Football Season Review

Birmingham were in the end fortunate to survive against relegation from the Championship which is unbelievable given the expectation following last summer. Harry Redknapp was given a huge transfer kitty but there appeared to be little about his recruitment policy. He overspent on the likes of Jota, Harlee Dean and Maxime Colin, desperate panic buys at the end of the transfer window. Birmingham struggled to recover from the outrageous reign of Redknapp with Steve Cotterill also struggling as his replacement. Cotterill was relieved of his duties in the end with Garry Monk another replacement. Monk did just enough to secure safety despite an unconvincing final few weeks of the season, in the end insuring their Championship status following a final day 3-1 win over Fulham. Birmingham's atrocious goals record of just 38 scored all season will be the urgent area for Monk to address over the summer. The squad also appears to be imbalanced and you sense it will be a big few months for Monk to turn things around. Yet expectations are still sky high amongst Birmingham's owners so there is much pressure on the new man to immediately get things right over the summer. This season should have served as a reality check for Birmingham who have not been managed well behind the scenes for some time. But it is unlikely to have done. One new signing impressed immensely with David Stockdale having an outstanding season in goal.

Player of the Season: David Stockdale