Birmingham City have been told by Sky Sports pundit David Prutton that they will find it difficult to secure back-to-back promotions which would see them rise to the Premier League.
The Blues suffered relegation from the Championship last season, dropping them into the third tier for the first time since 1995. However, they were determined to make their stay in League One a brief one, spending millions on the likes of Jay Stansfield, Christoph Klarer and Willum Willumsson.
They’ve reaped the rewards of their splurge and currently sit 12 points at the top of the table with 14 games left to play. This has led to debates as to whether their talented squad is capable of achieving double promotions and returning to the Premier League after a 14 year absence.
It was a feat achieved by Ipswich Town last season, finishing second in the Championship a year after earning promotion from League One.
Prutton Admits Double Promotion Will Be Difficult
Former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder David Prutton admits that Birmingham are capable of similar success next season, although they will find it a much tougher task. Speaking to Football League World, he said:
“But I think on first sight right now, yes. The Ipswich side that was put together had some real tangible EFL experience, and the fingerprints of managers that had been there previously. Paul Cook being one of them, with the players he brought in that were then galvanised under Kieran and performing under Kieran, and thanks to some shrewd loan signings, they managed to get themselves over the line.
“I do think Birmingham City have the potential to do that – but let’s be brutally honest, there will be three teams coming down licking their wounds, looking to get back into the Premier League, and there’s an abundance of clubs with the size and stature of the Blues to try and fight it out and get into the Premier League by the end of next season.”
The bottom three in the Premier League are currently occupied by the three teams who went up last season, Ipswich, Leicester City and Southampton.
Writer’s View
There’s no doubt that Birmingham have built a squad that is more than capable of a top half Championship finish. They have shown what they are capable of throughout the course of this season, including pushing Newcastle United all the way in the FA Cup. However, a 46-game season is a whole different ball game. As well as the teams relegated from the Premier League, they will potentially have to contend with the likes of Burnley, Sunderland, Middlesbrough and neighbours West Bromwich Albion.
