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#2 Birmingham City, 9th, (2009-10)
For the first team, we go back exactly ten years for one of the most interesting seasons in recent history. Carlo Ancelotti had just joined Chelsea and the title race went down to the wire. Chelsea won the league by a single point ahead of the hat-trick champions Manchester United.
Another fantastic season was on at the other end of the table. Birmingham City won only twice until the second week of October. Then they went on an unbelievable run. The Alex MacLeish side was not beaten till January. In the process, they won five in a row and drew at Anfield. After this, they once more had a patchy season and rallied to finish 9th on 50 points. They were distant from Everton at 61 points. Yet, there was no question on whether they deserved the top-half finish. Birmingham City's side was built on counter-attack and long-passes. They were not prolific but retained an element of surprise about them which caught many off-guard. The squad though not most talented rode on the momentum of belief to create the best season for the Blues fans in years.
Notable players included Joe Hart, on-loan, Lee Bowyer and Cameron Jerome. Unfortunately the fairy-tale lasted only one season. The club finished 18th the next season and was relegated to the Championship, where it has been since. Birmigham City did win the League Cup on the way down though in 2010/11. This was enough to tempt rivals Aston Villa to sign manager Alex MacLeish. Birmingham City has lost its way since and has struggled into obscurity.
