Birmingham City manager Harry Redknapp has revealed that he intends to "have a right go" at earning promotion in his first full campaign at the club.
The Blues have already backed the much-travelled boss to strengthen his playing ranks, having kept his side in the second tier last term when appointed late in the season.
David Stockdale, Marc Roberts and Craig Gardner have all arrived, while many more have been linked with a switch to St Andrew's, leaving Brum as one of the dark horses to challenge for promotion.
They could be joined in the promotion hunt by near neighbours Aston Villa, who are themselves gearing up for a return to the top flight after a current one-year absence, but Redknapp has stressed that it is not a straight shootout between the two rivals.
"It would be nice but it's not going to be about Villa and Birmingham going for the top spot," the Birmingham Mail quotes him as saying. "There are going to be about 15 or 16 teams all thinking they are going to be there. I'm sure both clubs will be there or thereabouts. Villa spent about £80m last season and still finished halfway so it shows how tough it is.
"There are lots of powerful teams and all the clubs seem to have big owners now. There are more and more foreign owners buying the clubs but we are fortunate here as we have owners who are ambitious and want to back the club. I took the job in 10 minutes when I came here for the three games.
"And then when I met them after we stayed up I saw they were ambitious and I thought I would enjoy putting a team together here. That's the good part about it, I can put a team together and then come first game of the season I'll be thinking 'Let's have a good crack at it. I see Villa are favourites for winning the league.
"But with this division this year every team thinks they should be in the Premier don't they. Middlesbrough will spend big money, they are going to have a right go, They have signed the boy from Norwich for about £10m. They are going to have a right go. Leeds will be strong, Fulham again, Derby, Villa, even Wolves. Every team is going to fancy their chances."
Birmingham, who finished two points clear of relegation last term, continue their pre-season campaign with a friendly against Union Berlin on Tuesday evening.
Daniel Lewis
