Don Goodman makes positive Birmingham City owner claims despite "detrimental" decision that led to League One | OneFootball

Birmingham City were relegated to the third tier of English football for the first time since 1995, despite beating Norwich City on the final day of the season.

Results went against Gary Rowett's side on the final day of the season, which condemned them to relegation in a season which has seen them go through multiple managers, and ultimately, that lack of stability has cost them their Championship status.

Despite relegation to League One for the first time in 29 years, there is still reason to be positive for Birmingham fans, as the club's ambitions new owners look to take the club onto bigger and better things in the future, and they'll hope that this is just an early blip.

Tom Wagner and the Blues' hierarchy recently announced ambitious plans to build a new stadium, and things are beginning to look up, at least off the pitch anyway.

Don Goodman tips Birmingham City for promotion next season

Sky Sports EFL pundit Don Goodman believes that Birmingham City's owners are to blame for the club's relegation after sacking John Eustace in October, but believes that if they make the right decisions this coming summer, the club will want promotion to the Championship at the first attempt.

Goodman told Football League World, via OLBG: "Relegation is down to the ownership's decisions. The buck stops with them.

"They're so ambitious but now they've got to make sure that the decisions they make are right because they've got so many wrong this season."

However, Goodman believes that the club's new owners can help the club make an immediate return to the Championship, and can help bring the feel-good factor back to St Andrew's.

He said: "The Birmingham City fans recognise that the previous ownership was shambolic and they forced the club to massively stagnate. Anything is better than that. The fans are grateful that money is now being spent on the infrastructure and on the team.

"If the owners get their decisions and recruitment right next season, Birmingham City will be promoted. I don't see League One being hugely strong next season and I don't think it was this season. League One was very strong during the 2022/2023 campaign.

"If I was a Birmingham fan, I'd be really disappointed at being relegated but also optimistic that the hierarchy make the correct decisions, win games of football, rediscover the feel-good factor, get behind the team and see them get back to the Championship in a strong place."

Birmingham City can't be complacent this summer

Birmingham City should be confident of winning promotion at the first attempt, but it's crucial that they aren't complacent, as we've seen in the past that bigger clubs don't always win promotion from the third tier immediately.

Sunderland were relegated to League One in 2018 and would have expected to make an immediate return, but it took them four seasons to win promotion to the Championship, and there have been plenty of other examples, too.

Leeds had three seasons in League One between 2007 and 2010, and Nottingham Forest also spent three seasons in the third tier between 2005 and 2008.

This shows that being a big club doesn't necessarily mean you'll win promotion immediately, and Birmingham should look at these other big clubs as proof.

If Birmingham's board don't make the right decisions, they could end up in a similar predicament as the aforementioned clubs, and they need to approach League One with caution.