{"id":552570,"date":"2020-05-30T14:59:03","date_gmt":"2020-05-30T18:59:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonfootball.com\/?p=552570"},"modified":"2020-05-30T14:59:03","modified_gmt":"2020-05-30T18:59:03","slug":"craig-gardner-to-continue-in-a-coaching-capacity-at-birmingham-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2020\/05\/30\/craig-gardner-to-continue-in-a-coaching-capacity-at-birmingham-city\/","title":{"rendered":"Craig Gardner to Continue in a Coaching Capacity at Birmingham City"},"content":{"rendered":"

Craig Gardner<\/a> will take up a coaching role at Birmingham City when his contract expires, the club have confirmed.<\/p>\n

Craig Gardner to Become a Coach at Birmingham City<\/h2>\n

Out of Contract<\/h3>\n

The experienced midfielder is out of contract this summer, and as a result of his decision to move into coaching, he has decided to call time on his career.<\/p>\n

Gardner has already begun the transition into life as a coach. The 33-year-old joined Pep Clotet’s backroom staff at the end of 2019, becoming a first-team coach.<\/p>\n

As a result, Gardner has seen his time on the pitch dwindle significantly this season. He has not featured in the Championship so far this season, making just one appearance in the League Cup.<\/p>\n

Birmingham Career<\/h3>\n

Across his two spells for the Blues, Craig Gardner has become a fans’ favourite at St Andrews.<\/p>\n

Having joined the club from city rivals Aston Villa<\/a>, the midfielder had to wait for his chance to impress on the blue side of Birmingham. He made just 13 appearances during his first season with the club, scoring just once.<\/p>\n

Gardner’s second season with the Blues was more successful. He scored eight goals in 29 appearances, helping Birmingham win the League Cup final against Arsenal<\/a>.<\/p>\n

However, following their relegation to the Championship, Gardner opted to remain in the Premier League, joining Sunderland for a fee in the region of \u00a36 million.<\/p>\n

The now-33-year-old remained with the Black Cats for three seasons before returning to the Midlands to join West Bromwich Albion<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Gardner then returned to St Andrews, initially on loan. However, he then made the move permanent later that year. The midfielder had made 53 appearances in his second spell with the club before announcing his retirement.<\/p>\n

Birmingham City expressed their appreciation and thanks to the midfielder in a short statement on their official club website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Main Photo
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>