Birmingham City chasing continued rise as financial backing makes them strong Championship competitors

National World - LocalTV

As Blues prepare for life back in the Championship, there’s growing anticipation about how far this team can go under Chris Davies’ leadership.  We spoke to Charlie Haffenden of BirminghamWorld to get a sense of the mood following their emphatic League One title win and how they hope to do in their return to the second tier.

Transcript

00:00As Birmingham City prepare for life back in the Championship,

00:06there's growing anticipation about how far this team can go under Chris Davies' leadership.

00:11Their success this season has been built on a strong, reliable core,

00:16players who delivered when it mattered most.

00:19That dominant form has sparked hope that Birmingham won't just aim to survive in the second tier,

00:25but may have the tools to compete near the top.

00:28With momentum on their side and the right additions in the transfer window,

00:34the big question is will the owners invest again

00:36and how much support will Davies have to build a squad capable of making a real impact?

00:43We spoke to Charlie Halfunden of Birmingham World to get a sense of the mood

00:48following their emphatic League One title win

00:50and how they hope to do in their return to the second tier.

00:54Charlie, on Birmingham City, let's just touch on Chris Davies.

00:59Now, obviously, you know, across the campaign, we've mentioned their incredible job,

01:03Blues and the investment, etc.

01:05But they still had to go and complete the job.

01:08Chris Davies has come in as his first managerial job, you know,

01:12and then he wins League One Manager of the Year, deservedly so.

01:15New League One points record as well, beating their neighbours Wolves to that record.

01:20Obviously, he didn't go to pan in the Virtue Trophy final, but just as a whole,

01:24a League One season, you know, we mentioned before, you know,

01:27very, very start of the season that it could,

01:29this is exactly how they wanted it to go.

01:31And it has panned out to pretty much perfection.

01:34How impressive with Chris Davies have you been

01:36and him galvanising this group and believing in a project for the future?

01:40I've been very impressed.

01:43I think it's difficult to come in as your first manager's job

01:46with so much pressure on your shoulders.

01:48And the football club didn't help with the levels of pressure

01:50with the amount of money they spent.

01:52So that helped Davies in the long run with having a better squad to deal with

01:55and having a likelier, be likelier to get promoted and to win the League One title.

02:01But it did bring that added pressure and weight on his shoulders.

02:05I think he's dealt with that really well.

02:06He's kept level-headed throughout.

02:08He's focused on the basics first, first and foremost,

02:11making his team the fittest in League One

02:13was one of his big demands at the start of the season.

02:17He wanted to make sure he had two players in his position

02:20capable of stepping up if there were injuries taking hold at any point,

02:24which at that point they did.

02:26The likes of Tomoki Iwata, Pei Sing-ho,

02:28unavailable Lieber Cannon as well,

02:30having some serious injuries at left back.

02:32Even Jay Stansfield out for a little patch,

02:34Lyndon Dykes, Alfie May, etc.

02:35Some key players getting injured,

02:38and that was anticipated by Chris Davies in the transfer window.

02:41And also just the way he's kept them motivated

02:44when they look destined to win the title,

02:46look destined for promotion.

02:48He made sure that every single week,

02:49every single day in training,

02:51that they were staying dedicated to the course.

02:53They weren't letting anything slip.

02:55That's just, that is very impressive, I think,

02:57motivation-wise, just to keep that level going

03:00so, so consistently throughout such a long season.

03:03Then to go and break the League One points record,

03:05I mean, are there many better achievements in the EFL

03:08from a manager's first ever season as a manager?

03:11I'm not too sure.

03:12Really, truly remarkable what he's done in the football club,

03:15and it's exciting to see what he can do in the championship.

03:17Yeah, just on the championship, obviously,

03:20you know, a lot of clubs, even just to tread water,

03:22have to spend millions every campaign.

03:25And, you know, there's no secret

03:26that investment does get you far in today's game.

03:30But in terms of their summer,

03:31how do they approach the championship?

03:33How do you see them going about their spending?

03:37Because, you know, with them and Wrexham as well,

03:39obviously joining them with promotion,

03:41you know, these owner situations,

03:43it could affect them in terms of,

03:45they've got to be a bit more careful

03:46in the championship next season

03:49and to ensure that they are, you know,

03:51keeping within compliance

03:52and, you know, really going for

03:54what could be a fantastic season for them.

03:58Absolutely.

03:58I think the investment will continue in the summer,

04:00potentially a new striker.

04:02I know that Alfie May played fantastically

04:04in League One at times,

04:05maybe a little bit inconsistent this season,

04:07but probably not strong enough

04:09to be in the championship week in, week out.

04:12The same could probably be said

04:13for Lyndon Dykes as well,

04:14although he's had lots of injury problems.

04:16We've not quite seen the best of him just yet.

04:18You might be thinking,

04:19what about Jay Stansfield?

04:20But I think he plays quite well as a number 10

04:22or just wide off the left or right.

04:24They have one of the best revenues

04:26in the entire championship

04:27behind the teams that have been

04:29recently relegated from the Premier League anyway.

04:32Blues will be able to match those

04:33in the playoff fight.

04:34So I think they can go on and spend

04:36not as much as they want,

04:38but a decent chunk again

04:39and make sure that they are ready

04:40to get promoted in the next couple of years.

04:42We'll see you in the next couple of years.

04:44We'll see you in the next couple of years.

04:45We'll see you in the next couple of years.

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