A SEASON that promised so much for Blues is threatening to end in chaos and disappointment.
The team, newly back in the Premier League, had not set the world alight with their results so far this campaign.
But under Steve Bruce and his assistant Eric Black, they had been picking up points when it mattered.
The young players that Bruce had brought in on a restricted budget were showing real signs of potential.
The future, many thought, was bright.
But Birmingham City Football Club do not do things the easy way: snatching defeat from the jaws of victory has long been Blues' way.
The good work put in by management and players threatens now to unravel.
Bluenoses will look ahead anxiously after Bruce's departure to Wigan, with Black likely soon to follow him along the M6.
The manager's decision to jump ship is a bitter pill to swallow – Wigan are a small town club with little history and are likely to be competing against Blues to avoid relegation.
And, as shown by the letters that have flooded into this newspaper, many supporters believe this is a crisis that need not have happened.
There is no doubt that Bruce had grown weary of having much less to spend than many Premiership managers.
But the decision by Blues' owners to sell the club to a little known Hong Kong businessman called Carson Yeung, who some fear does not have the money to complete the purchase, has created uncertainty over Bruce's security.
This uncertainty will also make the recruitment of a new manager difficult: who will want the job when they do not know who their boss will be in a few months' time?
David Sullivan and the Golds, canny and successful businessmen, have done much during their time at St Andrew's. Likewise the fesity Karren Brady.
But their toughest time lies in the next few weeks – ensuring the club that bears this city's name does not nosedive to disaster.