Premier League preview: Birmingham need stability to stay in the Championship, can Wrexham get promoted again? | Football News

Birmingham needs stability to bounce back

It has been 33 years since Birmingham last played in the third tier of English football. The 2023/24 season has been a tumultuous one, with John Eustace being ruthlessly sacked by Wayne Rooney and Gary Rowett taking over from a struggling Tony Mowbray.

But the Blues will be hoping to maintain stability and get straight back into the Championship.

Firstly, they have a new manager in Chris Davies, who was previously Ange Postecoglu's assistant manager at Tottenham and was also Brendan Rodgers' long-time assistant, and is now stepping up to his own managerial role.

Then there were the impressive signings, with former Hull No.1 Ryan Allsop and Burnley's Northern Ireland international Bailey Peacock-Farrell joining as goalkeepers, no strangers to EFL football.

Birmingham have also signed last season's First Division Golden Boot winner Alfie May from Charlton. He scored 23 goals for the Addicks and the Blues will be hoping he can repeat that feat in 2024/25.

Former Hearts left-back Alex Cochrane has also joined the club, as has former Seagulls man Mark Leonard, who enjoyed two successful loan spells at Northampton Town.

The Blues management, partly owned by NFL legend Tom Brady, has already made some smart choices and will likely be among the league's biggest spenders alongside Wrexham.

As they have already discovered, the EFL is unforgiving when it comes to instability both on and off the pitch. They will be hoping they have started to steady that ship ahead of a tough League One season.

Are there any consecutive promotions in Wrexham?

After just two seasons in the National League, they went from there to League One. With a Hollywood injection, Wrexham have become a force to be reckoned with in the English football pyramid, happily fulfilling the hopes, expectations and ambitions of their fan base.

And their next target is promotion to the Championship. Winning back-to-back promotions would be a pretty impressive feat, but League One would provide their toughest test yet.

Birmingham, Bolton and Huddersfield will be hoping for automatic promotion. Peterborough and Barnsley will be hoping to overcome play-off defeats. Every team in the league will be looking for a star. But only three will get there in May.

As scary as it may sound, Wrexham has proven that he is not afraid of a fight, whether or not he has Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's millions. They wouldn't have gotten to where they are without a fight.

They also have a manager who knows League One better than most – Phil Parkinson has previously managed Charlton and Bolton in the division – and he will face both sides this season – and they have a number of players who are EFL connoisseurs.

In what has been a fairytale period for the club, there is a good chance they can have another fairytale finish and truly compete in the top flight.

Will Bolton suffer a play-off final hangover?

Bolton suffered a heartbreaking defeat at Wembley in last season's play-off final, as Wanderers look to return to the Championship following their semi-final defeat the previous season.

They say the third time's the charm, and this season they can go one step further and claim automatic promotion. That's the hope, even as the league becomes more competitive.

It would end Ian Evatt's successful spell at the club, having meticulously rebuilt the Bolton squad into a consistent play-off contender. Wanderers have had their fair share of struggles in recent years, but things are certainly looking brighter on the pitch.

But they will be worried about the play-off final hangover. Can Bolton bounce back twice? The club will be confident. Promotion is notoriously difficult and lessons will have been learned along the way.

Now it is time for Bolton to put these aims into practice and take their place back in the Championship.

Can Reading solve their off-the-field problems on the pitch?

Reading are the latest in a long line of clubs in trouble under their owners, with unpaid taxes, transfer bans, points deductions and fan protests against Die Junger that led to the cancellation of a game against Port Vale in January.

There was a backlash when plans were proposed to sell Bearwood Park training ground to raise funds, with Wycombe Wanderers being one of the teams negotiating for the site. The women's and girls' teams were also destroyed, and the senior squad was relegated to the fifth tier of the Championship.

The club is said to be up for sale. New bidders have come and gone, but it has been a long process and Reading as a club continues to struggle.

Of course, it is the job of the players and manager Ruben Seles to make sure that the ongoing off-field problems do not affect them on the pitch. Last season, they finished 17th, nine points above the relegation zone. And that is another six points.

All things considered, it's not a bad return. It's commendable that Celes hasn't escaped the difficult situation of being restricted in squad selection yet.

No one will expect Reading to push for promotion. Some will predict relegation, but ultimately every Royals fan will be hoping for a new owner sooner rather than later.

Steve Evans' emotions and nostalgia as he returns to Rotherham

Steve Evans returned to Rotherham in a bid to return to the Championship. A successful three-year spell between April 2012 and September 2015 saw him win back-to-back promotions from Division Two to Division Two, and win the Division One play-off final on penalties.

He also played a major role in helping the club secure their Championship status with one game remaining in the 2014/15 season, and was subsequently named in the squad to wear the sombrero for the final game against Leeds United, who would eventually become Evans' next club to manage.

Evans becomes the third manager of the season after returning to Rotherham in April, with the club already relegated, having taken over after a successful season at Stevenage.

The Scot and his staff have a knack for building teams that can push for promotion, especially in the First and Second Divisions, even under adverse conditions.

His return to Rotherham is a case of nostalgia as well as nostalgia, with the club clearly hoping to recapture the magic of eight-and-a-half years ago and try to win another promotion.

Can Crowley survive without their final eight playoff starters?

It was a dream day at Wembley as Crawley returned to the top flight for the first time in a decade.

However, the starting XI for the game against Blackpool on Saturday 10th August is as follows: Sky Sports+It will be a very different game from the one we started against Crew in May.

Eight of those players have left this season, with only one, Laurence Maguire, having been on loan and now joined MK Dons from Chesterfield.

The rest of the players – including goalscorer Danilo Orsi and assister Liam Kelly – have all joined new clubs in the First and Second Divisions.

Promoted clubs will be looking to strengthen their squads to meet the demands of the new league, but with so many players leaving, the need for preparation and recruitment has become even greater.

Crowley has already strengthened his squad by signing seven players and will need to quickly integrate with his new teammates. Time will tell how successful he will be.

Can Jordan Rose shine again at Blackpool?

It has been a tough decade for Jordan Rose. The once-huddersfield and Blackburn striker has failed to score more than seven league goals in a single season since joining Middlesbrough in 2015.

This included spells at Sheffield Wednesday, Norwich and Huddersfield. He scored a total of 38 goals in the Championship over nine seasons. He scored 36 goals in League One during the 2011/12 season.

But a loan move to Blackpool last year helped Rose regain his goalscoring form, scoring 15 goals in 29 games before earning a permanent move to the club this summer.

“I feel very lucky to have been given another chance at Blackpool. I loved being here every day last season and I feel lucky to have the chance to do that again,” the 34-year-old said on signing.

Blackpool missed out on the play-offs by three points last season and that place will be their target next season. The club and Rose will be hoping his form continues to improve and the Seasiders can progress into the Championship.

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