It has been a solid, if unspectacular, return to the Championship for Birmingham City.
Under normal circumstances, any promoted team that found themselves comfortably in mid-table after eight games of a new season would be delighted.
But Chris Davies knows it is his job to balance realism with expectation.
“We have competed really well,” the Blues boss tells Sky Sports. “The first step was to prove we could earn points because we are not entitled to anything. We are a promoted team from League One. The last time the club was in the Championship it finished 22nd and I think it had lost more games in five years than any other team in England.
Friday 3rd October 7:30pm
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“It is a tough league full of ambitious, well-resourced clubs. But we have shown we can compete, pick up wins, score late goals and keep clean sheets. Now we need consistency. The Championship is possibly the hardest league in the world because the gap between teams is so small. You could throw a blanket over 15 of them.
“I wondered whether we would dominate the ball, whether we would be solid defensively, whether we would cope with counter-attacks. What I have seen is that we have retained our style almost identically. At this level teams can hurt you more with quality in the final third, but otherwise our football has remained intact and encouraging.”
Scoring goals has been the problem. Just seven so far in their eight Championship games. Even when they netted two against Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday night, it only resulted in a draw Davies described as “bittersweet” in nature – as they claimed a last-minute draw, but it came against a team they really ought to have been beating.
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Highlights of the Championship match between Birmingham City and Sheffield Wednesday
And that late goal was one of four that have come in the 90th minute of a game or later. Davies knows it is an issue that needs addressing.
“Our underlying numbers in terms of what we are creating versus what we give away are strong,” he says. “I feel we have been the better team in most of our games. But not taking chances happens, and it is a case of training work and confidence building so that when those moments come in games we take them.
“At times players can get tense, especially with the noise around the club. It is about finding calm in those moments to be clinical. What matters to me is generating the chances. If you keep doing that and you are not giving much away, then over time you will win more than you lose. Some of the goals we have scored recently have been good.”
Speaking of the ‘noise’ that has surrounded Birmingham lately, their next fixture may just be the noisiest of the lot. They visit Wrexham on Friday night, with all the Hollywood glitz and glamour attached that still feels slightly surreal to be associated with the world of EFL.
Last season’s first League One encounter between the two drew in Tom Brady, a part-owner at Birmingham, with David Beckham in tow.
Davies, however, remains focused on the job at hand. He will be ensuring his players do the same.
David Beckham and Tom Brady at St Andrew’s during last season’s clash between Birmingham and Wrexham
“I detach myself from the hype around games,” he says. “I have no interest in who is in the stadium. That has no bearing on our job.
“I only see the opposition we are trying to beat. Last season we finished first, they finished second. They were a very good League One team and we had tough games against them. Phil Parkinson has done exceptional work to get them three promotions in a row.
“We know it will be a challenge, especially away, but if we play our game well we believe we can get the result we want.
“I encourage the players to put blinkers on and focus on what is important, which is the football. Everything else is noise and distraction. Players will see social media and outside talk, but I remind them to focus on the pitch.”
The job is claiming three points, which is something Birmingham have only managed to do once in their last five Championship games.
“It would be a great opportunity to get one of the best results we have had since I have been here,” he says. “It is a big challenge but something we will give our best to achieve. Going into the international break with a positive result is always better because you have to wait a long time for the next game.
“Whatever happens, we are in a strong position to kick on. We have to grasp the opportunity.”
