BIRMINGHAM have announced manager Tony Mowbray is stepping away from the club on medical grounds.
A club statement said he would be will be absent for six to eight weeks.
Mowbray, 60, was appointed to the position on January 8 after the club sacked Wayne Rooney.
A Blues statement said: “Birmingham City can confirm that manager, Tony Mowbray, requires medical treatment which means he will be temporarily stepping away from the on-site management of the club for a period of approximately six to eight weeks.”
Mowbray said the decision came after a health assessment and thanked the club for their help in this time.
He said: “Following my recent LMA Health Assessment I have received a medical diagnosis that will require me to receive treatment.
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“Undergoing treatment will necessitate that I temporarily step away from the technical area as manager of Birmingham City Football Club.
“Until I return, my assistant manager, Mark Venus, will take temporary charge of the team, supported by coaches Ashley Cole, Pete Shuttleworth and Maik Taylor.
“I will continue to provide advice and counsel while undergoing treatment.
“The club has been incredibly supportive of me and my family and we are very grateful. I know that everyone will be respectful of our privacy at this time.”
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Assistant manager Mark Venus will take charge in Mowbray’s absence.
Mowbray previously managed Sunderland but was dismissed by the Black Cats in December.
Birmingham have won three of their six league games under Mowbray while also picking up a draw against Swansea.
The results rocketed them away from the relegation zone, with Birmingham now on 38 points.
Mowbray’s coaching career has taken him throughout the English football pyramid with gigs at West Brom, Middlesbrough, Coventry and Blackburn.
He has also managed Hibernian and Celtic.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
