![\"Jobi](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0_Jobi-McAnuff-File-Photos.jpg\")
Jobi McAnuff has congratulated Blues on a job well done(Image: PA)<\/p>\nBirmingham City are a club reborn under Knighthead – despite relegation their off-field fortunes have been transformed and they’re now on their way backJobi McAnuff has congratulated Blues on a job well done(Image: PA)<\/p>\n
EFL pundit Jobi McAnuff has applauded Birmingham City’s achievements this season, after they secured an instant return to the Championship with victory over Peterborough United on Tuesday – and he also noted the different feel around the club which has been introduced by owners Knighthead<\/a>.<\/p>\n Under previous regimes, St Andrew’s was allowed to fall into dilapidation; stands were closed for seasons on end because of safety concerns relating to the structure beneath the Tilton and the Kop<\/a>. It meant Blues<\/a>‘ capacity was reduced substantially while they were in the Championship, right up until Knighthead’s takeover – by which time the work was accelerated and, indeed, the whole ground given a much needed renovation.<\/p>\n McAnuff spent time covering Blues in the Championship during those years under Trillion Trophy Asia, describing it as being previously ‘unloved’, and remarked on the chalk and cheese difference which has given Blues and the fanbase a renewed vigour – and a long-term future to look forward to.<\/p>\n “I’ve got to give them credit first and foremost,” McAnuff told BBC Radio 5 Live.<\/a> “The recruitment has been key. You can go and get fantastic footballers, but are they the right types? I look at Alfie May, for example – you know what you’re going to get for the level. He doesn’t start every game every week, but he has been around the squad and when they’ve needed him to contribute, he has.<\/p>\n “There’s a mix of getting brilliant footballers with good people, but of course it’s what they should be doing. The money they’ve spent…it’s mind-boggling. Going back to the appointment of Chris Davies<\/a>, that’s where you have to give Birmingham<\/a> City a pat on the back.<\/p>\n “It would’ve been really easy to have gone with a tried and trusted manager, with a track record of promotion, but the way he has done it and the style in which he has done it has really impressed me, as a first time manager and how quickly he has been able to implement his ideas and how they’ve won games.<\/p>\n “All round it’s been a fantastic job. It’s what everybody expected, it was always a case of when and not if, and there is a lot more work to come, but it’s exciting times and everyone at that football club is in a really good place.<\/p>\n “We’ve obviously covered games there and I remember going through that really horrible spell where there were no seats in the ground. It looked tired, it looked old. There was no love around the place, and that is completely different to what it is today. It’s great to see one of our brilliant football clubs in this country, with its history, in such a good place.”<\/p>\n Everyday, the BirminghamLive football desk strive to deliver all manner of news, features and transfer-related stories as a part of our overall package of Birmingham City content.<\/p>\n Our dedicated reporters Alex Dicken and Brian Dick – you can follow Alex on X here<\/a> and Brian here<\/a> – follow Blues around the country and they offer you comprehensive coverage from matchdays, press conferences and everything that happens in between.<\/p>\n So much happens day to day and sometimes you can struggle to keep on top of the very latest updates as and when they occur – that’s why we have produced a daily newsletter which you can sign up to, for free, and which means you’ll have a round-up of the key stories land in your email inbox. Sign up to the Blues newsletter here<\/a>.<\/p>\n You can also get all your favourite content from BirminghamLive’s Blues team on WhatsApp. Click here<\/a> to sign up for breaking updates about the biggest stories and insight from in and around the club.<\/p>\n If you prefer reading our Blues stories on your phone, consider downloading the BirminghamLive app, in which you can personalise the content you see by selecting Blues as one of your designated topics. You can get it from Apple here<\/a> and for Android here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our weekly Birmingham City podcast, Keep Right On, is also available to watch and listen on all major streaming services. You can subscribe to the YouTube channel here, while you can access the podcast on Spotify here<\/a> and via Apple here<\/a>.<\/p>\n What are your expectations for next season? Tell us HERE<\/a> Chris Davies’s runaway League One leaders face Peterborough United on Sunday, April 13 in the final of the Vertu Trophy, looking to clinch the first past of a double after a season of incredible success.<\/p>\n Buy now<\/a> and have it delivered directly to your door. Alternatively you can purchase in most supermarkets, high street retailers and independent newsagents in Birmingham<\/a> from April 2, 2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Birmingham City are a club reborn under Knighthead – despite relegation their off-field fortunes have been transformed and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13395,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7820],"tags":[855,1205,748,393,4884,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-13394","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-birmingham","8":"tag-birmingham","9":"tag-birmingham-city-fc","10":"tag-britain","11":"tag-england","12":"tag-great-britain","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114324323957419071","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13394","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13394"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13394\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1744393467_457_0_BIRMINGHAM-CITY-FINAL-PREVIEW.jpg\")
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