The points needed for Birmingham City, QPR and Sheffield Wednesday to guarantee Championship safety

Birmingham City are currently involved in a Championship relegation battle along with several other teams in the division.

We're into the final quarter of the 2023/24 campaign and despite the feel good factor around the place following the takeover by Tom Wagner, the club finds itself battling at the wrong end of the table. In the first quarter of the campaign, they had been in the play-off spots but after the Wayne Rooney experiment failed, they find themselves currently battling for their second tier status.

Blues are currently outside of the relegation zone by one point following Tuesday night's draw with play-off chasing Hull City. Stoke City lost to Leeds United and they along with QPR and Huddersfield are on 38 points. The league is so tight with only two points separating 23rd-placed Sheffield Wednesday and Plymouth Argyle who are in 16th.

It does beg the question, as to what might be needed to preserve your league status this term. We're taking a look back at what has happened over the last decade, and seeing whether more points will be needed to stay up this term. Here's our findings...

The lowest amount of points that a club needed to survive was the 41 points that Reading recorded in the 2021/22 campaign. They finished four points above Peterborough United, despite being deducted six points for breach of profit and sustainability regulations. Nottingham Forest's total of 51 points is the highest that a club in 21st has finished on and survived. They finished ahead of Blackburn Rovers on the virtue of goal difference, beating them by two.

For the last decade, teams on average have needed 46 points to secure their second-tier status. Birmingham are currently on 39 points and have 33 points to play for with games in hand over all the teams in the bottom three.

Birmingham have Millwall at The Den next in a match that can allow them to get one over one of the teams in the mix. All of the games Birmingham have against the teams below them such as QPR, Rotherham United and Huddersfield Town are all away from home, which doesn't bode well given they've not won in their last five away league matches.

Teams that finished 21st in the Championship over the last decade

2022/23 - 21st: Cardiff City - 49 points. Gap between 21st and 22nd: 5 points.

2021/22 - 21st: Reading - 41 points. Gap between 21st and 22nd: 4 points.

2020/21 - 21st: Derby County - 44 points. Gap between 21st and 22nd: 1 point.

2019/20: 21st : Barnsley - 48 points. Gap between 21st and 22nd: 1 point.

2018/19 - 21st: Millwall - 44 points. Gap between 21st and 22nd: 4 points.

2017/18 - 21st: Bolton Wanderers - 43 points. Gap between 21st and 22nd: 2 points.

2016/17: 21st: Nottingham Forest - 51 points. Gap between 21st and 22nd: +2 GD.

2015/16 - 21st: Rotherham United - 49 points. Gap between 21st and 22nd: 9 points.

2014/15: 21st: Rotherham United - 46 points. Gap between 21st and 22nd: 5 points.

2013/14: 21st: Birmingham City - 44 points. Gap between 21st and 22nd: +15 GD.