For the first time in many years, there is a welcome air of calm around Birmingham City on the eve of a new campaign.
Life has rarely been dull for Blues supporters in recent seasons. They have watched their club wobble on the edge of oblivion. They have witnessed Jude Bellingham, Wayne Rooney and Tom Brady at close quarters and marvelled at US owners’ Knighthead’s £2-3billion investment plans, including a 62,000-seat stadium.
Blues’ American owners have developed a rivalry with their counterparts at Wrexham that brought David Beckham to St Andrew’s when the teams met in September 2024.
They bought Jay Stansfield for £15million in League One and showcased a six-part Amazon Prime documentary a year ago.
This summer has allowed Blues finally to pause for breath. Although there will be more signings, so far they have spent less than £5million. The training ground looks different, so too the style of play. The approach to recruitment feels more measured.
Ahead of Saturday’s Carabao Cup tie at Swansea, Daily Mail Sport visited Blues’ base in rural Warwickshire to see how they are shaping up.
After a rollercoaster few seasons at St Andrew’s, Birmingham City look set for a year of stability and solid progression
But ambitions remain high under the stewardship of Tom Wagner (left) and Tom Brady
What are the goals?
Promotion to the top flight remains the focus – but perhaps with a little more realism attached. When boss Chris Davies pointed out a year ago how few teams were able to bounce straight from League One to the Premier League in consecutive seasons, it did not fit the script.
When Birmingham won promotion from the third tier, there was a two-year plan to reach the summit – and ideally, it would happen instantly.
Though nobody will say it publicly, Daily Mail Sport understands that senior figures at Blues realise that it might not be quite that easy. There is an acceptance that promotion might take longer than the initial two-year forecast, though the expanded six-team play-offs should play into the hands of clubs like Blues.
Last season Davies stuck to his high-possession game and though it yielded excellent home form, Birmingham struggled on the road, winning only five times in the league and losing 13. Expect a more flexible style this term with Blues playing a more direct game, especially away from St Andrew’s.
This switch dates back to New Year’s Day, when Birmingham lost 3-0 at Watford and Davies saw a lack of strength – in body and mind. Like the Premier League, the Championship’s athletic demands have grown dramatically and, in some fixtures, Blues felt they were being physically outmatched.
In came Jhon Solis, August Priske, Carlos Vicente and Ibrahim Osman in January. The first three are expected to be key figures this term after having six months to adapt while Blues remain key to re-sign Osman from Brighton.
Blues have added set-piece coach Scott Fry, whose input helped Lincoln score 30 set-piece goals in League One in 2024-25. After a spell at Rangers, he was snapped up by Blues and in the recent friendly against Barcelona, Fry took centre stage in the technical area at every restart.
Blues are keen to re-sign Ibrahim Osman after taking him on loan from Brighton last season
‘It seems to be calmer than it was last year,’ says Davies. ‘That’s not to say we lack ambition, but I think that calmness bodes well.
‘We know what we’re walking into – the players do, I do. We’ve got that continuity and it’s the best way to approach it.
‘There was a lot there last year, because of winning League One the previous season and I felt we deserved to finish higher than 10th – but it was a creditable finish. We went through the ups and downs and emerged stronger, so I’m hopeful and excited.’
What could happen before the window closes?
Davies feels Blues are well set at the back and in goal but the club are keen to improve the squad in midfield and attacking positions.
Following Craig Gardner’s departure as director of football in June, Blues are a little more methodical in their approach to recruitment and will rely heavily on data. Joe Carnall and Micky Moore are running the department as Blues consider a long-term replacement for Gardner. Keep an eye on the experienced Mike Rigg, currently working as technical director in the Blues academy and another who follows data closely.
Here, though, Davies sounds a note of caution. He has watched with interest as Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck have joined Chelsea this summer, while James Milner retired at the end of last season aged 40.
‘Football has gone “data, data, data” but it doesn’t measure character, personality type or leadership skills,’ said Davies. ‘There’s a very human side to it.
‘I worked with Jordan Henderson at Liverpool – he’s 36 now but he’s gone to a massive club like Chelsea and went to the World Cup. That’s because of his personality and leadership skills.
‘I am happy with what we have here,’ says boss Chris Davies. ‘We don’t have a team of mercenaries here for the money’
‘You have your ups and downs in the Championship. Someone could be outstanding on the data and you think, “Wow, he’s too good for this level”. But what is he like when you lose three games in a week, or he’s not starting? Will he help the team?’
‘I am happy with what we have here. We don’t have a team of mercenaries here for the money. These players want to win games for this club. I’d rather have a worse player on paper but I know he’s committed, than someone who’s a better player but you’re not quite sure (about his character).’
How might the season go?
At heart, Davies is a coach. He has never been one of those managers to watch from the sidelines and leave sessions to others.
Before becoming Blues boss, Davies was right-hand man to Brendan Rodgers and Ange Postecoglou and loves to be – as the modern football buzz phrase has it – on the grass.
In recent times, though, Davies’ assistant Ben Petty is thought to have taken a more prominent role in sessions, allowing Davies to take a wider view of life at the Elite Performance and Innovation Centre (EPIC), Blues’ base near the picturesque town of Henley-in-Arden.
Visting EPIC ahead of the Swansea fixture, the change was noticeable. Bare walls told the story of an imminent rebrand and there were fewer motivational quotations emblazoned on various surfaces.
NFL superstar Brady remains an influence behind the scenes and the logo of his performance and fitness company, TBRx, was still visible, although not as prominent as 12 months ago. Yet TBRx staff will continue to manage players’ recovery, which means reporting to EPIC the day after every game. No Sundays off for Blues players.
Much is made of the rivalry between Birmingham’s Americans and those at Wrexham – Hollywood superstar Ryan Reynolds and fellow actor Rob McElhenney. Blues leaned into that last season but this term, it may be a little different. It will be intriguing to take the temperature when the teams meet in north Wales on August 28.
Birmingham have a natural leader in defender Christoph Klarer but Davies is keen to share the responsibility around his dressing room
Davies is also keen for his players to take greater responsibility. In Christoph Klarer, they have a natural leader as skipper but he cannot do it alone. So during pre-season, Davies asked players to split into small groups to discuss certain topics – sometimes tactical, others technical or mental – and report their findings to the squad.
‘If it’s just me explaining things to them, it’s like you’re preaching all the time,’ Davies argued. ‘When the players speak, nuggets come from it that I find really useful. We did it during pre-season in Portugal. They have to have a voice.’
As well as Klarer, Blues have a natural leader at the top of the club. Chairman Tom Wagner has been absent from St Andrew’s since suffering a stroke in February. In an update last week, Knighthead wrote that they ‘expect to see (Wagner) at a match in the near future.’ That would be hugely welcome news across the club and fanbase.
