The Premier League cash quiz

YOU may have noticed the Birmingham Mail letters page has been looking rather angry of late.

No matter how many happy Albion or content Villa fans write in, we cannot move for all the vitriol coming from Blues.

Blues fans have grown thoroughly fed up with their club, mainly with the perception of how it is being run and the fact that, as a result, they now stand on the verge of relegation.

Albion should not only be watching with interest, but also taking notes.

There are two ways of taking a club forward after promotion.

Take Sunderland, for instance.

Last summer the Black Cats spent £32.4million on new players - £9million on a goalkeeper alone - allowing, among others, Stephen Elliott, Tommy Miller and Stern John to leave for low fees.

A further £10million worth of players came through the Stadium of Light doors during January, taking their overall spending to in excess of £40million. Not all signings have worked, some certainly have.

Roy Keane's men are now nearer to mid-table security than the relegation trap door.

Now, let's return to St Andrew's.

Last summer Blues spent a net total of £7.6million on 12 players after gaining promotion.

During the January window they spent £5million on James McFadden, £1.5million on David Murphy and brought in the talented Mauro Zarate on loan. This was offset by the £3million compensation they received for Steve Bruce from Wigan, plus in excess of £3million brought in by the exits of Rowan Vine, Neil Danns, Mat Sadler and Neil Kilkenny (Danns' and Sadler's figures will rise on further appearances for Palace and Watford respectively).

They failed to sign Gary Cahill for £5million and they simply couldn't afford Tottenham's Teemu Tainio.

Blues are now on the cusp of relegation - they could go this weekend if results go a certain way - and the locals aren't happy.

There were more than 14,000 season ticket holders at St Andrew's this season - yet just 5000 have renewed so far, with many vowing to stay away. How many turn their back on the club for the last time remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, the feel good factor at The Hawthorns is immense. 19,000 have already snapped up season tickets.

But Blues have penned the blueprint for Albion on how NOT to establish themselves in the Premier League. All the progress made by Birmingham, following their initial promotion as play off winners in 2002, stands on the verge of collapse because of a lack of investment since their return to the top flight last year.

The Baggies must not fall over the same trip wires.

Nobody is expecting Jeremy Peace to spend £30-40million net on new players, as per Sunderland, but equally they need somewhat more than the £8million or so spent by their neighbours (and that's not taking wages into account, with Blues known to be fairly competitive on that score).

Albion stand to make £60million from their Premier League venture. That's in the worst-case scenario of being relegated after one year. If they stay up, they get £35million for every year spent in the Premier League, plus in excess of £500,000 per League position (£2million just for finishing 17th).

Tony Mowbray is a hugely talented manager and boasts several players who are rich in ability and experience. But he will need help. The two clubs who join Albion in the top flight will not be as Premier League savvy, in terms of personnel or infrastructure.

Mowbray, as much as he enjoys the challenge, needs to be given the tools to complete the job he has started.

These are exciting times at The Hawthorns and everyone associated with the club deserves credit. But the planning for next season must start now.

Albion may not get a better chance to establish themselves as a top flight club. Yet, as we're seeing just on the other side of the Bullring, it's so easy to squander such an opportunity.