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Chris Davies cannot win no matter how much Birmingham City win
Birmingham City’s start to the League One campaign hasn’t been far off perfect – so why are some seemingly underwhelmed?
Blues have won nine of their opening 13 games and accumulated 30 points from a possible 39. The only defeat on Blues’ record came at Charlton in early October.
The answer to the above question probably lies in Blues’ recent results. The defeat at Charlton was followed by back-to-back wins over Lincoln and Bolton, but successive 1-1 draws with Mansfield and particularly Northampton before this international break were deflating.
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“I think the team’s had a really good start to the season,” says manager Chris Davies. “Take a step back after 13 games, the points return we’ve got, I would have taken at the start. Ultimately it’s a results business and that’s how we’ve got to look at it. We’re in a strong position.”
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In truth, Blues’ seven straight league wins before that Charlton game elevated expectations to an unrealistic level. It became a case of when, not if, Blues would win League One.
Now that question is very much unanswered due to the fact Blues aren’t actually leading the race anymore. Wycombe Wanderers have gone top courtesy of a 12-game unbeaten run which has included 10 wins.
Blues do have a game-in-hand and, ultimately, they are favourites to win the league. They have to be with the players at Davies’ disposal.
The sheer strength of his squad is why Davies is going to struggle to win everyone over this season. Blues have to get promoted and Davies will be judged on the style with which they do it.
Can they play the best football League One has ever seen? Whilst Blues have been statistically dominant, we are still waiting for scorelines to catch up.
Can they beat the record of 103 points Wolves managed in 2013/14? Despite a couple of recent hiccups, Blues are on track to do that.
Getting the job done is more than acceptable, but it would leave some question marks over Davies. Those same question marks lingered around Kieran McKenna when Ipswich finished runners-up to Plymouth Argyle two seasons ago in a League One title race many thought they would win.
McKenna had laid the building blocks for back-to-back promotions and is now one of the most revered young managers in the country. You can see that Davies is trying to do something similar.
Whether he can or not, only time will tell, but his work thus far has been done with the bigger picture in mind. Blues are finally comfortable playing the possession-based style their owners believe will take them to the Premier League. They also think they have the core of the squad to take them to the Premier League.
Sometimes we should all take a step back and realise that getting out of League One at the first time of asking is more important than winning the league, reaching 100 points, scoring 100 goals or any of the other records we’ve become infatuated with since July.
