Davies Promise As Blues Gear Up For Final Test Ahead Of New Season

30 Jul 2024 | 5 comments

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The following article has been written by one of our Trust members.  They are the opinions of that person and not necessarily those of Blues Trust.  Would you like to contribute a discussion point of your own about Birmingham City Football Club?  If so, we would be delighted to hear from you.

On May 4 Blues fans had to digest a relegation, the prospect of a mass player exodus and the likely search for yet another new manager – but many fans looked ahead with hope.

From the outside, it seemed ludicrous supporters of a team in the nation’s second city would be looking ahead with optimism on the very day they descended to the third tier, for the first time in 29 years.

From the outside we looked disorganised on the field, bereft of character and in danger of a freefall worthy of Wolves who hit the fourth tier in 85/86 after three consecutive relegations…or so outsiders might have hoped.

Knighthead, our billionaire owners, sprang into action telling anyone who would listen “we continue with the project. This changes nothing”. Having already committed to making Blues the Man City of the Midlands (I’ll park that idea there for the moment), the powers that be promised an improved “fan experience” for our League 1 entrance.

Now, lovely as it is to have a chance of getting a pint at half-time and looking at big screens, most dyed-in-the-wool Bluenoses would appreciate a team which can compete, sweats blood for the fans and has a chance of picking up a few points now and again. So, it was with real interest we looked at the likely comings and goings at St. Andrew’s this close-season.

Alfie May, designed by football experts to be a working class hero, came in. Paik and Miyoshi didn’t go…yet. We signed a tricky Swedish winger, an Icelandic number 10 from the Eredivisie, a left-back from Hearts, a brutal looking Austrian centre-back, two keepers (one of which was a Bluenose and the other the excellent Baily-Peacock-Farrell). All of a sudden, unshackled by the financial constraints of the Championship, we were signing players who looked half-decent.

We then signed Marc Leonard, highly fancied and on Brighton’s books, in midfield. Hang on a minute, who stole my club and replaced it with this?

As we stand James is still on the books but likely to go for a decent fee, Bacuna looks like he’s off to pastures new and there are new rumours our former boss John Eustace wants Dembele at Blackburn. Maybe Robbie Savage can give him a lift, as he seemed to think Blackburn was an easy drive.

All the above is really promising but, in my opinion, our best signing was made back in June.

If we’re honest, not many of us had a clue who Chris Davies was prior to the announcement of his four-year contract on June 6. Sure he had worked at Spurs, Liverpool and Swansea City, and Celtic in Scotland, operating alongside leading managers such as Ange Postecoglou and Brendan Rodgers. However, this was his first “hot-seat” managerial post.

Burned by the experience of Rooney’s “no fear football” debacle, Davies’ pronouncements of front-foot, high-intensity football might have been welcome – but perhaps with a slight caveat of “here we go again”. On the initial evidence of pre-season, any misgivings should have been laid to rest.

From the abject disorganisation against Paderborn in our Austrian pre-season camp, to the more structured display against Solihull Moors, there was a world of difference. But that was just the Moors right? Wrong.

At Shrewsbury a bit more evidence of his philosophy came to the fore. Still rusty and still in need of polishing, the bones of a system emerged. We will press high, win the ball back and get forward as quickly as is sensible. The undoubted quality we have in creative areas should supply enough bullets and, in Alfie May, finally someone who can convert them into goals. Let’s not forget how useful Jukey will be in League 1 too. Class pro and well capable of finishing a few himself.

Against Glasgow Rangers, who were admittedly a little depleted, we showed a real sense of what we could be capable of, in a vibrant first half packed with desire, coordinated pressing and no little skill and endeavour. Alfie got his usual goal and, in the second period, we showed a bit of the ugly side we’ll need this season as we held on for a decent 2-1 win – with lots of plaudits from the travelling Rangers fans.

Against Walsall, we got a little taste of what to expect this season. They played a low block with five at the back and hit us on the break. We found a way. There’s always a way with Alfie May, it would seem.

All the while, we attempted to play our game. Patient and methodical possession, while always looking for that gap, that opportunity to light the spark of a forward thrust. The sight of Dion pinging 40 and 50-yard passes like Glenn Hoddle was yet another arrow in the quiver and a sign the boss is asking the players to be pragmatic, rather than rigid.

Unlike some daft fans goading our rivals on social media, I don’t think we’ll walk this league. There is a lot of work to be done and this will be an unforgiving, arduous season. However, I see promise.

Wrexham, Huddersfield, Rotherham, Reading, Bolton and a couple of others will argue they are going to have a big say in the promotion and play-off standings next May. We’ll find out soon enough but fans need to have patience.

At the very least, we seem to be developing an identity and a style which can be pleasing on the eye but also points to a winning and uncompromising mentality. We’ll need it in bucketloads this season because we won’t have it all our own way.

We’ll get an even better indication of our trajectory when we play the Baggies next Saturday. After that, it really matters from Reading onwards. Before then it’s all theory, hope and supposition.

Apparently, there are more signings to come. I welcome them. Yet I’d argue our best signing was made on June 6 – and hopefully any newcomers will be in his image.

Buckle up and Keep Right On. It’s going to be exciting.

Jez Hemming

 

Blues Trust is an independent community benefit society, committed to furthering the interests of supporters of Birmingham City FC. It is recognised as such by the Football Supporters Association (FSA).

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5 Comments

  1. Ijaz Hussain

    Nice write up. I do worry that Paik, James and Miyoshi who have been instrumental in preseason could be snared away leaving us short of quality. We still need a lot of players as it’s a long season and we need strength in depth.

    • Jez Hemming

      Thanks Ijaz. I think James will go and Paik is a risk but I think Miyoshi is here to stay.
      I believe we can absorb the loss of James. Paul would be a bigger blow for me.
      However, we should have enough to cope and I’d expect the James and Bacuna cash would be reinvested. If the recruitment is same quality as so far, we’ll be ok I think. I still think we should be prepared for at least two seasons in League 1 though. It’s unforgiving. Anything else is a big win.

  2. Ray

    Fantastic upbeat and smart
    That’s what they need to be this season
    Great article!!!

    • Jez Hemming

      Thanks Ray. It’s going to be a hard season but we’re going about things in the right way it seems
      KRO

  3. Linda Magner

    A superb write up Jez.

    I agree I think it will take 2 seasons to get out. It’s not a league that’s so beatable I have followed other teams and is such a close league. I hope we can get Stansfield but it’s gone a bit quiet on that front. I am feeling good about the new season and looking forward to it very much. I think we we be in the playoffs though. If not higher.

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