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Birmingham City – Season Preview 2019/20

Birmingham City – Season Preview 2019/20
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Blues endured a wretched 2018/19 campaign however it wasn’t their performances on the pitch that were the problem.

Constant instability behind the scenes lead to the EFL slapping the club with a points deduction; dashing any hopes of a top-six finish.

Birmingham have been without top-flight football since 2010/11 and are now facing a ninth consecutive season in the Championship.

This will undoubtedly be their toughest season since dropping down into England’s second-tier as the club begins the process of rebuilding.

Last season

Birmingham City finished in 17th place in the Championship after a nine-point deduction was imposed on the club for breaches of Profitability and Sustainability Regulations.

Despite also starting the 2018/19 campaign with transfer restrictions, Blues were pushing for a play-off spot prior to their points-penalty.

However, following their nine-point deduction, Birmingham managed to secure Championship safety with just two matches left to play.

Garry Monk was sacked at the end of the season and many Blues fans are upset that the board didn’t try and do more to keep Monk as manager.

Next season

Monk’s assistant Pep Clotet has been confirmed as the club’s caretaker manager heading into the new campaign.

The Spaniard faces the monumental challenge of trying to motivate his squad after losing the club’s two standout performers in the transfer window.

Che Adams has joined Premier League side Southampton. The striker appeared in all 48 of Birmingham’s matches last season and finished as the club’s top scorer with 22 goals.

Star-man Jota has also left the club, crossing the Second City divide to join bitter rivals Aston Villa. The 28-year-old spent two seasons as St Andrew’s but has jumped ship with the club in turmoil.

Following the departure of Adams and Jota, the squad now lacks quality and it is in need of four or five players with Championship experience in order to challenge in the league this time around.

Considering everything that has happened at the club in recent times, the majority of Blues fans will be happy with a consistent and uneventful 2019/20 campaign.

Players in

  • Dom Crowley - €780k from Willem II
  • Gary Gardner - Free from Aston Villa
  • Jack Clarke-Salter - Loan from Chelsea

Players out

  • Che Adams - €16.70m to Southampton
  • Jota - €4.50 to Aston Villa
  • Bez Lubala - Free to Crawley Town
  • Michael Morrison - Free to Reading
  • Greg Stewart - Free to Rangers
  • Viv Solomon-Otabor - Free to CSKA Sofia
  • Tomasz Kuszczak - Released
  • Chiekh N’Doye - Released

Predicted league finish

The predicted league finish for Birmingham City is 14th. Blues will be content with mid-table as they look to reconstruct following a dismal 2018/19 campaign.

Championship Regular Season
OVERALL TABLE PTS GP W D L +/-
1
Leicester City 97 46 31 4 11 48
2
Ipswich Town 96 46 28 12 6 35
3
Leeds United 90 46 27 9 10 38
4
Southampton 87 46 26 9 11 24
5
West Bromwich 75 46 21 12 13 23
6
Norwich City 73 46 21 10 15 15
7
Hull City 70 46 19 13 14 8
8
Middlesbrough 69 46 20 9 17 9
9
Coventry City 64 46 17 13 16 11
10
Preston North End 63 46 18 9 19 -11
11
Bristol City 62 46 17 11 18 2
12
Cardiff City 62 46 19 5 22 -17
13
Millwall 59 46 16 11 19 -10
14
Swansea City 57 46 15 12 19 -6
15
Watford 56 46 13 17 16 0
16
Sunderland 56 46 16 8 22 -2
17
Stoke City 56 46 15 11 20 -11
18
QPR 56 46 15 11 20 -11
19
Blackburn Rovers 53 46 14 11 21 -14
20
Sheffield Wednesday 53 46 15 8 23 -24
21
Plymouth Argyle 51 46 13 12 21 -11
22
Birmingham City 50 46 13 11 22 -15
23
Huddersfield 45 46 9 18 19 -29
24
Rotherham 27 46 5 12 29 -52

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