Birmingham have suffered relegation to League One on the final day of the Championship season – meaning they return to the third tier of English football for the first time since 1995.
The Blues beat Norwich City 1-0 at home but were unable to salvage their second-tier status thanks to Plymouth‘s 1-0 home win over Hull. Paik Seung-ho’s second-half striker for Gary Rowett’s side seeded some hope that some last-ditch heroics were on the cards, but the Pilgrims’ win ensured that wasn’t the case.
Birmingham fans were given a new lease of life after NFL legend Tom Brady became a minority owner in the club last August and even turned up for games, as well as visiting the squad at the training ground. However, the west midlanders will be forced to fight their way out of League One next season.
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Joe Edwards was the hero for Plymouth, who returned to the Championship this season following a 13-year absence. The south coast club dropped as low as League Two during that absence but are now ready to go again in the second tier next term.
Relegation marks the end of a woeful spell in Birmingham’s history, having had a total of six managers at the helm this season. John Eustace started the campaign in charge and earned some impressive results before he was booted in favour of Wayne Rooney in October.
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That decision was derided by much of the fanbase, who believed Eustace deserved to keep his job ahead of the more glamourous appointment in Rooney. The Manchester United and England legend won just two of his 15 matches in charge, however, and was fired after less than three months.
Replacement Tony Mowbray again showed promise but had to take medical leave as Gary Rowett came on board as interim manager. However, the former Blues defender was ultimately unable to preserve his old club’s Championship membership.
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Saturday’s game at St. Andrews was also soured when a fan reportedly sat in the Kop Lower stand required medical attention during the first half. However, the game was halted for less than 15 minutes before play was allowed to continue.