Birmingham City's problems stem back to their decision to sack Gary Rowett, according to Ian Holloway.

The Blues have endured a difficult couple of years both on and off the pitch which has left them fighting for survival in the Championship this term.

Results under Aitor Karanka were poor on the whole and that has left Birmingham fully embroiled in a relegation battle.

As it stands the Blues are sitting six points clear of the bottom three but with clubs beneath them having games in hand it means that it's all to play for this term.

Lee Bowyer was appointed as head coach earlier this week and made the perfect start by recording a 2-1 victory over Reading on Wednesday evening - a result that bodes well for the rest of the season.

But discussing the club's fortunes, Holloway was quick to point the finger at the moment that sent Birmingham on their current downward spiral.

Speaking during his appearance on EFL On Quest, Holloway said: “All of their issues stem back to the board getting rid of a manager who was doing really well in Gary Rowett.

"That never made any sense.”

The verdict

There's no doubt that Birmingham City have a big test ahead of them.

Regardless of what's happened in the past the focus for the Blues has to be on picking up results between now and the end of the season to ensure that they don't drop into League One.

Lee Bowyer certainly has his work cut out and the next few weeks will be very interesting to see how he gets on.