Birmingham City boss Lee Bowyer has revealed that he quickly got Harlee Dean on side after his appointment, with the defender starring again in the win over Rotherham United this afternoon.

Victory against the Millers saw Blues take a huge step towards survival, and it continues their fine form under the new boss. Bowyer has taken 13 points from his six games, which is the second best return in the league in that period.

As well as scoring the only goal, Dean was superb in defence, with his performances clearly going up a level after Bowyer arrived.

And, speaking to Birmingham Live, the boss explained how he made sure his points got across to the centre-back following his arrival.

"Obviously people look at the captain for reactions and from day one, before the Reading game, I said to him ‘Is there any questions, anything more that you want from me?’ He said ‘No, this is perfect. This is what we have needed and there’s no excuses any more’.

"Look at their performances since, it’s been very, very good."

The verdict

This suggests that Bowyer has simplified everything for the players and the results are clear to see.

Blues have been fantastic since the new boss came in, and they have got a superb return from what was a very difficult run of games.

Realistically, the win today should confirm their stay in the Championship, which was Bowyer's only task, and fans should be excited about what next season can bring under the guidance of the former player.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.