Garry Monk ‘confident’ Birmingham will not get sucked into relegation battle despite nine-point deduction

Garry Monk ‘confident’ Birmingham will not get sucked into relegation battle despite nine-point deduction
Birmingham manager Garry Monk has issued a defiant message following his side’s nine-point deduction – saying they will not get drawn into relegation trouble.The Championship side were hit with the penalty by the EFL last week for breaching the league’s profitability and sustainability regulations.2

Birmingham’s annual accounts detailed a club who were excessively overspending

The penalty saw the club drop from 13th in the second tier to 18th, leaving them only five points above the relegation zone.

---

Birmingham City relegation odds

---

But despite losing their last four games, Monk believes Blues have what it takes to stay clear of the drop zone.“We are back in a serious situation, it is not going to be easy,” the former Swansea and Leeds manager said at his pre-match press conference, reported via the club’s Twitter account.

LIVE on talkSPORT

talkSPORT is your home of live football! Here's what's coming up on talkSPORT and talkSPORT 2...

• West Brom vs Birmingham (Friday, 7:45pm) talkSPORT 2
• Brighton vs Southampton (Saturday, 3pm) talkSPORT 2
• West Ham vs Everton (Saturday, 5:30pm) talkSPORT
• Middlesbrough vs Norwich (Saturday, 5:30pm) talkSPORT 2
• Portsmouth vs Sunderland (Sunday, 2:30pm) talkSPORT 2

“But we are confident that we can show our fighting spirit and along with my staff and the fans we will jump this hurdle.“Our group is mentally strong and has always been determined to progress.“When I came here in March [2018] our target was to achieve avoiding relegation and we achieved it, then it was about progression, to achieve safety in a quicker time this year.“We had already done that, we had already achieved safety and were looking up the table before the penalty, but we’ve got to do it again now and I am more than confident that we will do that.”2

Monk says he’s confident Birmingham are not at risk of being relegated

Blues lost 37.5million in the 12 months to the end of June 2018, more than double the previous year’s deficit.The main cause of their deteriorating balance sheet was an increase in the wage bill from just over 22million in 2016/17 to nearly 38million the following year as former managers Gianfranco Zola and Harry Redknapp were lavishly backed in the transfer market.As a result, Birmingham have net liabilities of 55million and owe parent company Birmingham Sports Holdings more than 73million, a sum that will grow over the next 18 months as the directors’ report reveals a further 39million will be needed over that period to keep the club afloat.Monk says the club now know exactly what they need to do going forward to avoid a repeat. “I didn’t speculate about anything, my job is to deal with what’s in front of me, and to focus on the football and to be determined to do my best for this club,” he added.“Clarity is the most important thing, it is really important to have had that clarity in order to move forward.“We are not out of the woods, we have to abide by a certain plan going forward so that we do not get into the same position in the future.“Now that the clarity has come we know what we have to do and we can move forward.”

---

Liverpool fan breaks down in tears on talkSPORT after losing Premier League title race to Manchester City A distraught Liverpool fan was reduced to tears live on talkSPORT after seeing his team miss out on the Premier League title.
Liverpool fan breaks down in tears on talkSPORT after losing

---

A new image of Tottenham's potential 2019/20 away kit has leaked on social media this week, including some interesting tweaks. Spurs' season is in full flow with several competitions still to
First full image of Tottenham's leaked 2019-20 away kit

---

Could Leicester's visit to Liverpool in the Premier League on Wednesday evening be postponed due to the weather? Merseyside woke up to snow on Wednesday morning leading to disruption on roads, rail and at the airport. Liverpool John Lennon Airport was forced to temporarily close due to the heavy weather, with snow blocking the runway.
Liverpool vs Leicester 'in doubt' due to bad weather and snow

---

Scotland 2-1 Cyprus: Andy Robertson scores screamer as Scots edge to victory in Steve Clarke's first game in charge A late strike from Oliver Burke saw Steve Clarke begin his reign as Scotland manager with a nervy Euro 2020 qualifying victory over Cyprus at Hampden Park. The talkSPORT 1 day ago Also reported by •BBC Sport •SoccerNews.com
Scots must be 'almost perfect' to stop Belgium - Steve Clarke

---

Billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe looks set to add to his sports portfolio after having a £90million-plus bid to buy Nice accepted by the Ligue 1 club. Britain's richest man, who has an estimated
Britain's richest man Sir Jim Ratcliffe hints at new bid to

---

'Sarri's a stubborn fool' - Some Chelsea fans fume as Hudson-Odoi is benched again 'stubborn fool' Hudson-Odoi has not started a single Premier League match this season while Loftus-Cheek has only

---

Mohamed Salah sends Liverpool into Champions League knockout stages to the knockout stage with the minimum requirement of a 1-0 win against Napoli. As has often been the case a moment of
Liverpool vs Napoli: Mohamed Salah's goal just enough to fire

---

Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Tim Sherwood has denied that Mauricio Pochettino is working on a strict budget at the club. The Lilywhites have not signed a player for 18 months, becoming the first Premier League side in history not to strengthen their squad after a quiet stint last summer, and speculation has suggested they are crippled by the finances of their imminent stadium move.
Mauricio Pochettino: I am not concerned by Tottenham's recent

---

---

Emiliano Sala's funeral will be attended by Cardiff manager Neil Warnock and chief executive Ken Choo. Sala became Cardiff's club-record signing when bought by the Welsh club for £15million
Cardiff's Neil Warnock and Ken Choo to attend Emiliano Sala's

---

NO COMMENT The Spurs boss is one of the favourites for the Old Trafford job following Jose Mourinho's departure, which was confirmed on Sunday morning Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino refused to be drawn on the rumours linking him with the Manchester United job following Jose Mourinho's sacking.
Jose Mourinho sacked: Mauricio Pochettino refuses to address

---

Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers says his family suffered a "horrendous" ordeal following the burglary at their home in Scotland while they were sleeping. Police Scotland were called to the
Brendan Rodgers: Leicester boss says family home burglary in

---