Birmingham City will compete in the third tier for the first time since 1994/95 after being relegated from the Championship on the final day of the season despite a 1-0 win over play-off-bound Norwich City with a string of poor managerial decisions leading to the club’s demise.
Their transfer business at this early stage of the summer transfer window indicates that Birmingham City intend to limit their spell in League One to just one season, with three major signings through the door at St. Andrews.
Issues on and off the field Lead to the Blues’ Decline.
Birmingham City have had a difficult time financially over the last decade which has led to regular changes in ownership. The most recent change came last summer when Knighthead Capital Management invested in the club and took control of all football operations intending to provide a stable foundation for the club, which had seen its decline nosedive since back-to-back tenth-place Championship finishes under Gary Rowett in 2014/15 and 2015/16.
Managers such as Harry Redknapp, Gianfranco Zola, Lee Carsley, Garry Monk, Aitor Karanka and Lee Bowyer just to name a few failed to provide an upturn in fortunes, with the Blues failing to finish higher than 17th in the seven seasons before this campaign’s relegation.
The decision to sack John Eustace despite sitting in the top six in October and replace the former Watford player with Manchester United and England legend Wayne Rooney was a disaster with Rooney managing just two wins in 15 matches to plunge the Blues back towards the relegation battle at the turn of the year.
Despite the best efforts of Tony Mowbray and Mark Venus and a run of 11 points from eight games under Gary Rowett, the club were relegated to the third tier with 50 points. However, the hierarchy has wasted no time in improving the squad ahead of what is a pivotal season in the history of Birmingham City Football Club.
Birmingham City Move Fast to Secure Goalkeepers
The club have seen several departures since the close of the 2023/24 season with number one goalkeeper John Ruddy joining Newcastle United and squad players such as Marc Roberts and Scott Hogan departing. Oliver Burke and Emanuel Aiwu have returned to their parent clubs after their loan deals expired.
