Three weeks after Chris Davies had to cajole his players to walk around the pitch at St Andrew’s to face the music, the Birmingham City manager was serenaded after the final home game of the season. A defeat to Blackburn Rovers on Good Friday sparked a furious reaction from supporters and the tide was beginning to turn against Davies. But the Blues boss and his players have responded with a four-game unbeaten run, including three wins, which has lifted them up to 10th in their first season back in the Championship.
They defeated Bristol City 2-1 on Saturday to conclude their season at home and the usual lap of appreciation saw plenty of support for Davies. Davies, who was joined by his wife and children on the pitch, reflected afterwards: “In general I’ve always felt supported. When I came the fans took me in straight away and they’ve supported me a lot. I always want to do the best that I can for them. I give my all every single day to make them happy and proud of their team.
“For my family to be on the pitch and feel that, I think it was emotional for them and my wife to feel that. It’s a journey for us. Being a football manager is challenging for everyone around you. For the fans to show that kind of appreciation to me on the final game definitely means a lot.”
Blues’ recent results have seen a shift in some attitudes towards Davies. There has been a clear change in style to make Blues more direct up to target man August Priske and they appear a more rounded Championship outfit now. Davies added: “They know what they’re seeing, they know we’ve turned a corner in recent weeks and been very committed as a team, not that we weren't before but just the intensity of the performances has been really pleasing.”
Blues have equalled their best Championship points tally since 2011/12 and a draw at Portsmouth on the final day would mean Davies has presided over the club’s most successful second tier season since Chris Hughton was in charge. “I’ve always tried to zoom out and see the bigger picture all the time,” he said. “That’s life as a football manager, if you win you’re great, if you lose you’re not. I’ve never let those runs get out of hand recently. I think we’ve lost three games in a row three times I’ve been here but we’ve always won the fourth game.
“I’ve had a clear perspective on what this season would be like and what progress would look like. It will be a top half finish, we know that now after other results, and I think it gives us a great platform to move the club on. When was the last time the club got 63 points at this level? When was the last time the club finished in the top half at this level? We all want to get there (Premier League) and get there quickly. The ultimate destination for all of these clubs is the Premier League but it’s a long and difficult road. I see my job as the manager to take the team on and keep making progress, and I believe we’ve done that again this season.”
