Championship preview: Contenders, pretenders and strugglers

Tom Wagner and his Knighthead Capital Management hardly made an auspicious start as owners of Birmingham City.

Sacking boss John Eustace when they were sixth in the Championship and appointing Wayne Rooney took many by surprise and, with the former Manchester United and England striker winning only two of his 15 league games in charge before being replaced by Gary Rowett, relegation became a near certainty.

A rebuild under Chris Davies saw Blues pay a League One record fee to sign Jay Stansfield, with his 19 goals helping to fire them to a record-breaking promotion.

Last season brought consolidation and a 10th-place finish with the hope for a promotion tilt this time around and the early signs are promising.