Birmingham City return to the Championship when they host Ipswich Town in their opening fixture tonight, after a record-breaking promotion campaign last season.
The West Midlands club amassed the highest points total in Football League history last term as they collected 111 points from 46 games, smashing the previous record of 106.
Backed by an American consortium that includes NFL legend Tom Brady, Birmingham made use of a large financial advantage to sign stars like Jay Stansfield in League One, and are expected to be competitive in the second tier as well.
Former star backing Blues for promotion
Troy Deeney represented Birmingham between 2021 and 2023, with the former Premier League striker long being renowned as a lifelong fan of the club.
Deeney will be at St Andrew’s to see them face Ipswich tonight, and thinks they can challenge for a second successive promotion this season.
“Absolutely they can get promoted,” he told FourFourTwo. “The worry for me last year was that maybe it was too easy, because the level was poor.
“But the recruitment they’ve done has been good – I’m still just slightly concerned about the centre-half pairing, I think they need another centre back in the building to be right up there.
“I’m going to be at the first game and I’m really looking forward to it. A full house at St Andrew’s on the back of the Brady stuff and the most points in League One – now everyone goes, ‘Well, we should be getting promoted’. Let’s see if the boys can deliver.”
Deeney thinks the Championship could be highly competitive this season, with Wrexham also promoted from League One last time around.
“I don’t fear Wrexham but I love what they’ve done, I love the players they’ve got,” he said. “They’ve got Kieffer Moore, who knows this level and the level above, and they’ve got Conor Coady, who’s a friend of mine and a great leader. He probably hasn’t got the legs he once had, but he can still organise.
“The Championship this year is back to the Championship we’re used to. Frank Lampard’s Coventry are going to be very good, Rob Edwards’ Middlesbrough are going to be very good, Birmingham, Wrexham, Ipswich.
“I’m not sure about Leicester, I think they’ll be top 10, I think it’s going to be a changeover year for them, and Southampton with Will Still, who knows?
“It was a poor Championship last year, now we’re going to see a proper Championship with the teams from League One going, ‘We can do well’, and the teams coming down going through a change. I think we’re going to have a really exciting league.”
Deeney's new role
Deeney was speaking to FourFourTwo at an exclusive premiere of BBC show Last Pundit Standing, which the former striker has co-hosted with YouTuber James Allcott. The show has been billed as the first ever talent search for the TikTok generation, with 12 content creators competing to earn a contract as a BBC pundit.
“It’s difficult to not only be a pundit but to be a good pundit, a relatable pundit,” Deeney told us. “It’s all subjective, but if I want to listen to a match, I want to hear Ally McCoist, who gives you that love, the fun – it doesn’t matter if he’s doing Champions League, Scottish games or Premier League games, he’s just so good.
“I like listening to Danny Murphy, too – his tactical breakdowns are really good, he’s able to paint pictures, even if you’re listening to him on radio. A good pundit makes it palatable for whoever the listener is.”
Asked how the 12 contestants got on, Deeney said: “I was surprisingly impressed. It’s going to sound arrogant, but you have this preconception with creators that they sit and do 25 edits to get things how they want them, and it takes them five hours to put a bit of content out.
“When I’ve done work for talkSPORT or something and they’ve said, ‘Oh, we’ve got a content creator coming on now’, I’ve thought ‘Oh… OK, here we go.’
“But honestly, these 12 were so good, with their insight and their knowledge, the individuality of every single person. I think ‘Maybe I’ve been a bit old and prehistoric’ – sometimes you have a preconception and it turns out to be different.
“I’ve enjoyed every second of it. It was my first time hosting or presenting, I had nervous energy but it was fun along the way, and I was co-hosting with James who is fantastic and gave me so many tips.
“Then with the 12 people, I love being around people, having a chat, learning their back stories, trying to help them. I just thought it was brilliant. I hope there’s more, whether I do it or not.”
