Former Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray 'getting stronger' after surgery

Assistant Mark Venus has provided an update on the health of Birmingham boss Tony Mowbray, and it's a very positive one.

Former Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray is ‘getting stronger’ after successful surgery, Birmingham assistant Mark Venus has said.

Mowbray had to step back from his role at the Midlands club this month to fight an unspecified medical condition.

Whilst the exact nature of it is still, very understandably, being kept private, Mowbray has taken a big step forward thanks to surgery and Venus is optimistic he will be back on the training ground and in the dugout soon.

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“I have had a chat with him every day to be honest,” Venus said. “A little update: he’s had his surgery and everything’s fine.

“He’s getting stronger, so he is on the way back hopefully. I’m not saying immediately but it’s been nice hearing him and chatting to him. It’s given us a bit of confidence.

“I gave the lads a little update from him this morning. They all asked, they kept asking. We are keeping everyone up to date with it. He’s getting stronger.”

Mowbray remains a hugely popular figure on Wearside despite his sacking earlier this season – a decision with which many fans did not agree.

His replacement, Michael Beale, has come and gone, and Mike Dodds is now in the Sunderland hotseat until the end of the season.

He led his own tribute to Mowbray, revealing his former boss had been a huge support to him.

“It's amazing when something like this happens to a good man you reflect and you don't realise the influence they've had on you,” he said.

“So I'll be honest with you, Sunday was a really difficult day for me, personally. And I know for a lot of the other staff - Alessandro [Barcherini] and Michael Proctor - it was shock and. We were really, really disappointed for Tony.

“From a personal perspective, I know the club put a statement out, but from a personal point of view, we just wish Tony all the best.

“I have spoken to him. I think this sums up Tony. He's obviously going through what he's going through.

“Then in the week, he has the class and quality to pick the phone up to me and wish me all the best and say some really nice things about me when he's got his own things going on. I think that says everything about Tony.

“So, from personal experience, I just want to wish Tony all the best. I want to wish Mark Venus all the best at Birmingham in terms of stepping in because they're two really, really good people.

“[To] Amber and his three kids, from everyone from the first team and everyone associated with all the club, we wish him well. We hope he's back in the dugout soon as possible.”

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