Birmingham City's big ambitions will heap the pressure on Chris Davies when the club returns to Championship action next season. The club finished the season in decent form, but ultimately their tenth-place finish left some fans disappointed in a season where, at times, there were suggestions the club could be a play-off contender.
For a first season back in the Championship, it was a credible outcome, but progression will be seen as a must not only by supporters, but also by owners Knighthead. The hierarchy has clear ambitions to grow the club at an impressive rate, and there is an absolute showpiece of a stadium, The Powerhouse, on the horizon. That planned 62,000-seat stadium is as impressive and grand as the visions that Tom Wagner and Knighthead have for the club, and it is Davies that needs to prove he is up to the challenge of meeting them.
Pulis: Davies Under Pressure
Former West Bromwich Albion and Stoke City manager Tony Pulis believes that it is up to the manager to start strongly or feel the pressure. He stated: "They've backed Chris Davies so he'll be under a little bit of pressure next year without any question of a doubt, and I think there is a feeling within the supporters that he’s had that backing, the board have backed him, and he’s got the players that he wanted."
"They have spent an enormous amount of money. Not just on the players but also on the facilities and their American backers have now got permission to build this brand new stadium in the city centre. Blues are a big club, but there are a lot of big clubs out there. Derby County gets 33,000 every week. People say Blues are a big club, and they are a big club, but you've got to be successful on the football pitch."
"You get one year of feeling it out. Brilliant to get back into the Championship and a lot of people will go, well, you needed that year, and the players needed it to get used to it, but next year they’ll be one of the clubs that everyone expects to finish in the top six, definitely."
