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.Birmingham’s annual accounts detailed a club who were excessively overspending2
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.”Monk says he’s confident Birmingham are not at risk of being relegated2
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.”
Messi celebrates with his team-mates on a night where he notched a 51st career hat-trick

Tottenham news: Graeme Souness gives brutal verdict on Spurs defender Kieran Trippier after performance against Liverpool The England full-back gave Andy Robertson too much room to cross for the
News 24/7 | 2/4/2019: Souness gives brutal verdict on Spurs
Chelsea recovered from their dismal defeat to Spurs last weekend

Tottenham vs Arsenal: Live stream, TV channel, team news and kick-off time for North London derby showdown Everything you need to know as Mauricio Pochettino's side prepare to go head-to-head with
Tottenham vs Arsenal: TV channel, stream, kick-off time, odds
Lennon, 31, has established himself as a vital member of Burnley’s top-flight squad

Man United vs West Ham live on talkSPORT: Full commentary and free stream for Premier League clash All you need to know to tune into the action at Old Trafford By Marc Williams
West Ham vs Leicester live on talkSPORT 2: Full commentary
gistjunction.com/2019/04/20/west-ham-vs-leicester-live-on-talksport-2-full-commentary-free-stream-and-line-ups-for-3pm-clash/
West Ham vs Leicester: How to listen. Full commentary from the London Stadium will be live on talkSPORT 2, with our coverage getting underway from 12pm. Russ Williams will bring you all the build-up and to tune in to full commentary just click here for the live stream or click the radio player below. You can also listen through the talkSPORT
West Ham vs Leicester live on talkSPORT 2: Full
Cristiano Ronaldo failed to score against Napoli

Premier League 2018/19 team of the season: The best players in the top flight so far based on stats We take a look at the first division's best XI so far, based on WhoScored.com's statistics By
Premier League First Team Club Statistics, Team & Player Stats
Raheem Sterling heads home

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes a offside goal which was not seen by the linesman played on the mind of referee Kevin Friend leading to some odd officiating in the second half in the Reds 1-1 draw against West Ham on Monday night.Sadio Mane scored the opening goal in the 22nd minute, his
Everything Jurgen Klopp has blamed for poor Liverpool results
Jimmy Greaves scored 266 goals for Tottenham in 379 games
Liverpool news: Jurgen Klopp believes Reds must imitate
There are also leisure shirts, jackets, hoodies and sweatshirts available as part of the range

Find Barcelona vs Liverpool result on Yahoo Sports. View full match commentary including video highlights, news, team line-ups, player ratings, stats and more.
Kanu went on to play 165 times for Portsmouth

Manchester United starlet Angel Gomes reveals childhood pal Marcus Rashford is his mentor as he tries to make his mark in the first team. The 18-year-old has played three times for the Red Devils
Man Utd news: Marcus Rashford injured while on International
Lampard wants his side to take inspirations from the likes of Tottenham and Liverpool

As always it's been a thoroughly entertaining weekend in the Premier League, but what can we learn from the action?
The Latest Tottenham Hotspur News (Talk Sport) | SportSpyder
Nkoudou in a rare appearance for Spurs this year
Tottenham transfer latest: Striker search, Hofmann interest
Many expected the departures of Luis Suarez and then Coutinho to Barcelona to send Liverpool backwards

Jose Mourinho claims a 'nice guy' manager can end up becoming a 'puppet' in an apparent message to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. In what could be construed as a swipe at his Manchester United
Jose Mourinho: Former Manchester United boss warns of 'nice