Guardian Unlimited writers' prediction: 17th Odds: 5000-1
Bright red blood on the knife blade.
The knife in my hand.
Duffy's dead body stretched out on the locker room floor.
So begins Steve Bruce's seminal thriller Striker!, and though there haven't been any murders in the shadowy corridors of St Andrews just yet, the coming season could be a dangerous one for a few senior members at the club, particularly Bruce.
If all that sounds odd, that's because, at least on the surface, it is. Bruce did, after all, lead Blues straight back into the Premiership last season. But it was a campaign that never really caught fire: some of the football was ugly, some of the wins fortunate and fans vented their ire at Bruce and the board. Although relations grew more cordial as the season went on, David Sullivan indicated he and his co-owners were thinking of moving on. "They may decide to sell, and may not," said Sullivan. "I think after 14 years, the supporters get fed up with you."
So when a Hong Kong businessman came in with an offer to buy a part of the club, Sullivan and the Gold brothers listened. Carson Yeung has bought up 29.9% of Birmingham City and a 30% stake would allow him to trigger a bid to assume full control. His money - combined with the extra TV revenue this season - has given Bruce the confidence to spend heavily in the transfer market. So far some £7.5m has been spent on Stuart Parnaby, Fabrice Muamba, Olivier Kapo and Garry O'Connor, while an additional £9m has been earmarked for the purchase of Mido and Hossam Ghaly from Spurs.
But as well as bucketloads of cash, Yeung could also bring instability. During his time as chairman of Hong Kong Rangers FC, he had a reputation for interfering in team selection. "There was Carson, manager Phillip Lee, a man called Mr Mok and me, and we all had different opinions. It was just a bit of a shambles. There were too many cooks spoiling the broth," said Tim Bredbury, Rangers' former coach. Bredbury was sacked after three games, and Bruce's position could be shaky if the season gets off to a bad start.
So St Andrews' very own Raymond Chandler will no doubt be delighted that his team begin their season against Chelsea. Away. That's followed by Sunderland and West Ham at home and Derby away. Those three games are vital for Blues' survival in the Premiership; they could also be vital be for Bruce's career.
Perhaps even more vital to Birmingham, though, is Karren Brady. She's helped the Golds and Sullivan transform the club from a ramshackle outfit to a well-run business, and more importantly her contacts within football are superb - Nicklas Bendtner, Seb Larsson and Fabrice Muamba would not have arrived on loan last season without Brady's influence. If Yeung does complete a takeover she may feel it's time to take up another challenge. Still, at least Yeung will then be able to call on the contacts of close chum Steve McManaman. Good thing Robbie Fowler's just signed for Cardiff, eh?
There are plenty of other reasons for Blues fans to be positive; at least enough to make the bookies' ranking of them as second favourites for the drop seem ridiculous. The squad is a lot stronger than their last visit to the Premiership. If anything, Birmingham's main weakness is their traditional strength - their defence. Stuart Parnaby is the only defender bought in over the summer.
Elsewhere they look better than ever. Muamba will provide steel in midfield, Gary McSheffrey was the best player in the Championship last season, Colin Doyle is a superb young keeper (though Ghanaian recruit Richard Kingson will provide fierce competition for the No1 shirt) and if Bruce bags Mido and if - if - the Egyptian could be bothered to play, he could provide a real threat up front. Even Mikael Forssell has shown rumblings of form in pre-season after three injury-ravaged years. Bruce may have not have to rely on his book royalties for a while yet.
In: Fabrice Muamba (£4m); Olivier Kapo (£3m); Garry O'Connor (£2.6m); Daniel De Ridder (Free); Stuart Parnaby (Free); Richard Kingson (undisclosed). Out: Stephen Clemence (£1m); DJ Campbell (£2.1m); Julian Gray (Free).
