Exclusive – McCarthy: Birmingham are going to struggle in the Championship

Former Birmingham star Jon McCarthy believes the club could be battling relegation in the Championship next season.

The Blues are in a financial mess after losing their Premier League place and supporters have seen Sebastian Larsson, Roger Johnson, Barry Ferguson and Craig Gardner all leave St Andrews this summer.

Scott Dann and Ben Foster are the next stars expected to depart and McCarthy has told talkSPORT new boss Chris Hughton has a huge battle on his hands to prevent the club dropping down a further division.

“I’m hoping every single player that we sign becomes a hero and has a great season and Chris Hughton got a lot of respect for what he achieved at Newcastle, and we do wish him well, but people need to be realistic," said McCarthy, speaking to the Sports Breakfast.

"Just look at the quality of the players we've lost. We've lost a lot of strength and winners in Ferguson, Gardner, Larsson, Johnson. They really have ripped the heart out of that team and we're going to struggle.

"I think Chris Hughton needs to be given a realistic target and it would be to make sure we stay in that division next year.

"It feels like the club are in a mess and we're going to lose more players. Rightly the fans are worried and what should be an exciting time looking forward to the new season is really depressing for everybody at the club."