Birmingham City secured the League One title, marking their immediate return to the Championship.
“Under this ownership, I am confident that this club will reach the Premier League,” stated Birmingham manager Chris Davies.
“This ambition serves as inspiration, yet the previous experiences have highlighted the potential pitfalls.”
“While the ambition is significant, there’s a clear understanding of the challenges involved.”
Just a year prior, the Blues were preparing for their first season in the third tier in three decades, following a disheartening relegation from the Championship.
However, any concerns were quickly dispelled as Birmingham dominated League One, amassing an EFL record of 111 points.
With the Championship opener against Ipswich looming, this success brings heightened expectations.
While results will shape the overall sentiment, chairman and owner Tom Wagner suggested in June that back-to-back promotions were within reach, and a mid-table finish would be considered a disappointment.
New signings have been made aware of the club’s ambitions this season: to challenge for promotion and emulate Norwich, Southampton and Ipswich by progressing from League One to the Premier League in consecutive seasons.
This expectation has quickly become ingrained at Birmingham, and as the club commemorates its 150th anniversary, the anticipation of a promotion challenge is palpable.
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Birmingham City owner: ‘My vision is a 62,000 seat stadium unlike many others in the world’
Birmingham’s journey to the top flight, whenever it may occur, began with a detour through League One.
Relegation and five permanent managerial changes in Knighthead’s first season of ownership were not part of the initial plan when they acquired the club in July 2023.
The premature dismissal of John Eustace – who had Birmingham positioned sixth in the Championship in October of that year – was followed by Wayne Rooney’s underwhelming tenure.
The former England captain’s 83-day stint saw the Blues plummet from the play-off places to 20th, serving as a valuable lesson.
Birmingham were always planning a change but acknowledged that it occurred prematurely.
Even at the time, minority owner and seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady had reservations about Rooney.
In Birmingham’s new Amazon Prime documentary series, the NFL icon commented: “I’m a little worried about our head coach’s work ethic. I mean, I don’t know, I don’t have great instincts on that.”
Tony Mowbray’s appointment was cut short by his bowel cancer diagnosis in March 2024. Assistant Mark Venus attempted to stabilize the team before former boss Gary Rowett returned, ultimately failing to secure survival.
Last summer, former Leicester assistant Davies was appointed, marking his first senior managerial role. While he and his staff orchestrated an impressive turnaround on the pitch, the foundations had been established for an immediate return to the Championship.
Prior to Knighthead’s official takeover, they provided the necessary funding to reopen the lower tiers of the Kop and Tilton Stands, which had been closed for over two years due to asbestos concerns.
The dilapidated terraces at St Andrew’s were symbolic of the club’s state.
Early in Knighthead’s tenure, the grow lights used to maintain the turf overloaded the stadium’s power supply, causing internet and computer outages, highlighting a previously unknown electrical issue.
Between £20m-£25m has since been invested in the stadium – and this is before the club moves to a new ground as part of a £3bn regeneration of a new Sports Quarter in the city.
That moved a step closer in June when the government pledged funds, part of a £2.4bn investment in the West Midlands, to create a tramline from the centre to the new 62,000-seater stadium, which Wagner wants open in five years.
There has always been an acknowledgement, especially internally, that the project is about reviving part of the city – some of the most deprived areas – through the club, a bigger picture than just restoring Blues themselves.
Promises have been backed up, meaning trust, respect and belief has been built.
“Actions speak louder than words and the actions have all been there. People are willing to believe it and put their trust in it,” said one source.
Chief executive Jeremy Dale poured pints at the final home game against Mansfield in April, while director Andrew Shanahan jumped behind the bar to help short-handed staff earlier in the season.
Brady has bought drinks in the Royal George Hotel next to the stadium, while Wagner has also put his card behind the bar several times.
Yet it is more than just about getting a round in.
On Saturday, in the 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the Trevor Francis Memorial Match, the club hosted the family of 16-year-old fan Daniel Drewitt, who drowned in the lake at Sutton Park in July, with the stadium rising to pay tribute in the 16th minute.
They wanted to support the family and the importance of caring, being visible and accessible, has been a foundation.
Demarai Gray made 78 appearances for Birmingham before leaving in 2016
An on-off move for Ajax’s Chuba Akpom ended in frustration with the striker preferring a move to Ipswich, who are also back in the second tier after relegation from the Premier League.
The former Arsenal and Middlesbrough forward was in Birmingham and due for a medical, but instead he opted to travel to Suffolk to finalise a move – a rare blow in a summer of ambitious recruitment.
Winger Demarai Gray, a Premier League title winner with Leicester, returned to St Andrew’s after leaving to join the Foxes in 2016.
Spells at Bayer Leverkusen and Everton followed, while the 29-year-old rejoined Birmingham after just under two years in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ettifaq.
England Under-21 goalkeeper James Beadle, who helped the Young Lions win Euro 2025 in Slovakia this summer, has also joined on loan from Brighton for a large six-figure fee.
Midfielder Tommy Doyle’s loan from Wolves will turn into a £10m permanent deal on promotion, while former Celtic forward Kyogo Furuhashi arrived for a reported £10m from Rennes.
The moves follow the £15m outlay for striker Jay Stansfield last summer, with the striker scoring 23 goals in all competitions.
It was the largest part of the £25m outlay that led to Birmingham finishing 19 points clear of second-placed Wrexham.
They deliberately ensured the majority of business was done early this year, signing one a day in the opening week of the transfer window – including the free transfer arrival of defender Phil Neumann from Hannover.
It has allowed fans to relax and trust in the recruitment process, especially the improvement since the flailing days of Rooney.
There is a recognition everything has happened at speed in the last two years.
While there has been little time for a breather and nothing is ever guaranteed, confidence remains high at St Andrew’s.
Is the pressure on then? Expectation levels change, naturally, and there is a recognition at the club there is likely to be a reality check at times in the Championship.
Pride comes before a fall but, when that was put to a senior source, the response was that it only came when the work-rate dropped. There was no sign of that, though, as the work ethic for success only increased – Wagner and the board demand results, with the chairman described as being “always in a hurry”.
When he and the new board arrived, the word ‘unbelievable’ was used in early leadership team meetings. That stemmed from the shock League Cup win in 2011 – Obafemi Martins’ last-minute goal snatching a 2-1 win over Arsenal at Wembley.
Birmingham were huge underdogs – relegated too at the end of that campaign – but the word ‘unbelievable’ was heard, almost on repeat, from a stunned but delirious fanbase.
It was the highest point of an era which saw relegation, then owner Carson Yeung charged with money laundering in 2011 – he was eventually jailed – and another evasive and divisive ownership in Trillion Trophy Asia, which led to huge fractures within the club, and between them and the fanbase.
Yet the euphoria of their Wembley triumph was not forgotten – and that feeling has been harnessed by those currently overseeing their revival.
Failure, it feels, is not an option and Birmingham want to create more ‘unbelievable’ moments. In a landmark 150th year they have a perfect opportunity to do so.
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