Chris Davies is going for another promotion at Birmingham City and players are falling by the wayside
Birmingham City reporter for BirminghamLive and the Birmingham Mail
Birmingham City chairman Tom Wagner shakes the hand of striker Alfie May following the League One trophy lift
Alfie May has gone and a few of Birmingham City’s promotion heroes are clinging on with the club rushing to the Premier League.
That is the aim this season, regardless of Friday night’s outcome against Ipswich Town, and Chris Davies is carefully weeding out those who he believes can’t keep pace.
The sale of May to Huddersfield Town in July, 12 months after Blues gazumped the Terriers to the striker’s signature, felt very ruthless if not unsurprising. May wasn’t forced out, but Davies made it clear to the 32-year-old that he would struggle for minutes in the Championship this season and he isn’t the only one who falls into that category.
Named captain 12 months ago after committing his future to the club following relegation, Krystian Bielik is now fourth choice centre-back. Marc Leonard now not only has Paik Seung-ho and Tomoki Iwata in front of him, but Tommy Doyle too. Can Taylor Gardner-Hickman’s versatility ensure that his own thirst for football is quenched? Willum Willumsson is another player whose slip down the pecking order might continue in August.
Davies isn’t exactly ripping up the team that won League One in record-breaking style last season, but he isn’t staying true to it. This is the ruthless side of football and those signed last summer knew what they were getting into.
Speaking to BBC Radio WM earlier this week, Davies said: “I saw a great quote the other day in terms of leadership: when you decide you divide. That is a compelling statement and it’s true because you have to make decisions in terms of this squad and we have to get this balance right.
“How can we keep the core of what was successful for us in terms of our team spirit, our togetherness, our fighting spirit and our system of play, but add to it, and that’s what I’ve been trying to navigate this summer.”
The month of August was where Davies was most ruthless last summer. He started Siriki Dembele and Koji Miyoshi on the opening day, only to sell them within a few weeks.
It’s highly unlikely that anyone who started against Ipswich will suffer the same fate, but we can expect a natural rotation as those who were formerly leading men now come to terms with bit-parts.
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