00:00As Birmingham City prepare for life back in the Championship,
00:06there's growing anticipation about how far this team can go under Chris Davies' leadership.
00:11Their success this season has been built on a strong, reliable core,
00:16players who delivered when it mattered most.
00:19That dominant form has sparked hope that Birmingham won't just aim to survive in the second tier,
00:25but may have the tools to compete near the top.
00:28With momentum on their side and the right additions in the transfer window,
00:34the big question is will the owners invest again
00:36and how much support will Davies have to build a squad capable of making a real impact?
00:43We spoke to Charlie Halfunden of Birmingham World to get a sense of the mood
00:48following their emphatic League One title win
00:50and how they hope to do in their return to the second tier.
00:54Charlie, on Birmingham City, let's just touch on Chris Davies.
00:59Now, obviously, you know, across the campaign, we've mentioned their incredible job,
01:03Blues and the investment, etc.
01:05But they still had to go and complete the job.
01:08Chris Davies has come in as his first managerial job, you know,
01:12and then he wins League One Manager of the Year, deservedly so.
01:15New League One points record as well, beating their neighbours Wolves to that record.
01:20Obviously, he didn't go to pan in the Virtue Trophy final, but just as a whole,
01:24a League One season, you know, we mentioned before, you know,
01:27very, very start of the season that it could,
01:29this is exactly how they wanted it to go.
01:31And it has panned out to pretty much perfection.
01:34How impressive with Chris Davies have you been
01:36and him galvanising this group and believing in a project for the future?
01:40I've been very impressed.
01:43I think it's difficult to come in as your first manager's job
01:46with so much pressure on your shoulders.
01:48And the football club didn't help with the levels of pressure
01:50with the amount of money they spent.
01:52So that helped Davies in the long run with having a better squad to deal with
01:55and having a likelier, be likelier to get promoted and to win the League One title.
02:01But it did bring that added pressure and weight on his shoulders.
02:05I think he's dealt with that really well.
02:06He's kept level-headed throughout.
02:08He's focused on the basics first, first and foremost,
02:11making his team the fittest in League One
02:13was one of his big demands at the start of the season.
02:17He wanted to make sure he had two players in his position
02:20capable of stepping up if there were injuries taking hold at any point,
02:24which at that point they did.
02:26The likes of Tomoki Iwata, Pei Sing-ho,
02:28unavailable Lieber Cannon as well,
02:30having some serious injuries at left back.
02:32Even Jay Stansfield out for a little patch,
02:34Lyndon Dykes, Alfie May, etc.
02:35Some key players getting injured,
02:38and that was anticipated by Chris Davies in the transfer window.
02:41And also just the way he's kept them motivated
02:44when they look destined to win the title,
02:46look destined for promotion.
02:48He made sure that every single week,
02:49every single day in training,
02:51that they were staying dedicated to the course.
02:53They weren't letting anything slip.
02:55That's just, that is very impressive, I think,
02:57motivation-wise, just to keep that level going
03:00so, so consistently throughout such a long season.
03:03Then to go and break the League One points record,
03:05I mean, are there many better achievements in the EFL
03:08from a manager's first ever season as a manager?
03:11I'm not too sure.
03:12Really, truly remarkable what he's done in the football club,
03:15and it's exciting to see what he can do in the championship.
03:17Yeah, just on the championship, obviously,
03:20you know, a lot of clubs, even just to tread water,
03:22have to spend millions every campaign.
03:25And, you know, there's no secret
03:26that investment does get you far in today's game.
03:30But in terms of their summer,
03:31how do they approach the championship?
03:33How do you see them going about their spending?
03:37Because, you know, with them and Wrexham as well,
03:39obviously joining them with promotion,
03:41you know, these owner situations,
03:43it could affect them in terms of,
03:45they've got to be a bit more careful
03:46in the championship next season
03:49and to ensure that they are, you know,
03:51keeping within compliance
03:52and, you know, really going for
03:54what could be a fantastic season for them.
03:58Absolutely.
03:58I think the investment will continue in the summer,
04:00potentially a new striker.
04:02I know that Alfie May played fantastically
04:04in League One at times,
04:05maybe a little bit inconsistent this season,
04:07but probably not strong enough
04:09to be in the championship week in, week out.
04:12The same could probably be said
04:13for Lyndon Dykes as well,
04:14although he's had lots of injury problems.
04:16We've not quite seen the best of him just yet.
04:18You might be thinking,
04:19what about Jay Stansfield?
04:20But I think he plays quite well as a number 10
04:22or just wide off the left or right.
04:24They have one of the best revenues
04:26in the entire championship
04:27behind the teams that have been
04:29recently relegated from the Premier League anyway.
04:32Blues will be able to match those
04:33in the playoff fight.
04:34So I think they can go on and spend
04:36not as much as they want,
04:38but a decent chunk again
04:39and make sure that they are ready
04:40to get promoted in the next couple of years.
04:42We'll see you in the next couple of years.
04:44We'll see you in the next couple of years.
04:45We'll see you in the next couple of years.
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