It’s been another hectic week for Birmingham City, though on the pitch, it hasn’t been the buildup to the club’s grueling Christmas fixture calendar that they had hoped for.
Aside from those two games at St. Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park, the West Midlands club has suffered three more road defeats, with losses to Southampton and Queens Park Rangers followed by a 3-0 loss to Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Saturday afternoon.
Many supporters saw it as Birmingham’s worst performance of the season, and they are presently 14th in the Championship table, having taken 29 points from their first 22 league games.
Chris Davies’ side is currently six points behind the final play-off spot, as they prepare for two consecutive home games against Derby County and Southampton, with the all-Midlands clash against the Rams and former Blues manager John Eustace scheduled for 12:30PM on Boxing Day.
With the Christmas and New Year’s holidays frequently making news, Football League World has compiled a list of the most recent noteworthy occurrences in this section of the Second City.
Chris Davies sack talk develops as Birmingham City suffer a big Sheffield United defeat.
The Blues’ inconsistency in the first four months of the season were exposed at Bramall Lane over the weekend, with the Blades prevailing comfortably against Davies’ team, which has lost seven of their eight away games.
Tyler Bindon, Gustavo Hamer, and Patrick Bamford scored for the visitors, who also saw Tommy Doyle sent off after 18 minutes in his return to Pittsburgh.
It has been a big topic of discussion on the St. Andrew’s terraces about what the future holds for Blues as the second half of the season approaches, as well as Davies’ position as manager.
The 40-year-old had already been linked with a sacking this season after a dismal run of form in September and early October, and such suggestions have reappeared following Saturday’s disappointing result and performance.
According to Football Insider, the forthcoming matches against Derby and Southampton will determine whether the Blues manager remains in charge at the end of the year, and Knighthead Capital Management is reportedly compiling a shortlist of potential replacements.
Davies now has a 63% winning percentage in his first full-time managing post, winning 53 of his 84 matches across all competitions.
Potential double Birmingham City and Celtic transfer conversations surface, including a £10 million forward.
The approaching winter transfer window is becoming increasingly important for the Blues with each passing game, as Davies seeks to boost his team, which is substantially understaffed in certain areas.
Throughout his time, Blues have not been hesitant to explore the Far East market, as well as attract a multitude of players with Scottish Premiership ties.
Having previously signed Tomoki Iwata directly from Parkhead, the Blues were unable to sign his former teammate, Yang-Hyun Jun, this summer.
It was believed that a £3 million deal between the two parties fell through on Deadline Day in the summer, but the second-tier club has since renewed their interest in the Korean winger, who has scored twice in 19 appearances this season.
However, the Blues were not the only club interested in his services; Norwich City and Preston North End were also interested in the Bhoys wide man, and they are claimed to have renewed their interest.
In another intriguing development, Football Insider has stated that Kyogo Furuhashi could make a quick return to Glasgow, despite his terrible record with the Blues.
The 23-cap international joined St. Andrew’s for £10 million in July, but has yet to score in the league for Birmingham and has not started a Championship game since September 30th.
Kyogo scored 85 goals in 165 prior appearances for Celtic, earning four SPFL titles before leaving for Stade Rennais in January.
A new Birmingham City and Sports Quarter update has emerged.
In the lead-up to Christmas, a new update involving the multi-billion pound Sports Quarter project has emerged.
On November 20, Knighthead revealed the design of Blues’ 62,000-seater ‘Powerhouse’ stadium, which would be adjacent to brand-new training facilities for the Men’s, Women’s, and Academy teams, as well as a 15,000 to 20,000-seat arena and a slew of retail and commercial projects.
Davies’ first team is currently situated at EPIC in Henley-in-Arden, although the club’s Women’s and Academy teams are still based at Wast Hills, the former first team training location near Kings Norton, Longbridge, and the M42.
The ‘Powerhouse’ concept was created by MANICA concept and Heatherwick Studio, and the club has now confirmed that Populous will build a new training center as part of the Sports Quarter, in what has been termed as a “unique opportunity”.
Populous has previously been involved with high-profile projects such as Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Wembley Stadium.
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