Despite beating Norwich City 1-0 on the final day, Blues were condemned to the third tier for the first time since 1995, with only themselves to blame. It was a turbulent season - one that saw six different coaches take the lead in the dugout - but all could possibly have been avoided had the board never sacked John Eustace.
Birmingham were up in sixth when Eustace was relieved of his duties and replaced by Wayne Rooney. From that point on, it was disaster after disaster. There were circumstances that simply couldn’t be foreseen as Tony Mowbray stepped back through illness but Blues had already set themselves up for a bumpy road which, in the end, led to a plummeting drop into the bottom three.
With relegation comes a likely transfer exodus and that’s exactly what outgoing interim boss Gary Rowett admits could happen. Among the players to leave are likely to be those with contracts expiring, with some tricky decisions to be made as to who to renew - and who wants to.
As it stands, 15 players’ deals conclude on June 30, including five loanees. But who could stay and who is likely to go? Birmingham World runs through the latest.
1. Bradley Mayo
The 18-year-old shotstopper has never played a senior minute for Blues and his record at under-18 level doesn’t exactly stack up with the best. Just one clean sheet and 33 goals conceded in 14 matches may not be enough to secure a new deal.
2. John Ruddy
At the opposite end of his career to Mayo, veteran goalkeeper Ruddy was seen as unlikely to renew if Birmingham stayed up. There may be a change of heart due to the drop in division, though, especially as he’s a respected figure in the dressing room.
3. Neil Etheridge
The third and final goalkeeper on this list, Etheridge is bound to depart as he’s not been first-choice for a while and he’s on significant wages.
4. Marcel Oakley
Oakley, now 21, has failed to reach the required level yet to compete with Blues’ other right-back options. There’s still some potential to unlock, though, so a new deal might be considered.