• Redknapp takes over from Gianfranco Zola to the end of the season • Steve Cotterill to join struggling Championship club as his assistant

Harry Redknapp has taken charge at Birmingham City until the end of the season following Gianfranco Zola’s resignation on Monday. The move marks a surprise comeback for the 70-year-old more than two years since he left Queens Park Rangers, his most recent club management role.

Birmingham are three points above the Championship relegation zone with three games left to play after the 2-0 defeat at home against Burton Albion on Monday. Redknapp’s first match at the helm will be against city rivals Aston Villa in a midday kick-off on Sunday.

“I got a phone call last night at 7pm from the people of Birmingham,” Redknapp told Talksport. “I drove to London and had a 10-15 minute meeting with them and said: ‘Sure I’ll come and do it’. My wife said to me ‘are you mad or what?’ I get fed up sitting around doing nothing.

Gianfranco Zola resigns as Birmingham manager after Burton defeat Read more

“Birmingham are a proper club but they are in a precarious position. We have the worst goal difference [of the teams still fighting against relegation]. It’s a real challenge. I’ll come and live up there until the end of the season and if I can keep them up then we can sit down at the end of the year and we can talk about going forward next year and in the future.

“I haven’t got a magic wand, I’m not going to turn them into Real Madrid. If I can get them going and get a bit of belief back into them and we can pick up a win or whatever we need to stay up – that’s all I can do.”

Redknapp, 70, has worked in a variety of background roles since his resignation from QPR in February 2015, including posts as an advisor to Derby County, a football consultant to Australian side Central Coast Mariners and a director of football at non-league Wimborne Town, as well as taking charge of the Jordan national side during two World Cup qualifiers last year.

The club had promised to act swiftly following the departure of Zola, who oversaw a dismal 22-game reign which brought only two wins. “I sacked myself,” said Zola on Monday. “I decided to give in my resignation. I am sorry because I came to Birmingham with huge expectations. Unfortunately the results have not been good and I take full responsibility.

“It is not that I like quitting, but Birmingham deserves better. If I feel I cannot help the players, why stay? If I cannot help the team, it is better I leave and let someone else do that. I feel very bad and very sorry. We worked with a lot of meaning, but unfortunately it didn’t produce the results. It is all very disappointing.”

Birmingham had said that the futures of the Italian’s backroom team – Pierluigi Casiraghi, Gabriele Cioffi, Kevin Hitchcock, Andrea Caronti and Sebastiano Porcu – would be decided in due course and their positions remain in doubt, with the former Bristol City manager Steve Cotterill set to move to St Andrew’s as Redknapp’s assistant.

In a statement the struggling club said they were “delighted” with the appointment and added: “Redknapp has enjoyed notable success as a manager at Bournemouth, West Ham United, Portsmouth, Tottenham Hotspur and QPR.

“Amongst his many achievements, he successfully guided Portsmouth and QPR to promotions to the Premier League and also secured an FA Cup victory with Portsmouth. He won a Premier League manager of the year award with Tottenham Hotspur and also qualified them for the Champions League. We believe that under the leadership of Redknapp, Blues will enhance their strength and create achievement.” Guardian sport