Birmingham boss Garry Monk has been impressed by the work of Daniel Farke at Norwich, after the German was afforded patience despite a disappointing first season in charge.

The Blues head to Carrow Road for Friday night's televised encounter sitting four points adrift of the Championship play-off places in eighth, looking to prevent the Canaries from climbing back into the top two.

'Time and football don't go in the same sentence but it just shows you that when you do get given time and put the work in then you have a better chance to be successful or be on the right path,' Monk said.

'Daniel's done a fantastic job there, they've been right up there all season pretty much. I know they've just fallen out of the top two but still, what they're doing is fantastic and they're a handful, especially at home.

'The fitness, the way they play the game will pose us problems but the focus is on our game, we want to do ourselves justice in these remaining games, get as many points as possible and push as hard as possible, to show that we can go again to these types of teams who are up there – proper promotion contenders – to show that we can perform against them and take points from them.'

The Blues are looking to bounce back from a 2-1 home loss to Middlesbrough last weekend.

'It's a big, big challenge for us,' Monk continued. 'It's a tough one but the other side of it is, we've had setbacks along the way, we had a setback last weekend – but setbacks are to be expected.

'The key, if we want to be the team we want to be, is to show the response, as we have done this season. That's what the team is defined by, how you respond to setbacks.'

MORE: Klose injury may force Farke's hand in the transfer market

Monk isn't expecting to lose 13-goal striker Che Adams during the transfer window either, despite reports of Wolves and Stoke being among a host of interested Premier League clubs.

Speaking to Talksport, he added: 'We can't afford to lose anyone. We're in the situation we're in, in terms of the restrictions that we have to deal with (due to financial problems). Che's a big part and an important player for us and will be for the remainder of the season.'