Birmingham City head coach Gary Rowett has told the Birmingham Mail of his delight that Reece Brown has been able to turn his career around.
Many years ago Brown was seen as one of the players of the future for the Blues after he made a smattering of appearances for them as an 18-year-old. However since then Brown has slipped out of the thoughts of many managers and has struggled to get back into the first team and it all came to a head six months ago when he was suspended by the club due to his general conduct and levels of professionalism.
That seemed to be a shot in the arm for Brown’s career though as when he was restored to the squad he put his head down and worked hard in the developmental leagues and had impressed for the Birmingham U23s for the last few months. And so Rowett decided to reward him with a start in last night’s match against Preston North End and while he didn’t play particularly well in that match, Rowett was happy with some of his moments on the field.
He said: “He has deserved his appearance,”
“He has done so much in the U23 games, so much when he has come on the pitch and in training, I just felt that if we are not going to give him the chance – then what’s the point?”
“The kid has had such a turnaround, to the point last year where literally we couldn’t get him into the gym, let alone do the work we wanted him to do – and ended up taking about five-grand’s worth of fines off him.”
“He has been a completely changed character this year, he has been a joy to have around, he walks around with a smile on his face and he thoroughly deserved his chance.”
