2016–17 Birmingham City F.C. season

Background and pre-season

Under the management of Gary Rowett, Birmingham City spent most of the 2015–16 Football League Championship season in or around the play-off positions, but they won just once in the last 12 matches of the campaign, and finished in the lowest position they had occupied all season: tenth. With 16 wins and 15 draws, their finishing position and record was identical to that of 2014–15, albeit with 15 fewer goals conceded.

First-team players released at the end of the 2015–16 season included Mark Duffy, Neal Eardley, David Edgar, Lee Novak, Wes Thomas. and the youth product Mitch Hancox, who had been with the club for fourteen years. Free-transfer signings for 2016–17 included previous loanee Robert Tesche from Nottingham Forest and young Liverpool defender Daniel Cleary. Undisclosed fees were paid for Dundee's attacking player Greg Stewart, young forward Che Adams from Sheffield United, and Derby County defender Ryan Shotton, who had been on loan at Birmingham in 2015–16. The terms of Huddersfield Town striker James Vaughan's loan agreement required its conversion to a permanent contract, but he had not established himself as a first-team player and was allowed to leave. Birmingham made two loan signings, both for the first half of the season: Burnley striker Lukas Jutkiewicz and Bournemouth left back Rhoys Wiggins. Attacking midfielder Andrew Shinnie and striker Nicolai Brock-Madsen left on season-long loans, and young midfielders Koby Arthur and Charlee Adams and striker Alex Jones went out on loan until January.

The home kit is all blue, apart from white trim on the sleeves and three white stripes down the sides and round the sock tops. The away kit is all red, apart from white trim at the neck and under the sleeve and three white stripes on the shoulders, shorts and sock tops. The kits, supplied by Adidas in the first season of a four-year deal, carry the logo of online bookmaker 888sport, the club's principal sponsor.

After a training camp in Spain, Birmingham City's pre-season programme continued with friendly matches away to Midlands teams Solihull Moors, Forest Green Rovers, Shrewsbury Town, Walsall, Port Vale and Kidderminster Harriers, and Scottish Cup-holders Hibernian. Their only home friendly was against Dutch Eredivisie club Roda JC.

August–September

Birmingham's opening fixture, on a sunny afternoon at home to Cardiff City, was preceded by a minute's applause in memory of former player Alex Govan, who died during the close season. With all senior players available for selection, the team lined up with Tomasz Kuszczak in goal, Jonathan Spector and Jonathan Grounds at full back, Michael Morrison (captain) and Ryan Shotton at centre back, David Davis alongside Stephen Gleeson in defensive midfield, Jacques Maghoma and David Cotterill as wide midfielders, and Diego Fabbrini in support of lone striker Clayton Donaldson. The Press Association reported "no discernible improvement" in home form that had "cost them dearly last season", as Kuszczak made several saves to keep Cardiff at bay. Young substitutes Reece Brown and the 18-year-old Jack Storer, who made his Birmingham debut, combined to create a chance that Storer should have taken – manager Gary Rowett claimed it was the first he had missed since the start of pre-season – and the match finished goalless. After a midweek exit from the EFL Cup, Birmingham faced Leeds United at Elland Road with Maikel Kieftenbeld replacing Fabbrini in a more defensive lineup. Kuszczak's error, allowing Hadi Sacko's weak shot to creep underneath him, equalised Maghoma's early goal, but after Leeds' defence failed to clear Grounds' cross, Morrison gave Birmingham a 2–1 win, their first in eight Championship matches. When Donaldson's 44th-minute penalty away to Wigan Athletic was saved, Davis was first to the rebound to give his side a lead – although television replays supported the home team's accusation of encroachment – but Craig Davies equalised in the last minute.

Che Adams scored 24 minutes into his debut, at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers, but three second-half goals gave the visitors the points. Just 7 minutes after coming on as a substitute, Storer was sent off for headbutting an opponent; while leaving the field, he kicked the advertising hoardings, suffering a foot injury that kept him out for longer than the three-match ban. Davis received his fourth yellow card in as many matches. August ended at home to Norwich City. Rowett strengthened the midfield by bringing in Kieftenbeld and Robert Tesche – making his first league start since signing permanently – in place of Cotterill and the injured Gleeson, and moving Davis to the right. The latter headed the first goal from Maghoma's cross, and after the break Donaldson won and this time converted a penalty for his first goal of the season before taking advantage of a defensive error to complete a 3–0 win.

September began with a 1–0 win at Fulham that left Birmingham fourth in the table. Donaldson missed a first-half penalty awarded for a foul on Adams, then ignored Rowett's instructions that Maghoma should take any further penalty and scored the one awarded for another foul on Adams after 49 minutes. After Kuszczak was injured while warming up before the match away to Reading, Adam Legzdins kept a clean sheet as Birmingham played out what the PA Sport reporter dubbed a "gritty" goalless draw. They relied on the "overworked" Legzdins to keep Sheffield Wednesday at bay until Gary Hooper scored for the visitors after 76 minutes, but the off-form Donaldson won and converted a penalty before substitute Jutkiewicz looped a header over the goalkeeper in stoppage time – his first goal since he put Bolton Wanderers 2–0 up in the final match of the 2013–14 season, in which Birmingham were seconds away from relegation to League One – to complete an unlikely victory. Two draws – away to Queens Park Rangers, a "combative" match likened by Rowett to a UFC bout, and at home to Preston North End, in which Birmingham twice came from behind – took them into October still unbeaten away from home and still in the play-off positions.

