Birmingham City has had a promising start to the Championship season under Chris Davies, and they will be looking to build on their previous efforts when the lengthy international break ends on October 10th.

The Blues’ 10th-place finish last season was met with mixed opinions following their substantial transfer outlay, and as a result, activity has decreased ahead of the current campaign.

However, there was little excitement around St. Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park ahead of the season, which began on August 15th with a goalless draw against Sheffield United.

However, Birmingham remain well-placed in the division’s top half as the season enters its third month, having lost only one of their first eight games, despite several of those games ending level.

Fans have already seen glimpses of their seven new signings from the recently closed summer window, with Hull City loanee Liam Millar standing out from the crowd, having scored one goal and provided three assists in his first four games.

There was also a lot of enthusiasm surrounding the signing of Max Bird from Bristol City, but the former Birmingham academy youngster is still waiting for his debut start due to injury.

Birmingham City has revealed who Max Bird must replace in Chris Davies’ XI.

Bird, 26, was recruited for a reputed £2.2 million in August after appearing 68 times for the Robins over two full seasons, the first of which saw his old club reach the play-offs under Liam Manning.

The deep-lying midfielder tallied eight assists in that campaign before a calf injury reduced his league appearances to only 15 last season.

Max Bird – Bristol City league goals and appearances (source: Fbref.com).

Season

Appearances (starts)

Goals (Assists).

2024-25

46 (43)

1 (8)

2025-26

15 (4)

2 (1)

Bird played only 12 minutes of the opening day draw at Bramall Lane before suffering a lower leg injury, but he is expected to recover before the match against West Bromwich Albion.

When asked who he could replace in the starting lineup if Davies decides to use him from the start, Football League World’s Birmingham City fan pundit, Jason Moore, said: “I think if you asked any Blues fans this question, you’d get the same answer every time.

“It’s now Iwata, and if he leaves the squad, it’ll be Paik. Chris Davies’ ‘lovechilds’ are in danger, but they aren’t good enough.

“I believe that’s why Bird was brought in: to form a fresh collaboration. Jhon Solis has been consistent since we acquired him in January, and he is off to a good start this season. “Those couple of games when he was out demonstrated how important he is to us,” he said.

“So, from the starting XI we’ve had most of the season, it’s Iwata, and that just puts Paik’s position in the lineup even further down the pecking order.”

“They’ve both been extremely poor.” Iwata only gives us a little extra energy. Moore continued, “It’d be Paik and Iwata (under threat).”

“I’d love to see a new partnership that can actually play football and have a bit of purpose on the ball between Solis and Max Bird.”

Why was Max Bird moved to Birmingham City after his Bristol City exploits?

Bird has also made 200 appearances for Derby County, joining the first squad at Pride Park at the age of 16, and his career has grown from strength to strength.

Even in a campaign with limited game time, Bird was impressive when on the pitch at Ashton Gate under Gerhard Struber and Roy Hodgson, and with Davies hoping his pre-existing squad’s overall divisional experience would be far greater this season, it’s no surprise that that, along with the midfielder’s technical ability, was a key factor in the signing.

“On the field, Max can contribute from both ends. He can break up attacks and recover the ball, but he can also generate scoring opportunities and assist offensively through his forward passing,” Davies added.

“He gives us variety in an important area and has an excellent profile for what we require. We are happy to have him on board and look forward to working with him.”

Max Bird’s impending return to Birmingham City could be terrible news for Tomoki Iwata.

Iwata joined from Celtic two seasons ago, and while initially developing a good midfield tandem with Paik in League One, he was largely used at right-back last year due to availability concerns with Bright Osayi-Samuel and Max Bird.

The Japanese has been competent, if not outstanding, in the first few weeks of the current season, while Solis has continued to attract attention since his move from Girona was made permanent for £6 million.

However, if Bird were to complement the Colombian’s combativeness with the ability to move the ball forward at such a high level, it may be terrible news for Iwata, who is out of contract at St. Andrew’s in June 2027.