Birmingham City s Championship starts, Davis aims at higher goals

After winning the League One championship with a record 111 points (the highest point in English football history), Birmingham City coach Chris Davis has set his sights on higher goals and looks forward to the team achieving another success in their first season of returning to the Championship.

In the just-concluded League One season, Birmingham City under Davis performed as dominant: he won 34 wins in 46 games, scored 84 goals (the most in the league), conceded only 31 goals, and finally advanced with record-breaking points. The new season's Championship will be opened this Friday, with Birmingham City playing at home against Ipswich Town, who was relegated from the Premier League.

In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports, Davis reviewed the significance of the record-breaking season. "This is a rebuilding of the entire club," Davis said. "After years of downturn, chaos and bad leadership and ownership issues, it's something they've been looking forward to.

After a long time as an assistant coach for Brendan Rodgers at Swansea City, Liverpool, Celtics and Leicester City, and a season under former Tottenham coach Ang Postkoglu, Davis is eager to coach independently. "It feels very right to choose Birmingham City. I hope it will have an immediate impact, and here I see the opportunity," Davis admitted. "It feels better to be a head coach. Although it is more energy-consuming, the pressure is less. You don't have to guess repeatedly, I am more comfortable in this role."

Davis's team was a beautiful landscape in the League One last season, and it has been advancing with the style of ball-dominated and high-pressure playing. Data shows that Birmingham City's average ball possession rate in the 2024/25 season is as high as 67.15%, ranking fourth in the single season ball possession rate in the first four divisions in England since the 2013/14 season, second only to Guardiola's three Manchester City teams (71.94% in 2017/18 season, 68.21% in 2021/22 season, and 68.13% in 2018/19 season).

Despite its brilliant achievements, Davis was clearly aware that the lineup must be strengthened in the Championship. "Recruiting and retaining players is the top priority this summer," the "Blue Army" coach emphasized. "Score 111 points proves that we have a good foundation, but I think it still needs to improve the quality of the team while maintaining the core and essence of the culture we are building."

Davis made it clear that he would not give up the tactical style that was successful last season. "We will still maintain a very aggressive style of oppression, but I have been studying other teams to try to add more layers to the tactics, because the challenges of the Championship are far more than last season," he explained. "For example, I am practicing with the players how to organize defense when they draw down deep. After all, we will meet strong opponents, especially on the away game, they will control the ball and try to open our defense."

Birmingham City's transfer market has been frequent this summer, introducing Rennes forward Guqiao Henwoo, Wolves midfielder Tommy Doyle, Fenerbahce winger Bright Osai Samuel, Werder Bremen forward Malvin Dukesch, and welcomed strong players such as former Birmingham player and Demalay Gray who returned from Aitifak.

However, Davis emphasized that last season's core players such as the new U21 European Cup champion Jay Stansfield are still the cornerstone. "It was an exciting time for Jay. He had everything I admire: full of energy, extreme hard work, skill and intelligence," Davis said in his commentary on the England youth international. "I worked with Jamie Valdy, and I think Jay is of the same type of striker, and relying on smart running and speed is extremely threatening. I look forward to his growth."

Davis is well aware of the huge pressure on competition in the Championship, but he refuses to talk big, emphasizing that hard work is the key to success. "I led the team last season and people expected me to win 58 of them, so now I'm used to pressure," he said. "At the end of the day, we are the new team. I'll keep reminding everyone that. The hardships of the Championship are well known. I won't make bold statements. At the beginning of the season, about 20 of the 24 teams may feel that this is their year. We have to fight for it and prove ourselves. But with the roster we are building, we firmly believe that we can continue the momentum and keep moving forward."