Garry Monk's arrival at St Andrews has given Birmingham an instant lift, with a narrow defeat against Cardiff followed by a fine 3-0 win against Hull City.

They're level on points with Barnsley but still in the relegation zone on goal difference, but there's renewed hope that they can beat the drop after Jota's brace helped them to victory over the Tigers.

Monk has a simple philosophy for saving them this season: "Work. As simple as that,” he was quoted by the Birmingham Mail. "We are nowhere near the situation we want to be in, Saturday was a step in the right direction but there is a lot more work in front of us."

Monk recently took over after Steve Cotterill's reign left the Blues precariously placed for a drop into the third tier, which would be their first spell outside the top two divisions since 1994/95. The Hull win arrested a slide of seven straight defeats and gave fans hope of a revival.

Ipswich, Bolton and Burton make up their three matches after the international break, with two of those sides also in relegation battles the Blues fate is in their own hands.

The Verdict

Birmingham City are staying up, there's no mincing my words there. Garry Monk isn't a third-tier manager and Birmingham are not a League One club. The owners made the move at just the right time which, after a chaotic two years, must have been a pleasant surprise for long-suffering fans. With the right backing Monk can take the Blues back to the top of the Championship and maybe beyond.