The 2016/17 Championship season kicks off this weekend and Cardiff City will begin their league campaign with a tough away game against Birmingham at St. Andrew's this Saturday in a 3pm kick off.

It is a match that will be new head coach Paul Trollope's first competitive game in charge since taking over from ex-gaffer Russell Slade at the end of last season and the former Bristol Rovers manager will be looking to make a positive start.

There have already been a number of noticeable changes in the way the club is run since Trollope's appointment ranging from a drastic change in tactics, an overhaul of the playing staff, and a number of alterations behind the scenes ahead of the new season.

Football League World writer Steve Day takes a look at three things to expect from Trollope's Bluebirds side over the coming season.

3-5-2

Cardiff City have adopted a new formation under the guidance of Trollope. Clearly, the former Wales national team coach has gained inspiration from the country's heroics at the 2016 European Championship as he has chosen to use their formation for their pre-season games so far.

It is a tactic that has had its pros and cons so far but is still very much in its early days with players still getting familiar with it. The club rarely shifted from a rigid 4-4-2 under Slade last season and the more flexible 3-5-2 set-up will take some getting used to.

The first few weeks of the season will give a better indication of how effective the formation will be. City fans will have to get used to a more patient style of play and it might take some time before the excitement levels are turned up because it is certainly regarded as a more progressive tactic. However, the overall feeling amongst City fans so far is that it has potential to work well with the players at Trollope's disposal.

Faith in the youth

One of the aspects of Trollope's managerial stint at Bristol Rovers that earned a lot of praise was his commitment to bringing through the younger players into the first team squad. Granted, this was almost forced on him by a lack of transfer funds but he has also openly stated that he is keen to blood the youngsters.

This will be music to Bluebirds fans' ears. One of the biggest criticisms of the Slade era was that he shunned a number of talented prospects in the development team in favour of averagely performing but more experienced players.

Players such as Declan John, Tommy O'Sullivan, Semi Ajayi, Rhys Healey, and David Tutonda were sent out on loan and never considered for a first team squad place as below par performers such as Scott Malone, Sean Morrison, Sammy Ameobi, and Kenwyne Jones were consistently preferred by Slade. That will be different this year with Trollope expected to push a number of the highly-rated youth players into the first team fold.

Re-connecting with the fans

The dark shadow cast by the controversial re-brand of the club still lingers with a number of supporters still staying away from the club after making the decision to boycott games until owner Vincent Tan leaves the club. Unfortunately, that has had a negative impact on attendance figures and the atmosphere of home games. Even fans that have continued to attend matches remain disillusioned with aspects of how the club is being run.

In fairness to the club, since the return to the blue, it has made a relentless and concerted effort to bring the fans back. Cheap season tickets, food and drinks deals, match day offers, and a more intense marketing campaign across the city has gone some distance to bringing back the fans that felt betrayed by the re-brand.

There is still a lot of work to do. Trollope himself has stated an intent to sign more Welsh players and have more local players involved in the first team squad. The club has stated it will continue to offer great value tickets and deals for fans in an effort to increase attendance figures. It is fully expected that come the end of the season the club will have taken another step in the right direction to re-connecting with the fans.

What do you think Bluebirds fans? Are there any other things we can expect to see from Trollope's Cardiff City this season? Let us know below.