Scott Sellars has performed a career U-turn to join Birmingham City as Senior Pathway to Professional and Under-21s Coach, returning to coaching after seven years in leadership roles.
Return to coaching
The 60-year-old left his position as technical director at Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2023 and later served as sporting director at Al Jazira in the UAE. He hasn't held a coaching role since leaving Wolves' under-21s in 2018. Sellars explained his decision: "Looking from the outside at the project that's going on here, it's something that's really exciting and you can see there's a lot of focus on trying to grow the club. From a personal point of view, I wanted to go back into coaching and developing having been in more leadership roles in the past. That's where my passion is, seeing young players develop and have a career as I did myself."
Academy challenges
Blues' academy has faced difficulties after a rough first season back at Category One level. The under-21s finished 27th out of 29 clubs in Premier League 2, while the under-18s placed 14th in a 15-team league. Despite investment from Knighthead in facilities, the pathway to first-team football remains crowded, with no academy graduate receiving league minutes under Chris Davies in the last two seasons.
Pathway to first team
Sellars is determined to change that. "Training with the first team is a great avenue to look at. We can look at them and see where they're at. That's a fantastic opportunity for them to learn, to see really good players, how they train, how they behave and what they eat. If we do have an elite player then we have to push, but we also have to understand that Chris's job is to win three points on a Saturday and his focus will be on that. It's about building relationships and understanding the position."
Long-term vision
He added: "It has to be looked at as a long-term role. Getting players into the first team is what all academies should be judged on really. Trying to recognise who those elite players are and push them through, and try and guide them to the first team, is what I will always judge myself on."
Loans and development
Blues have also appointed ex-midfielder Darren Carter as loans manager to build relationships with clubs. Sellars emphasised the importance of loans: "For every football player, getting to the first team is your hardest part. I think identifying your real elite players is important but making sure all the players are supported to be successful in whatever they do. The jump from 21s football to Championship is very difficult. Unless you're exceptional physically, the demands, the pressures... Sometimes boys can have a lifespan of 21s football and they need to experience playing competitive football. Myself and Darren will be speaking to local clubs to try and build up good relationships, recognising where the players will fit into their styles of play and most importantly that the clubs want and will look after the players. The selection of clubs you loan out to is just as important as well."
