the deep end than that. I think I have gained a lot of experience, even though I am very early on in my managerial career.”

Monk took over from Michael Laudrup after the Dane was sacked by Swans chairman Huw Jenkins. He stepped up to a side 12th in the Premier League and facing a huge local derby against Cardiff, which his side won 3-0.

He takes over a Blues side languishing in the Championship relegation spots and facing the very real prospect of League One football next season.

His last role was in the Middlesbrough hot seat where he enjoyed a 46% win percentage but still faced the boot in the aftermath of a 2-1 win against Sheffield Wednesday.

The Verdict

Garry Monk is a highly competent manager and a sound appointment by Birmingham City.

As for opening games, they can't come much bigger than the South Wales derby and he won't be phased by the job ahead of him.

This is a manager who was perhaps harshly dismissed by Boro and who ran the gauntlet of Cellino's Leeds, a year at Birmingham will seem like a walk in the park.