City are back in action after the international break in the Midlands
Barry Cooper Hull City correspondent
16:43, 17 Oct 2025
Birmingham City head coach Chris Davies (Image: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
Hull City kick off their busy run of Championship action over the next three weeks or so with a tantalising trip to Birmingham City on Saturday.
City will be backed by a sold-out away following at St Andrew’s with Sergej Jakirovic and his charges desperate to secure back-to-back wins for the first time in more than 12 months.
Standing in their way will be a Blues outfit still re-adjusting to life back in the Championship following their League One title-winning campaign last term.
To get the lowdown on what the Tigers can expect from the Blues, Hull Live spoke to co-host of the Keep Right On podcast Brian Dick to find out where the land lies in the second city…
It feels like a very different St Andrew’s compared to City’s last visit there a couple of seasons ago; how would you assess the transformation?
Night and day, black and white, blue and claret. It’s a living, breathing monument to the power of investment, caring leadership and expertise.
The St Andrew’s experience is transformed both on the field and off it. From the moment you approach the ground, you can feel a buzz, fan parks are packed, and there’s an expectation in the air.
Last season’s 111 points was almost like a dream, like it belonged to another club and while I think Tom Wagner and the Knighthead ownership group have made mistakes since taking over at Blues, I welcome the day they took over.
They’re massively ambitious, and while they might not take the club to the Premier League this season, they will sooner rather than later.
What do you make of Blues’ start to life back in the Championship?
It’s OK, I can’t be much more effusive than that. When they went up, I thought the one advantage they would have in the early weeks was a clear identity of who they are and what they are trying to do as a team.
They still have that to an extent, but it’s been a little bit eroded by another large turnover of players, injuries to new signings and a better level of opponent.
Chris Davies is still working on his best combinations at centre back and up front, so it’s a work in progress – but it’s neither a brilliant start nor a disastrous one.
There seems to be a bit of pressure on Chris Davies? Is that fair given the massive jump from League One to Championship?
There is a bit of pressure, and it’s my personal belief that it comes from all the talk of back-to-back promotions and getting to the Premier League as fast as possible.
That doesn’t come from Davies himself; it emanates from those above him, but what that does is it raises expectation among fans, and I detect an impatience with some.
I was genuinely surprised when a couple of his substitutions were booed in the last home game. Wagner has come out and publicly backed him, which is the right thing to do, but I think there has to be a more nuanced narrative from the owners, balancing ambition with managing short and medium-term expectations.
Blues’ home record has been superb for well over a year now, but what do you think is the key to opposition teams ending it?
Blues tend to dominate the ball even more at home. Davies’ philosophy is that ‘if we’ve got it, you can’t score’. In truth they never looked like losing at St Andrew’s last season but the margins are so much finer this year.
It’s as basic as the opposition having a better quality of player, meaning Blues can still control a game, but they are rarely far enough in front for visiting teams to be totally out of it.
That means they’re vulnerable to a moment of magic or a set piece, and suddenly a match that feels comfortable can become an arm wrestle. Hull won’t find themselves dazzled by Blues’ attacking patterns or dizzied by their tempo, so if they can stay tight at the back, they’ll get an opportunity at the other end.
Defensively, Blues don’t look as open as the Tigers, however, they have struggled to keep clean sheets. What’s been the biggest problem?
Set pieces. End of. There has been the odd individual error that has led to chances, but the biggest weakness is defending from restarts.
As I mentioned earlier, Davies still hasn’t nailed down his central defensive partnership, and there’s a lack of height in the squad – neither of which helps.
Who should Sergej Jakirovic pay special attention to?
I’d have said Demarai Gray, who has returned to the club after a decade away but the winger looks to have picked up a knock on international duty with Jamaica, though it now looks like he might be fit according to Chris Davies.
Jay Stansfield is probably Blues’ most likely source of a goal, whether he plays as a No. 10 or up front, he’s energetic on the press and has a decent finish on him on his day. Keep Stansfield quiet, and that’ll put a lot of stress on the rest of the team.
And finally, what’s the predicted XI?
Depending on injuries to Bright Osayi-Samuel and Marvin Ducksch, I’d go: (4-2-3-1): Beadle; Osayi-Samuel, Klarer, Robinson, Cochrane; Paik, Iwata; Roberts, Stansfield, Anderson/Gray; Kyogo.
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