Clark new Birmingham coach

Lee Clark is the new manager of Championship side Birmingham City.

His appointment ends the club’s search for a successor to Chris Hughton, who has moved to Premier league club Norwich City.

As Goal.com reported earlier on Tuesday, the West-Midlands club have opted to go for the former Huddersfield boss who impressed chairman Peter Pannu during two sets of interviews.

However, with the club’s increasingly worrying financial situation and a mass exodus of their best players likely, the 39-year-old former Newcastle and Sunderland player will have a mountain to climb from the beginning.

The Blues who reached the play-offs last season had interviewed a number of candidates following the departure of Hughton, with Alan Curbishley and Roy Keane reportedly linked to the vacancy, but both are believed to have turned it down due to the rumours of no transfer budget and the potential departure of players.

Jordan Mutch was sold to Championship rivals Cardiff City last week, while Ben Foster is set to join West Brom following his loan-spell at the Hawthorns last season.

Curtis Davies has been linked with a move to join former manager Hughton at Norwich and Southampton are chasing promising goalkeeper Jack Butland, who was included in Roy Hodgson’s England squad at Euro 2012.

As Birmingham manager, Clark will face his former club Huddersfield in the Championship next season after the Yorkshire club won promotion through the League One play-offs.