After a series of ups and downs over the past two seasons, Birmingham City fans can be forgiven for wanting a more stable campaign this time around.
Lee Clark narrowly kept them up in 2013-14, and another relegation battle looked on the cards for the Blues in the early stages of last season after winning just two of their opening 12 games. Clark lost his job in October and was replaced by Burton Albion boss Gary Rowett.
The ex-Blues defender had an immediate impact as he guided the Midlanders away from the drop zone. A slump in the New Year followed, but Rowett's side rallied towards the end of the season to record an impressive top-10 finish.
Birmingham's quick turnaround will increase expectations at St Andrew's, but it remains to be seen if they have enough to go further than 10th and push for for a playoff place.
In
Maikel Kieftenbeld (FC Groningen), Tomasz Kuszczak (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Alex Jones (West Bromwich Albion), Adam Legzdins (Leyton Orient), Jacques Maghoma (Sheffield Wednesday), Jon Toral (Arsenal, season-long loan),
Out
Darren Randolph (West Ham United), Callum Reilly (Burton Albion), Gavin Gunning (released), Luke Armstrong (Cowedenbeath), Matt Green (Mansfield Town), Colin Doyle (Blackpool), Nat Kelly (released), Olly Lee (released), Callum Preston (Crawley Town), James Fry (released), Amari'i Bell (Fleetwood Town), Denny Johnstone (Morton), Mark Duffy (Burton Albion), Nick Townsend (Barnsley, short-term loan)
Last season - 10th
Manager - Gary Rowett
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Rowett was regarded as one of the brightest managerial talents in the Football League before Birmingham snapped him up, with the appointment pleasing most Blues supporters. The former defender turned Burton Albion into promotion contenders in League Two before Birmingham came calling, and the step up in divisions proved no obstacle for him.
He quickly turned the club's fortunes around after arriving, with an early win over Watford kickstarting their revival. Rowett's men charged up the table after a run of seven wins from 11 games, while the likes of Demarai Gray and David Cotterill impressed under the new regime.
With a full pre-season under his belt, Rowett will be hoping that he can achieve another top-half finish.
Key Player - David Cotterill
The midfielder joined Birmingham from Doncaster Rovers last summer on a free transfer, which has proven to be excellent business. Cotterill quickly established himself as an important member of the side, scoring nine goals in his debut campaign at St Andrew's, with seven of those coming from outside the penalty area.
The Wales international, who also contributed eight assists, was a consistent performer throughout last season and the Blues will be looking to him again to offer a creative spark. His ability to find a goal out of almost nothing is a rare quality at Championship level and Rowett will no doubt be pleased that he has kept hold of him.
© Getty Images
Possible starting lineup
Kuszczak; Caddis, Grounds, Morrison, Spector; Gray, Gleeson, Kieftenbeld, Shinnie, Cotterill; Donaldson
First game: Reading (H), Full fixture list
Sports Mole says
Birmingham cannot afford to repeat the kind of start that they produced last season, otherwise they will find themselves in danger of a relegation scrap. The club is undergoing a period of cost cutting which has forced Rowett to look for free transfers and bargains in the transfer window, with their total outlay this summer coming to £250,000.
This lack of spending could hurt the Blues, especially when you consider that many of the sides which finished around them last year have strengthened ahead of the new campaign. They are lacking a goalscorer to provide help to Clayton Donaldson, while there are doubts over Demarai Gray's future, with Premier League clubs reportedly sniffing around the youngster.
Rowett showed last season that he can get this team playing and he will need to conjure up more good runs of form to ensure that Birmingham are pushing for the top half.
