I was sacked by Birmingham City over text message after letting rip following relegation

Former Birmingham City talent-spotter Paul Montgomery has revealed the fiery text message exchange which saw him sacked after the club was relegated from the Premier League in 2011.

Montgomery was Alex McLeish’s appointed head of recruitment and oversaw the club’s transfers from 2008 to 2011 before being relieved of his duties shortly after defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane cost Blues their place in the top flight. Montgomery had agreed a deal to sign Russian striker Roman Pavlyuchenko in the January before he scored a brace for Spurs to relegate Blues.

Needless to say, Montgomery wasn’t pleased and opened fire at then managing director Peter Pannu. Montgomery recounted his departure from St Andrew’s in the following passage from his new book, Rough Diamond.

So, to the greatest moment of my life, a Wembley final against title-chasers and heavy favourites Arsenal. What a day and one I’ll never forget! Everyone hit their straps that afternoon and reached their peak at the right time… well, everyone except the linesman who denied Bowyer a clear early penalty by wrongly flagging him offside! Seriously, to a man, every Birmingham player was superb and we deservedly took the lead through Nikola Zigic’s close-range header. Arsenal’s mercurial Dutch striker Robin van Persie soon pegged us back with a spectacular volley, but we definitely sensed this game was there for the taking if we could keep up the quality of our performances.

In the dressing room at half-time, I remember telling big Zigic to keep doing what he was doing, because he was terrifying the two Arsenal central defenders with his height and physical presence – it was definitely his best game for Birmingham. The atmosphere was amazing in the dressing room and on the bench and when Oba Martins capitalised on a mix-up in the Arsenal defence to score the winner five minutes from time… Oh my God, we all went absolutely mad… and again at the final whistle!

What a feeling that was, and it was made all the better by being able to celebrate on the pitch with the players and backroom staff. The fans were emotional and so was I, I can tell you, especially because most of the Arsenal fans had gone home, so only the Blue half of Wembley remained – it felt like we had the place to ourselves!

There was me, stood on the hallowed turf of England’s national stadium while one of my sons, Nicholas, stood with his mates from Newcastle and waved at me from the stands.

I have Alex to thank for that moment and it will live with me forever. Moreover, I’ll always regard it as an honour to have been there with the Birmingham fans that day. I was convinced this would only be the start of our journey, winning trophies for these great supporters and regularly qualifying for Europe, but afterwards, my worst fears were realised.

We’d barely been in the relegation zone all season and every time we’d started to slip down the table, we’d go on a little run of wins and draws to pull us back into mid-table. Just as we’d discussed in January though, the injuries started to pile up, one after the other, especially to the spine of the team. We fell nearer and nearer the drop zone until we reached the last game of the season in the middle of May just above the three relegation spots.

Paul Montgomery, a former talent scout for Birmingham City, has disclosed the heated text message discussion that led to his dismissal following the team’s 2011 Premier League relegation.

Montgomery was named head of recruiting by Alex McLeish, and he managed the club’s transfers from 2008 to 2011. He was fired soon after the Blues’ season-ending loss to Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. Before Roman Pavlyuchenko helped Spurs defeat Blues with two goals in a row in January, Montgomery had reached an agreement to purchase the Russian striker.

Unsurprisingly, Montgomery became enraged and started shooting Peter Pannu, the managing director at the time. The following chapter from Montgomery’s latest book, Rough Diamond, describes his departure from St Andrew’s.

And now for the highlight of my life: a Wembley final versus Arsenal, the overwhelming favorites and championship contenders. What a day it was—one I will always remember! That afternoon, everyone really got going and performed at their best—well, everyone save the linesman who mistakenly flagged Bowyer offside, denying him a clear early penalty! To be honest, Nikola Zigic’s close-range header gave us the lead, and every Birmingham player was excellent. We were quickly leveled with a magnificent volley from Arsenal’s erratic Dutch striker Robin van Persie, but we felt this game was ours to win if we could continue to play at this level.

Big Zigic was scaring the two Arsenal central defenders with his height and muscular presence, and I recall urging him to keep doing what he was doing in the changing room at halftime. It was undoubtedly his greatest performance for Birmingham. When Oba Martins scored the game-winning goal five minutes remaining after an error in the Arsenal defense, the excitement in the locker room and on the bench was incredible. Oh my God, with the last whistle, we all went completely crazy once more!

That was quite the thrill, and it was enhanced by being able to celebrate with the players and backroom crew on the field. We felt like we had the entire Blue half of Wembley to ourselves because the most of the Arsenal fans had left. The fans were emotional, and I can attest to that.

