[9][10] A consortium led by fashion industry businessman Paul Richardson and Argentine former footballer Maxi López announced in July that they were close to completing the purchase of a stake in the club, and later confirmed that they were providing operating funds,[11][12] but pulled out in December citing a failure to agree revisions to the original terms of agreement.

[23][24] Work began during the 2022–23 season to demolish and rebuild the lower tiers of the Kop and Tilton Road stands, which had remained closed since late 2020 because of what was initially described as the effect of water ingress on structural steelwork and eventually revealed to be asbestos-related damage.

[25][26] The works at the Tilton Road end, to include installation of rail seats to permit safe standing in the lower tier, were due to complete in September 2023, and the Kop was expected to fully re-open two months later.

[26] Work stopped after main contractors Buckingham Group filed for administration in mid-August,[27] and resumed in mid-September under the management of Mace Consult, with completion expected by the end of November.

[31] The release of Harlee Dean, Maxime Colin, George Friend and Kevin Long and the departure of loanees Auston Trusty and Dion Sanderson left the team with only one senior defender, Marc Roberts.

[51] Head coach John Eustace had regularly used a 5–3–2 formation during the 2022–23 season, but began the 2023–24 campaign away to Swansea City with a back four – Ethan Laird at right back, Dion Sanderson and Kevin Long in the centre of defence, and Lee Buchanan on the left – in front of John Ruddy in goal and shielded by Krystian Bielik and Ivan Šunjić in defensive midfield.

[57][58] In attack, Tyler Roberts and Siriki Dembélé occupied the wings and Keshi Anderson played in the centre behind striker Scott Hogan in a 4–2–3–1.

[58][59] Birmingham looked more dangerous in the first half but did not score until just before half-time, after a goalkeeping error allowed Anderson to set up Dembélé's tidy finish.

[60] There was one team change: Juninho Bacuna, who had scored both goals in the EFL Cup win earlier in the week, replaced the injured Roberts.

Both sides should have scored before Birmingham did: in stoppage time, Daniel James ran into Laird in the penalty area, and Lukas Jutkiewicz converted the kick, albeit via goalkeeper Illan Meslier's foot.

[66] At home to newly promoted Plymouth Argyle, Miyoshi and Jordan James replaced the injured Laird and Dembélé and Bacuna switched to right back.

[68] In stoppage time, Bacuna headed off the line with Ruddy beaten,[69] and then – according to the Championship Goal of the Month nomination – "less than 30 minutes into his Birmingham debut, Stansfield latched onto a through ball, deftly lifted it beyond a defender and lashed a rising thunderbolt of a shot into the roof of the net.

[78] He took charge of the FA Cup third round draw at Hull City, before Tony Mowbray was appointed manager on 8 January, with Mark Venus as his assistant.

[81] After eight matches in charge, Mowbray stepped back from the role in February to undergo medical treatment for an estimated six- to eight-week period.

[133] He made seven changes from the starting eleven in Rooney's last match, but still selected a strong side, with Kevin Long returning to centre-half after lengthy injury.

Jutkiewicz scored with a diving header after 18 minutes, but Matty Jacob reacted first to Neil Etheridge's failure to hold Aaron Connolly's 87th-minute shot and equalised.