October–December: Rowett's departure

After Legzdins's "flying save" from Marvin Emnes stopped Birmingham falling behind to Blackburn Rovers, they finally took a chance when substitute Fabbrini fed Cotterill whose cross was "rammed ... into the roof of the net" by Gleeson. Away to Nottingham Forest, Legzdins kept his place in goal despite Kuszczak's return to fitness, and an injury to Spector prompted Rowett to break the Morrison–Shotton defensive pairing, moving the latter to right back and bringing Robinson into the centre. The Birmingham Mail commented that "their defensive reshuffle [had] spread instability throughout the side" as the seven-match unbeaten run came to an end in a 3–1 defeat. In the first match following the club's takeover by Trillion Trophy Asia, they beat a defensively poor Rotherham United 4–2, but away to newly promoted Burton Albion, the hosts showed "more energy and drive" and, according to Rowett, "thoroughly deserved" to win the first competitive meeting between the clubs. Kuszczak returned to the side for the Second City derby against Aston Villa, who had recently appointed former Birmingham captain and manager Steve Bruce as their manager. Despite Birmingham's domination of possession, it was Villa who took a first-half lead; Birmingham's shooting was wasteful, with Donaldson particularly profligate. Davis equalised after 71 minutes with a driven shot from the edge of the penalty area. After a strong performance on his first start, loanee left back Rhoys Wiggins' season was ended by a knee injury sustained in an accidental collision in stoppage time.

Birmingham recovered from a weak first half and 1–0 down after an hour to draw away to third-placed Huddersfield Town when Grounds kept the ball in play to set up a chance for Jutkiewicz to score with a well-placed header. A win over Bristol City courtesy of Adams' late goal put Birmingham back into the play-off positions. Spector's stoppage-time dismissal meant a Football League debut for the 20-year-old Josh Dacres-Cogley away to Brentford, where the visitors rode their luck. Donaldson's penalty, Shotton's back-post touch, a fine performance from Kuszczak and a late disallowed goal ensured a 2–1 win, which took them into December fourth in the table.

A poor performance compounded by Davis's dismissal for a second booking brought a 3–0 defeat at home to Barnsley. In the next match, Birmingham visited Newcastle United – the team who began the season as the hottest favourites ever for the Championship title. Rowett did not replace the suspended Davis wth a similarly combative player, preferring to include more creative players, two of whom were substituted at half time with the score 2–0. Newcastle's superiority continued through the second half, Dwight Gayle completed a hat-trick, and the match ended 4–0; Birmingham's teenage debutant Corey O'Keeffe missed a good chance to mark his first appearance with a goal. Rowett was disappointed with his team, saying that "we didn't play enough balls or play with enough quality when we did win the ball. We were too passive at times." In front of the season's lowest league attendance, of 15,212, Birmingham beat Ipswich Town by two goals to one. Donaldson scored the first, from the penalty spot, but was stretchered off soon afterwards, and Morrison doubled the lead, but Ipswich pulled one back after 69 minutes and had a late equaliser disallowed. The win left Birmingham in seventh position, three points off third place, and outside the play-off positions only on goal difference. The following morning, two days after three new directors had joined the board, Rowett and his backroom staff were sacked.

Results summary

Source:

FA Cup

As with all first- and second-tier teams, Birmingham entered the competition at the third-round (last-64) stage. They were drawn at home to Newcastle United.

EFL Cup

In the first round of the League Cup competition, renamed EFL Cup following the rebranding of the Football League as English Football League, Birmingham were drawn at home to Oxford United, newly promoted to League One. They made nine changes from the eleven who started the opening league fixture, only Morrison and Grounds keeping their places. Full-back Josh Dacres-Cogley made his senior debut, and first appearances of the season were made by goalkeeper Adam Legzdins, full-back Paul Caddis – playing in a covering position ahead of Dacres-Cogley – midfielders Robert Tesche and Maikel Kieftenbeld, winger Viv Solomon-Otabor and striker James Vaughan. After a first half which Birmingham dominated, creating numerous chances which they failed to take, the second-half introduction of Maghoma, Donaldson and Gleeson made no difference to the score. Just before the end of extra time, Liam Sercombe won the match for Oxford with a close-range header.

In

Brackets around club names indicate the player's contract with that club had expired before he joined Birmingham.

Out

Brackets round a club denote the player joined that club after his Birmingham City contract expired.

Appearances and goals

Sources: Numbers in parentheses denote appearances as substitute. Players with name and squad number struck through and marked left the club during the playing season. Players with names in italics and marked * were on loan from another club for the whole of their season with Birmingham. Players listed with no appearances have been in the matchday squad but only as unused substitutes. Key to positions: GK – Goalkeeper; DF – Defender; MF – Midfielder; FW – Forward