PUNDIT reveals what BIRMINGHAM will do to avoid relegation which is to…..

Pundit Sam Parkin says that Stoke City, Birmingham City and Plymouth Argyle are the teams he is most concerned about in the Championship relegation battle.

It is shaping up to be an incredibly exciting end to the season at the bottom of the second tier, with a host of teams in danger of dropping into League One.

The form of Queens Park Rangers and Sheffield Wednesday since the appointments of Marti Cifuentes and Danny Rohl respectively has dragged many of those above them into the fight, and just five points separate the teams in 16th and 23rd.

With Tony Mowbray absent for health reasons, Birmingham have brought former manager Gary Rowett back as interim head coach this week, but he faces a big task with the club only outside the bottom three on goal difference.

There has been speculation about Steven Schumacher’s future at Stoke in recent months, but it looks like the Potters will stick with him for now, while Ian Foster is under increasing pressure at Plymouth, with supporters calling for him to be sacked after the 1-0 home defeat to Preston North End on Saturday.

Sam Parkin reveals Stoke City, Birmingham City and Plymouth Argyle concern

Parkin believes that both QPR and Sheffield Wednesday will stay in the Championship this season, but he admits that he is worried about Stoke, Birmingham and Plymouth.

“I can’t remember anything like this,” Parkin said on the BBC’s Football Daily podcast.

“I was stupid on this front, I think a couple of months ago I thought it was probably three from four when it was Rotherham, Sheffield Wednesday, Huddersfield and QPR.

“It looked like those were going to be the ones fighting it out, so to have all these teams dragged in is just amazing for the neutral.

“A big part of that is down to the resurgence of Sheffield Wednesday and QPR, changing the managers, had that upturn initially and had little dips, but they’ve just been able to pick up wins.

“I think it’s shown the merit in winning games rather than picking up those points, even if they’ve suffered a few defeats.

“Those two have dragged everyone back in, I’d be really confident that those sides will remain, so there’s going to be, in my opinion, some big hitters falling out of the division this year.

“You’ve got to look at Stoke and be concerned, you’ve got to look at Birmingham, and probably Plymouth would be the other one.

“For Plymouth, it was the nature of the recent defeat to Preston, you can understand them losing at home to West Brom, Leeds and teams like that right at the summit of the table.

“I think with the lack of goals, especially at Home Park, you’ve got to fear for them that it’s going to be a real tight end of the season for them.”

Gary Rowett’s Birmingham City return will be a worry for relegation rivals

It is incredibly difficult to call the relegation battle in the Championship.

It is understandable why Parkin is confident about QPR and Sheffield Wednesday’s survival chances given their strong form in recent months, but the Owls’ 6-0 defeat at Ipswich Town on Saturday is a reminder that they remain in an incredibly precarious position.

Stoke seemed to have turned a corner after two wins in three games earlier this month, but they were comprehensively beaten 3-0 at home by Norwich City on Saturday, while Plymouth’s form is alarming, and the atmosphere could turn toxic at Home Park as fans continue to turn on Foster.

John Eustace is yet to pick up a win since taking over at Blackburn Rovers last month, and they have a difficult run of fixtures coming up, while Huddersfield Town have lost back-to-back games after a bright start to life under Andre Breitenreiter.

Birmingham have looked in serious danger in recent weeks, but the return of Rowett is a huge boost, and you would expect him to keep the Blues in the division, which will be concerning for the teams around them.

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Damian Harrison

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