At the time of writing, Birmingham are currently in the relegation places, one point from safety behind Reading and Bolton. Their last two fixtures are absolutely massive. First Alex McLeish finds himself pitting his wits against fellow relegation candidates Fulham at Craven Cottage. Then on the last day of the season they are at home to Blackburn Rovers. Birmingham started the season with a gutsy 3-2 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Predicted to struggle by many in the summer, this performance had a lot of critics thinking they should have enough to survive. Then in November Steve Bruce left the club, and had the board looking for a new manager. In stepped Scotland's Alex McLeish to make sure the team maintained their Premier League status. He brought in two notable transfers in January, James McFadden and Argentine wonderkid Mauro Zarate. Both have helped ignite Birmingham but their defence is still conceding goals, meaning potential wins are becoming draws. Last weekend's game against Liverpool would be testament to that. To survive, they need to get at least four points from their remaining two games. It will go right to the wire.
So if Birmingham City stay up, what do they need to avoid another season of struggle? The first thing I'm sure McLeish will be looking to do is secure Mauro Zarate for at least another year. The youngster has shown flashes of brilliance and could do even more next season as he gets used to the English style of play. Attacking wise Birmingham are pretty solid, with the likes of McFadden and Larsson supporting from the wings and Zarate and Forssell capable of scoring goals. Defensively they need better players, it's as simple as that. Maik Taylor hasn't been the most consistent of goalkeepers, and surely his place must be under threat. Even their captain Liam Ridgewell has proved prone to mistakes, they need another central defender with experience and is cool under pressure. Before even contemplating transfers the team will have to give everything they've got to stay in the Premier League. If they can get something at Fulham, they should have enough to win at home to Blackburn on the last day of the season. That should ensure their safety, but you never know in football.
Player Of The Season: Sebastian Larsson
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