What next for Birmingham City?

As part two of a three-part series, we investigate what the best options are for the relegated clubs to bounce straight back into the Premiership.

Sort out the Finances.

This is a tough one to figure and has overarching ramifications for everything that follows. Apparently Carson Yeung has had to sell shares in order to finance the club's expenditures this year and his - and the entire club's - financial footing has been called into question. Without the megabucks Premiership TV revenue and the increased costs of a Europa League campaign which really doesn't offer much in prize money, the club's finances only get murkier. This, of course, is much easier said than done.

Keep Alex McLeish.

Say what you will about his ability to direct an offense, Alex McLeish can really coach defensively. He escaped the Championship at the first attempt after relegation in 2008 with a less capable group of players and, finances notwithstanding, he can be confident that this squad would be the Championship's most defensively sound. He's a reasonably popular media man and after masterminding the club's Carling Cup win, he deserves the chance to lead the Brum into Europe, where he has experience after his time at Rangers.

Remove the big-salaried players.

Rather than throw good money after bad, let them walk for free if it frees the wage budget. That means you, Nikola Zigic. Central midfield duo Barry Ferguson and Lee Bowyer are amongst the Blues' highest paid players, but come with considerable downsides - neither has the legs any more to even do a convincing impression of a box-to-box midfielder. Their best days are past: if at all possible, retire Ferguson to Scotland and send Bowyer packing (as has been promised).

but...

If possible, find ways to keep: Roger Johnson, Scott Dann and Ben Foster.

Granted, all three may want to leave for pastures Premiership. Try to sell them on a Europa League campaign which Birmingham may do quite well in. If they still value EPL status, sell the most profitable/highest salaried of Johnson or Dann and use Curtis Davies as his replacement. Foster, though a very good goalkeeper, These players, surrounded by above-average fullbacks like Stephen Carr, would form the cornerstone of a nigh-on impenetrable Championship - and possible Europa League - defence. Colin Doyle and Phillips contemporary Maik Taylor are good Championship level custodians, meaning Foster is perhaps more replaceable than the centre-backs.

Admittedly, given the expensive contracts doled out to these key players, this could again prove easier said than done.

Get healthy.

The Brummie nation lost several games to injury this year with James McFadden, Scott Dann, Cameron Jerome and Zigic among the worst hit. If that foursome played more often, it's likely they would have mustered either the goals or, at worst, the goal difference to remain in the Premiership. Trainers can make a difference, so keeping your best players healthy means for a much easier route back to the Premier League.

Adequately replace Sebastian Larsson.

Larsson is gone - G-A-W-N. After stalling for months on signing a new contract, being dangled unceremoniously to Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United, the man who looks more Swedish than IKEA has made it plain he won't be back at St Andrews. He's been key for the Blues on the right of midfield and will want to stay in the Premiership.

Likely replacements from the second tier could include former loanee Scott Sinclair (though they'd have to pay to get him from Swansea, and only if they don't seal promotion), Reading's Jimmy Kebe (the same applies) or even Leeds' Robert Snodgrass. Given McLeish's preference for experience over youth, expect them to target older Premiership targets such as Ricardo Gardner, Brett Emerton or Bjorn Helge Riise.

Given much of their game is built around scoring from set pieces, acquiring someone with dead-ball magic is of the utmost priority.

Reinforce the strikers with top-level Championship talent.

It's no secret the Brummies have struggled in front of goal for three four the best part of 25 years now. Their goals scored has declined over their past three Premiership stints from 46 to 38 and finally this year, 37. Their intervening spell in the Championship (2008-09), they only mustered 54 goals, an average of 1.2. Cameron Jerome doesn't score, Kevin Phillips is ageing faster than Walter Donovan in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and this year's big acquisition Nikola Zigic had the season from hell. They score less often than Urkel at a Supermodel convention.

The Championship has plenty of striking options where the Blues could take advantage. Billy Sharp, Kris Boyd and Scott McDonald all have the ability to tinkle the twines, if not necessarily add much to lead-up play. They're all worth an inquiry. If the price is right, Everton may be persuaded to part with Jermaine Beckford, James Vaughan or Yakubu.

Chase the Europa League

You only get the chance to play in Europe so often, so to simply disregard that opportunity in favour of an instant Premiership return seems foolhardy from afar. Understandably their priority should be regaining their top flight status, but it's also worth rewarding the fans with trips to Podgorica, Belgrade, Split or St Etienne. By chasing the Europa League, you also send a message to potential wantaways like Foster, Johnson, Dann and (crucially) Craig Gardner that the club has ambition, if not necessarily the finances to currently fuel it.

