Birmingham City have experienced a turbulent off-season so far with a number of key figures having already departed St Andrew's following last season's conclusion.

Manager Garry Monk was sacked following disagreements with the owners and star men Jota, Che Adams and Michael Morrison have also left the club.

This means that Monk's assistant Pep Clotet is left with the task to galvanise the squad ahead of the new season, despite it currently looking thin on the ground following this summer's departures.

This leaves the club in an ominous predicament ahead of the 2019/20 campaign, with there having been little news to create any sort of excitement over the last two months.

Here are some of the reasons why the Blues are in much trouble ahead of the new season...

The managerial situation

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Monk excelled under difficult circumstances last season, as he guided the club to Championship safety following a nine-point deduction in the second half of last season.

It was, therefore, an enormous surprise to see him sacked this summer, as he looked to be precisely the man to take the Blues forward while working on a tight budget.

Birmingham then announced that Monk's managerial team would still run the show next season, with former assistant Clotet being the main figurehead. This seems an incredibly risky appointment given Clotet's only managerial experience in English football came during a failed spell at Oxford United.

He hardly seems like the man to pull off a miracle in a tough situation.

Blues fans' disillusionment with the ownership

Birmingham are currently owned by Hong Kong-based holding company Trillion Trophy Asia, which is led by Paul Suen. During their time at the helm, the Blues have been inflicted with a transfer embargo and have also been handed a nine-point deduction.

This would have left the fan base unable to trust the owners, and this feeling would have significantly intensified after Monk's sacking. The inability to agree contractual terms with Morrison and the sales of Jota and Adams would also not have helped. Player departures have left the club's squad looking depleted as pre-season training begins.

Blues fans' support of their side will not diminish overnight, but the anger at the owners' running of the club is clearly a bad sign ahead of the new season. It could lead to the fans becoming more and more disillusioned with the club ahead of next campaign.

Lack of goals in the side

On the footballing side, the departures of Jota and Adams have meant the Blues' are in serious need of bolstering their attacking unit.

Adams' 22 strikes meant he was Birmingham's top goalscorer last season, with Lukas Jutkiewicz ranking second-highest with 14 goals. Jota also recorded the highest number of assists for Birmingham, with 11 in total.

The departures of these two key players means Birmingham must strengthen with high-quality attackers during the summer, but this could prove to be a difficult task.

After all, the club's current predicament means St Andrew's is unlikely to be an attractive destination for any potential signings this summer.