Tony Mowbray Considers Managerial Comeback Following Bowel Cancer Battle

Tony Mowbray, who previously managed six EFL clubs including West Bromwich Albion, Middlesbrough, Coventry, Blackburn, Sunderland, and Birmingham, is considering a return to football management following what he described as “the toughest year” of his life. The 60-year-old departed his role as Birmingham City manager after only eight games, having received a diagnosis of bowel cancer “out of nowhere” in February. Mowbray is currently recovering from surgery, and despite an unpredictable 2024, his enthusiasm for football persists. Speaking to BBC Radio Tees, he stated, “I do want to go back to work because football is in my blood, it’s what I do.” He added, “I still have issues, I’m still, at the moment not 100% ready for work. But somewhere down the line. My body’s telling me that I’m not ready yet.” Sunderland midfielder Jobe Bellingham expressed support for his former manager following the February diagnosis, which was identified during an annual check-up facilitated by the League Managers’ Association and concluded a challenging period. In November of the previous year, while serving as Sunderland manager, he received a call from his son during a board meeting, informing him that his residence had been burgled. He recounted, “I left that meeting and raced home to see the house full of police officers.” He continued, “So the start of this [past] year started really badly for us as a family and then I lost my job at Sunderland.” His circumstances appeared to improve when, just weeks after his departure from Sunderland, he was offered the managerial position at Birmingham City, succeeding Wayne Rooney. He had commenced his tenure at St Andrew’s positively, securing 10 points in his initial six league matches, prior to a colonoscopy that detected bowel cancer. Abruptly, his life “came crashing down”. He further stated, “We had just beaten Sunderland and Blackburn, my two previous clubs, and things were looking good, the place was bouncing, the stadium was full, and I was really looking forward to having a great time there. Unfortunately, 10 days later I was in a hospital bed in Manchester having a 10-hour operation and my life changed.” The challenging experience of surgery and the anticipation of an uncertain future led to a shift in priorities for the husband and father of three children. Mowbray, whose managerial career also includes spells at Hibernian, West Bromwich Albion, Celtic, Middlesbrough, and Coventry, remarked, “When you get an illness like that it’s about the family. I remember sitting in a hospital bed and my kids had tears in their eyes, not sure whether I’d get through it or not, to be honest. I was very, very ill.” He described his recovery period, saying, “I did come home from that and the period was very up and down. Some days you were feeling great, and others I would collapse and black out and find myself on the kitchen floor.” He explained, “I phoned the chief executive at Birmingham and told him that health and family is what life’s about and I needed to get myself right, so I left that job.” Mowbray characterized the “amazing” support he received from both Sunderland and Birmingham, who honored his contracts, as “humbling”. However, the individual, who identifies as a “normal working-class lad from the north east” and played as a central defender for Middlesbrough, Celtic, and Ipswich, is eager to return to work in the changing room and share his football and life experiences with younger players. Nevertheless, he currently has a more significant message to convey. He advised, “If there’s something that isn’t normal, don’t be afraid to go and see your doctor. If I didn’t do that I probably would not have been here today, or I’d have been in a situation where I wouldn’t have been able to have an operation and recover.” He concluded, “It’s not only you, think about your family.” In August, former Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray attended a match at the Stadium of Light, observing from the stands.