Sunday 17 September 2017 07:39, UK
Sacked Harry Redknapp says he would have led Birmingham back to the Premier League given time to finish his rebuilding job at St Andrew's.
Redknapp's five-month spell in charge came to an end on Saturday, shortly after visitors Preston inflicted a sixth straight defeat on his side.
The 70-year-old told Sky Sports moments before his sacking that a run of injuries had hampered his progress at shaping a team in the wake of 14 summer signings.
And Redknapp remains convinced promotion within the next two years was a realistic ambition.
"What can you do?" he told the Birmingham Mail. "It takes time to build a football team, not one week. I didn't get the players in I was after in pre-season and suddenly I have got a load of players in. A lot of the targets I was after I couldn't get over the line.
"And I still felt that given time I would have given them a team that would have been challenging for promotion, I had no doubt about that. Maybe not this year but over the next two years I would have got promotion.
"I had to do well this year but I would have stayed because I loved it there, absolutely loved my time there.
"I am not an idiot, I am not a silly person who goes around saying things, I think I have been round long enough. With those young forwards that are there now, going forward the future for Birmingham is exciting.
"When you get Jota on the field with Isaac Vassell with Che Adams, with Sam Gallagher, with Jeremie Boga, that's as exciting a forward line as there will be in that division."
