James McFadden has warned Blues to be on their guard next season, writes Colin Tattum in the Birmingham Mail

After a successful campaign that saw Blues set records and finish in ninth place, their highest position for 51 years, the rest of the Premier League won't take them lightly at all.

"We have got to make sure we rise to the challenge again next season," McFadden told the Birmingham Mail.

"We can have a good rest over the summer and then come back ready to go.

"We know it's probably going to be tougher for us. People are maybe going to look at us differently and maybe play differently against us.

"After the season we've had, that's not surprising. But it's how we deal with it, another challenge for us."

McFadden continued: "The squad is going to be different, players are coming in, players have gone," he said.

"The manager, I'm sure, will be looking for us to improve on certain things when we go forward. Try and make us more of a threat goals-wise.

"But at the same time we have to carry on doing the things that made us so difficult to beat.

"Hopefully we will have the same sort of application and commitment we have had this season in the future, going into next season.

"We need to set out the same sort of stall."