Image of Sebastian Larsson courtesy: www.bbc.co.uk/sport

Image of Alex McLeish courtesy: www.klikfc.com

What League Cup win means for Birmingham City

After their 2-1 League Cup defeat of heavily favoured Arsenal, it is fit and proper for Birmingham City to celebrate. Behind the opportunism of Obafemi Martins, the calamity of Wojcieh Szczesny & Laurent Koscielny and the Scots' management nous of Alex McLeish, the Blues have won their first silverware since the old Division Two (now League 1) title in 1995. In all probability this is the biggest win in club history and the first time the side have won the League Cup since 1963.

McLeish must take the much of the credit, just as Wenger cannot be totally absolved of blame. City last year finished ninth in the Premiership on re-entering the division after a year in the Championship. This was their highest league position for over forty years as veterans such as Barry Ferguson and Lee Bowyer combined with a breakout season from Joe Hart to vault the Brummies into the top half. When Hart returned to parent club Manchester City, McLeish replaced him with the able Ben Foster to maintain a defence now reputed for stinginess. By combining several senior Premiership players with the cream of the Championship - chiefly centre-back England aspirants Roger Johnson and Scott Dann - and classy loan signees Aliaksandr Hleb, David Bentley and Obafemi Martins, the rednut Scot has built a squad with both the strength to operate in Birmingham's long-held defensive posture, but also the outrageous talent needed to generate those moments of magic requried to upset the big boys. In theory, anyway. The Blues haven't done so this season and are only two points above the relegation zone and far from safety. Foster, though good enough to be England's second choice isn't of the same blue chip quality as Hart and has played well, but not in the same "I'm in the zone all year" fashion that earned Hart his current, deserved rep.

And if McLeish takes - quite correctly - the credit for masterminding this triumph, then he should also take a portion of the blame for the Brummie plight. The team has spent considerable, but not award-winning, sums in introducing reputed class to surround an uncompromising spine; an exercise which could not be judged as a complete success. Even so, this title ensures McLeish receives a passing grade for this season and also for no other reason than he seems like he's trying to make positive changes. During both summer and winter transfer windows, McLeish confirmed a plethora of new bodies were asked to relocate to St Andrews but were unwilling to journey to England's infamously grim second city. Though this triumph - like Tottenham's in 2007 - may provide a springboard for a more positive last third of the season, the victory could also distract them and further complicate avoiding the drop. The workmanlike approach favoured by several City players makes this an unlikely option but still possible.

Though it was injury, youth and inexperience which cost Arsenal this title - Szczesny is 20 and it's Koscielny's first year with the Gunners - Arsene Wenger now may be willing to consider the possibility that his constant refusal to reinforce a notably shaky backline could be a flawed policy. Walcott's pace and Fabregas' needle-threading aside, Szczesny is a debatable second-stringer - albeit one with enormous potential - who has played well in recent outings and although Koscielny cost a reported €8.45 million and came off his best performance of the year against Barcelona, several Emirates cognoscenti don't view him as either an adequate or long-term centre-back candidate. The problem between the two was a simple, (probable) one-time communication dysfunction which allowed Martins his "easiest goal". Though Wenger wasn't on the pitch and selected a team capable of defeating City, he was selecting from the best players he had available: no Mark Schwarzer or Gary Cahill - two players linked heavily with a move to North London during summer - among them.

For City, the results are curious. Entry into next year's Europa League and a trophy to end the drought that's plagued the club for long stretches of it's existence are wonderful results for the season but are not necessarily first priorities. Individually it's a great achievement, but one which would be tarnished should the club finish the year in the drop zone. Craig Gardner's season has been one of quality and lucky underpants and the man whose name must always be prefixed with "Giant Serbian striker", Giant Serbian striker Nikola Zigic, has since New Year found the net more regularly than in his disastrous first half-year in the midlands.

With the midseason arrival of Martins, the club has reasons for optimism beyond European jaunts next year but the path home isn't horrible: their next seven matches should be considered "winnable", coming against WBA, Everton, Bolton, Wigan, Blackburn and Sunderland before two big four clubs. Then follow Wolves, Newcastle and Fulham before finishing the year at Tottenham. There are several clubs with much harder runs home and the bounce hopefully provided by their Cup win should see them through. Although local rivals Wolves have picked up recently, as have West Ham, Wigan's terminal slide into the Championship coupled with West Brom's seeming inability to stay in the Premiership for more than one season at a time should mean that one relegation spot is available and an unwary Brum may yet fill it.