Birmingham City Championship Odds: Blues set their sights high

Two seasons ago, Birmingham City embarked on one of many chaotic campaigns they have had over the past 10 years. It was supposed to be the dawning of a new era with a new American ownership but one mistake proved fatal and the club were relegated to League 1 after years of swirling around the plug hole.

In the long-term it looks to have been the best thing for them as it forced a culture reset across the club and they are now back with a record-breaking 111-point season in League 1 behind them, and many are tipping them to have a big say in the promotion race this term. Below you will find my predictions for their season using the Birmingham City Championship Odds.

Birmingham's owners Knighthead Capital Management are unrelenting in their quest to not only get the Blues back to the Premier League, but to make them competitive in the top flight.

Preparations are underway for a new stadium, sat on their prospective Sports Quarter, which is set to transform one of the most deprived areas in the whole of the UK. Tom Wagner has become a beacon of hope to the city, not just the club.

Championship Odds

After the failed Wayne Rooney project (which makes you shudder just thinking about it), Wagner and minority owner Tom Brady did their due diligence in finding their leader, the man to set high standards at an extremely professional level, in their preparations for League 1.

They spoke to hundreds of candidates before one grabbed both their attention - Chris Davies. A man who had 20 years of coaching experience behind him because his playing career was cut short, having gained valuable experience with both Brendan Rodgers and Ange Postecoglou.

His first command came with pressure as Birmingham's owners wanted an immediate return to the second tier, and he delivered in sublime fashion - with a record-breaking 111 points.

Now the footballing world is eager to see how this team fares upon their return to the Championship.

Transfer Business:

In: Kyogo Furuhashi (undisclosed, Rennes), Taylor Gardner-Hickman (£1.5m, Bristol City), Alfons Sampsted (undisclosed, FC Twente), Bright Osayi-Samuel (free, Fenerbahce), Kanya Fujimoto (free, Gil Vicente), Demarai Gray (free, Al-Ettifaq), Phil Neumann (free, Hannover 96), Tommy Doyle (loan, Wolves), Eiran Cashin, James Beadle (both loans from Brighton & Hove Albion) and Marvin Ducksch (£1.7m, Werder Bremen).

Out: Bailey Peacock-Farrell, Emil Hansson (both on loan at Blackpool), Romelle Donovan (undisclosed, Brentford), Ayumu Yokoyama (undisclosed, Genk), Alfie May (£1.2m, Huddersfield Town), Brandon Khela (undisclosed, Peterborough United), Emmanuel Longelo (undisclosed, Motherwell), Lee Myung-jae (free, Daejon Hana Citizen), Grant Hanley (released), Lukas Jutkiewicz (retired) and Dion Sanderson (loan, Derby County).

The Blues have had, according to many, the best transfer window in the Championship so far this summer, and you can guarantee that their transfer business isn't done yet.

Most of the business conducted so far has been shrewd, with high-profile loans and free transfers. From this bracket, Tommy Doyle is the one who stands out the most.

Birmingham fought off a lot of interest for his signature by all accounts, which just highlights the club's rapid transformation into an exciting prospect for players. He impressed at this level with Sheffield United a couple of years ago and his quality is far too good for this level on his day.

Then there is the addition of former Celtic forward Kyogo Furuhashi who the club have splashed money on in a deal that can reportedly rise to £10m. The Japanese forward struck 85 goals in 165 appearances in all competitions for the Bhoys in Green but he is hoping to reignite his career after a move to Rennes in January didn't go to plan.

If he can perform like he did in Glasgow, he is an exceptional signing at this level.

Key Player: Tomoki Iwata

This is the one part of the preview where I have deliberated. There are several contenders who I think could be Birmingham's key player, which is a testament to where they are currently. To not keep you guessing my other candidates were: Ryan Allsop, Christoph Klarer, Paik Seung-ho and Jay Stansfield.

But it is Tomoki Iwata I have picked out for this label, and I'm sure a lot of my fellow Blues fans won't disagree with me too much. The midfielder was key to how we played last season both in and out of possession.

League 1 saw Birmingham have things their own way against most of their opponents as they dominated the possession stats. This is of course Davies' style but even he admits that they are not likely to have the ball as much as they are used to when they come up against Championship opponents.

This is where Iwata steps in. He could be given greater duties this term out of possession and he, alongside Paik, help tick things along, but Iwata is mainly the defensive destroyer.

I think Birmingham will experience a lot more fast breaks than they did in the division below and Iwata is probably going to be needed more than ever in his role as the shield in front of the defence. He has the positional awareness and physicality to rank among the top players in this position in the Championship. And it also helps that he can chip in with goals - which are anything but tap-ins.

Prediction: 3rd

The Championship is looking tough this year, particularly in the race for promotion, and Birmingham can be involved in this battle. They are coming up with confidence and momentum thanks to their 111-point record campaign in League 1.

They assembled a Championship-level squad down there and have further added to it this summer and there's no doubt that there is more to come before the window shuts. On paper, they have one of the strongest squads in the division.

Football Odds

The manager and a few of the players are in a new environment and to those who think Davies is going to be a stubborn Russell Martin-type, he's far from it. First and foremost he is a pragmatist. If Plan A isn't working, he does not hesitate to change things up, and this will be a huge asset to the team in the second tier against a range of different styles.

It wouldn't be surprising to see them challenge for the top two against the likes of Ipswich Town and Southampton, who both possess strong squads - but the latter have a new manager, so Birmingham may have an edge on them in the first few weeks of the campaign.

It won't be plain sailing for the Blues, but this looks to be the most exciting season the club will have in the Championship for a very long time, and I have them finishing firmly inside the play-off places.

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