'Rollercoaster' - Birmingham City end of season player ratings for 24-man squad

The 2021/2022 Championship season has been consigned to the record books. It was a campaign that will be, briefly, remembered for a 20th place finish, large numbers of goals conceded and the swathes of injuries which robbed the team of any momentum.

Virtually every one of Lee Bowyer’s players missed time at some point during the season, with only one notable exception. There was misfortune with many of the loan players too – the likes of Matija Sarkic, Tahith Chong and Dion Sanderson who all made positive starts, finding their efforts interrupted.

So, with all that in mind, we hand out our final, end of season ratings. Players had to make ten Championship appearances to qualify and marks have been awarded for simply being available, so those who have played most have tended to score highest.

It’s been a remarkably challenging year for the 32-year-old. The season started off with him hospitalised by Covid, when he returned he found a loanee in his place and when he got his opportunity he was asked to play the role in a way which wasn’t what he was used to and behind an ever changing cast of defenders. He also picked up a nasty knock last month – but recovered. On a personal level he also became a parent for the first time. Quite the rollercoaster and you couldn’t really blame him for many of the goals that were conceded.

Recovered from an early wobble in pre-season and put in a sequence of assured and composed displays. His record of ten clean sheets came at a time when the side was at its most stable but he impressed in his role as a sweeper keeper. It was a real shame when he picked up his season-ending injury.

Blues took a slight risk in not sourcing a senior back-up for a player who had gone virtually three