Standing on the sacred grounds of England’s national stadium, I was greeted by one of my kids, Nicholas, waving at me from the stands with his Newcastle pals.

That moment will always be a part of me, and I owe Alex for it. In addition, I would always consider it an honor to have seen that day with the Birmingham supporters. I was sure that this was just the beginning of our adventure, that we would routinely qualify for Europe and win trophies for these wonderful people, but my worst worries came true subsequently.

We had hardly been in the relegation zone the whole season, and each time we felt like we were falling behind, we would go on a little winning and drawing streak that would get us back into the middle of the table. However, exactly as we had discussed in January, the team’s ailments began to mount up, with the spine suffering the most damage. We kept getting closer to the drop zone until we were just above the three relegation slots going into the season’s last game in mid-May.

We needed to defeat Tottenham or at least tie the outcomes of Blackpool and Wigan in order to guarantee our place in the league; further complicating matters may be Wolves’ performance against Blackburn. The owners had been warned that this would occur in the event of injuries, but they had disregarded the advice, and now we were about to pay the ultimate price at the hands of a player who we all know all too well. One of the two attackers I’d campaigned for us to recruit in January, Roman Pavlyuchenko, scored two goals to consign us to a devastating 2-1 loss. His second goal came in the last minutes after Gardner had equalized, apparently saving us. Indeed, other outcomes had not gone our way; as a consequence, Wigan and Wolves managed to survive, while we were demoted to the Championship.

Feeling dejected and angry, I unleashed my fury on Pannu through a message stating that I hoped he was happy of himself for allowing a player who should have been wearing our shirt to relegate us by not signing those players during the January window as planned.

His response? “You have been fired,” I said, and I really wanted to say, “Thank God for that!” After two days, Pannu gave me a call to apologize for what he had written and to ask me to work directly for him, locating, acquiring, and selling players for Birmingham City. I was at a loss for words and could only manage to say, “No, thanks.” I’m relieved that by then I had regained my composure. Just consider the things I could have said.

After a while, I just felt empty, devastated by how, in just a few months, the whole situation had gone from ecstasy to something akin to grief—both for me and, I believe, for Alex as well, since he left not long after I did, citing me as one of the reasons he left. The way it ended at Birmingham saddened me. I genuinely thought that after winning the Carling Cup, we would have regained our spot in the Premier League if the Hong Kong owners had acquired that two or three additional bodies in January. Alex and I had already planned the possible players we might recruit in the off-season to strengthen the team we had already assembled, so that first trophy in almost 50 years would have only been the beginning. Without a doubt, ifs, buts, or maybes, we would have advanced into the Premier League’s top six. My heart ached for the players, the crew, and the incredible fans who ensured that I genuinely experienced the dream.

To be certain of staying up, we had to beat Tottenham or just match the results of both Blackpool and Wigan, with Wolves’ outcome against Blackburn also potentially complicating matters. The owners had been told this could happen if injuries struck, but they’d ignored the warning and now we were about to pay the ultimate price at the hands of a player all too familiar to us. Two goals from a certain Roman Pavlyuchenko, one of the two strikers I’d pushed for us to sign in January, condemned us to a hugely damaging 2-1 loss, his second goal coming in the dying minutes after Gardner had equalised to seemingly make us safe. Other results had indeed gone against us, so Wigan and Wolves survived while we found ourselves relegated to the Championship.

Demoralised and distraught, I opened fire at Pannu by sending a message saying I hoped he was proud of himself, because by not signing those players in the January window as had been arranged, he’d allowed a player who should have been wearing our shirt to relegate us.

His reply? “You are sacked”, to which I simply replied: “Thank Christ for that!” Two days later, Pannu called me to apologise for what he’d written and to urge me to work for him directly, finding, buying and selling players through him for Birmingham City. Speechless, I could barely muster a reply, so made do with: “No, thanks.” I’m quite glad I’d recovered my composure by then. Just think what I could have said…

For a while thereafter, I just felt empty, gutted by how the whole situation had changed from ecstasy to something approaching grief in the space of a couple of months, both for me and for Alex too, I think, because he left shortly after I did and cited my departure as one of his reasons for exiting. I was devastated at how it ended at Birmingham. I truly believed that had the Hong Kong owners got us those two or three extra bodies in the January, we’d have secured our place in the Premier League again after winning the Carling Cup. That first silverware in nearly 50 years would only have been the start, because Alex and I had already planned the potential players we could add in the close season to bolster the squad we’d already built. In my opinion, we’d have kicked on into the top six of the Premier League, no ifs, buts or maybes. My heart was broken for the players, the staff and moreover the brilliant fans, who made sure I truly lived the dream.

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