After Harry Redknapp was appointed to keep Birmingham City in the Championship, he did just that to steer them to 19th and stayed the next year to help build the club up again.

To get the Blues back up the league and pushing for a place back in the Premier League, the former Spurs boss would need to add to his side.

And Redknapp delivered on that front when on July 31, 2017, he made his first signing of the summer.

David Stockdale arrived on a three-year deal on a free transfer after rejected the chance to stay at Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion. 

Leeds United were also heavily interested, but the stopper chose the Redknapp and the Midlands as his next permanent move.

The signing garnered a strong positive response from the Brum supporters with the news of Stockdale’s arrival.

Everything seemed overtly positive at St. Andrews ahead of the new season.

Stockdale as installed as City’s number one from the off, making his debut in the 1-0 defeat to Ipswich Town on the opening day of the 2017/18 season.

The goalkeeper was showing why he was Brighton’s main man during their promotion season the year prior.

The then 31-year-old made 39 appearances for the blues who went through three different managers that season after Redknapp was sacked and Steve Cotterill was placed in charge before he too was sacked five months into his reign.

The club ended the season with Garry Monk in charge, and Stockdale was the number one throughout the season, picking up ten clean-sheets in all competitions after an impressive first campaign at St. Andrews.  

But that would be where the positives ended for the former south coast stopper. 

Monk decided that this past summer, Stockdale was free to leave the club despite a solid debut season.

It was a piece of news that stunned Birmingham supporters, with the 33-year-old moving to League One club Southend on an emergency loan.

This wasn’t a standard loan; it was on a seven-day rolling loan after the Shrimpers' principal keeper suffered an injury.

The reaction to this decision left fans bemused.

Supporters were unhappy with the move to let a promotion winning goalkeeper leave the club on a farcical loan one year into a three-year deal, and for no particular reason.

Despite that, the initial reaction was impressive to the signing, but the fans are not impressed with how Stockdale has been treated.

This was a transfer that had potential in the beginning but has seemingly ended in bizarre fashion with Stockdale's future at his parent club in extreme doubt.