Three reasons Gary Rowett is the wrong appointment for Derby County

According to reports on BBC, Derby County are said to be close to appointing former Birmingham City boss Gary Rowett (at the time writing) as their new manager, following the sacking of Steve McClaren on Sunday night.

The former England chief was relieved of his duties after the Rams picked up just six points from their last nine Championship fixtures, which has left them 10 points from the play-off positions with just nine matches of the season remaining.

Rowett is set to be the man that tries to pull off the miracle over the course of the next couple of months, starting with a tasty trip to arch-rivals Nottingham Forest this Saturday.

While he had an impressive record during spells with Burton Albion and Birmingham City, there are of course some factors that could mean that the 43-year-old isn’t the right man for the east Midlands club at this stage in time.

Here are three reasons why Rowett would be the wrong appointment for Derby County…

Not used to working with a big budget

During his time with Burton Albion, and the majority of his spell at Birmingham City, Rowett wasn’t used to working with a big budget, and it seemed to suit him.

After leading the Blues to a 10th-placed finish in his first season in charge on a shoestring budget, the 43-year-old was given money to spend last summer.

However, it is nothing compared to what is on offer with the Rams, who are determined to return to the Premier League.

It is something that Rowett will have to adapt to – and make the correct decisions on players – quickly.

More pressure than at Burton and Birmingham

Similarly to the first point, there was little pressure on Rowett to succeed at Burton Albion or Birmingham City, and it was something that he seemed to thrive on.

Even when the Blues were circling around the play-offs prior to his departure, they were doing so under the radar, but it will be a completely different story at Pride Park.

The board, and supporters, will expect a quick, positive start and they will demand promotion next season – if, as expected, the club fail to finish in the play-offs this term.

It will be the first time in his career that the 43-year-old has dealt with this level of pressure, and he will need to cope with it in the right way.

Relationship with the board

With Rowett doing so well with Birmingham City before his sacking, it would suggest that perhaps the relationship between manager and board wasn’t as strong as it could have been with the new owners taking the decision to sack him.

It might suggest that the 43-year-old is a little stubborn and wants to do things his way – which of course is fair enough – but in modern day football this is becoming less and less the norm.

With the pressure of promotion, keeping the communication between the board and Rowett positive will be key.