LONDON: Birmingham City have appointed Garry Monk as their fifth manager in 15 months on a three-and-a-half-year contract, the English Championship (second tier) club said on Sunday. The 38-year-old Monk, former manager of Swansea City, Leeds United and Middlesbrough, replaced Steve Cotterill who was sacked on Saturday after Birmingham’s 2-1 loss at Nottingham Forest which left them 22nd in the 24-team standings. “The club is delighted to have secured the services of one of the game’s brightest young managers,” Birmingham said in a statement. Cotterill took charge in October in place of former Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United manager Harry Redknapp, who replaced Italian Gianfranco Zola in April. Published in Daily Times, March 6th 2018.