Gary Rowett leaves Burton Albion to take over at Birmingham City

Gary Rowett has become the new manager of Birmingham City, his previous club Burton Albion have confirmed.

The 40-year-old leaves the League Two Brewers after five-and-a-half years as assistant and manager to join the Blues in the Championship.

Rowett returns to the club where he spent two years as a player between 1998 and 2000 and joining him will be coaches Kevin Summerfield, Kevin Poole and Mark Sale.

"Gary is an ambitious young manager and the offer from one of his former clubs playing Championship football was one he wanted to take," Burton chairman Ben Robinson told the Brewers' website.

He succeeds Lee Clark, whose two-year stint at St Andrew's was ended last week after a slow start to the season.

Rowett's task this season will be to keep the Blues in the second tier. After 14 games of the season they are second bottom and on a run of three straight defeats.

On Saturday they were thrashed 8-0 at home to Bournemouth and next face high-flying local rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers at the weekend.