A month ago, Tommy Doyle was largely on the fringes at Birmingham City, leaving many to question why he swapped a Premier League bench for another at St Andrew’s. Fast forward, and the 24‑year-old has forced his way into the starting XI, claiming his preferred midfield role and making a tangible impact in recent victories.
00:00A month ago, Tommy Doyle was largely on the fringes at Birmingham City, leaving many to question why he swapped a Premier League bench for a Championship one at St Andrews.
00:12Fast forward and the 24-year-old has forced his way into the starting 11, claiming his preferred midfield role and making a tangible impact in recent victories.
00:22Doyle completed his first full 90 minutes in a dominant 4-0 win over Portsmouth, signalling a turning point in his Blues career.
00:28To accommodate him, manager Chris Davis reshuffled the squad, breaking up the long-standing midfield partnership of Tomoki Iwata and Paik Sung-ho.
00:39Iwata successfully shifted to right-back, while Doyle filled the central role, providing technical vision and passing range that make Birmingham a more attacking proposition.
00:50Davis' initial reluctance to start Doyle centred on adapting to the system and performing defensive duties, but he's fully aligned with the manager's expectations.
01:03He's come from a different style, hasn't played a lot in six months, but I've seen him get stronger physically and adapt to the role, Davis said, after the Portsmouth win.
01:12Doyle covered ground effectively, contributed to build up play and demonstrated defensive discipline.
01:20In attack, Marvin Dux has also been a massive impact.
01:24The 31-year-old, despite limited championship starts, was restored to the starting 11 against Portsmouth and helped orchestrate a dominant performance.
01:34He pressed purposefully, created scoring opportunities and won a penalty linking effectively with Jay Stansfield, a combination Davis has long identified as key to unlocking Birmingham's goal-scoring potential.
01:48The evolution of both Doyle and Dux highlights major shifts at Birmingham City, a midfield now anchored by creativity and intelligence and an attack bolstered by experience and technical ability.
02:01When the team operates at full flow, Doyle orchestrates the midfield and Dux leads the line, showing why Birmingham are beginning to feel the benefit of these key additions.
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