Sky Sports pundit David Prutton has admitted that he believes that Birmingham City should be aiming to secure a top-10 finish in the Championship this season.
The Blues initially made an encouraging start to the 2021/22 campaign as they secured a 1-0 victory over Sheffield United on the opening weekend of the new term.
However, a drop-off in performance levels in recent weeks has led to the club falling down the Championship table.
Currently 16th in the second-tier standings, Birmingham will be desperate to get back on track on Friday when they face West Bromwich Albion.
Whilst the Blues will head into this game as underdogs due to the fact that the Baggies are second in the Championship, Lee Bowyer will be hoping to see his players deliver a spirited performance at The Hawthorns.
Making reference to Birmingham, Prutton has suggested that the club should be looking to push on in the Championship due to the quality that they have at their disposal.
Speaking on the latest episode of the Sky Sports EFL Podcast, the former Sheffield Wednesday player said: "That is a very, very workable Championship team that should be looking at at least the top-10.
"Roberts, Dean, Pedersen in the back, Maxime Colin, Ryan Woods, Sunjic, Bela and going forward with Tahith Chong, Jutkiewicz and Scott Hogan.
"That team absolutely should be looking at least at the top-half."
The Verdict
Whilst Birmingham have been poor in their recent Championship fixtures, there is no reason why they cannot get over this particular slump as they are currently able to call upon the services of players who know exactly what it takes to compete at this level.
However, a failure to pick up points on a regular basis may result in the Blues being dragged into another relegation battle next year.
Bowyer may need to turn to the likes of Jeremie Bela and Tahith Chong for inspiration on Friday when his side face West Brom.
Bela is currently averaging an impressive WhoScored match rating of 7.01 in the Championship whilst Chong has been directly involved in two goals for the Blues since joining the club on loan from Manchester United in the summer transfer window.