\u201cProbably what he knows about football you could put on a postage stamp,\u201d says a Birmingham City <\/a>fan. He might be joking but Tom Brady<\/a> \u2013 the man with a greater grounding in the NFL than the EFL \u2013 is unaware the other club in the city is called Aston Villa and wasn\u2019t told not to pronounce the \u201ch\u201d in Birmingham. At one stage, in the disastrous first season of Brady\u2019s minority ownership, he shows he knows something. \u201cWe lose every f***ing match,\u201d he laments. <\/p>\n Built in Birmingham, and even the name is a clue to its objectives, is more about Tom Brady and Tommy Shelby \u2013 the Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight features regularly \u2013 than John Eustace and John Ruddy. Eustace, infamously, was fired by the new owners Knighthead Capital with Birmingham sixth in the Championship<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cTogether we will not fail,\u201d declares chair Tom Wagner. They start off by failing, though possibly not together, given the revolving door to the manager\u2019s office. But editorially, they fail too (and it is them, given that Brady and Wagner are executive producers).<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Tom Brady (right), the minority owner of Birmingham City, poses alongside Wrexham owner Rob McElhenney (Built in Birmingham)<\/p>\n As any connoisseur of such documentaries knows, the bad years make for more entertaining television than the good. But in a five-part series, one is devoted to the hubristic demotion of 2023-24, four to the bankrolled cruise through League One. And, given some other owners are asset-strippers, or burden clubs with debt, or have other nefarious purposes, it is worth noting that Knighthead has invested. Brady\u2019s manager is damning of their inheritance. \u201cThey have a f***ng shipping container as their lead performance centre,\u201d he says, and Wagner and co have improved facilities.<\/p>\n They are unashamedly ambitious \u2013 \u201cwe will get to the Prem, it is just a question of when, not if\u201d, says Wagner, who believes their future lies in the top half of the top division \u2013 and may prove astute businessmen if their sense that a club from the Second City has untapped potential is justified.<\/p>\n Perhaps, too, they will crack the American television market. Built in Birmingham feels modelled on Welcome to Wrexham<\/a> (what next? Come to Colchester? Constructed in Chesterfield? Created in Crewe?). But it offers too little even to Birmingham fans (besides those in it, who provide the self-deprecating humour).<\/p>\n They are trying to mine a formula, but it is a dumbing down of the League One season, with the other 22 clubs obscured and two highlighted. They are at pains to draw distinctions between Birmingham and Wrexham, but not Wigan or Wycombe. Only two league games attract more than a cursory mention: long segments on the two meetings with Wrexham.<\/p>\n \u201cWrexham, we\u2019re coming for your ass,\u201d says Brady, in an outbreak of frat-boy nonsense. The Birmingham fans are at least sharper. \u201cYou can stick your f***ing Deadpool up your arse,\u201d they chant. Their special guest, David Beckham<\/a>, has to explain a chorus about sheepshaggers to Brady. His visit is instructive. Wagner wants to give Beckham a Birmingham swag bag, presumably thinking the very rich need more free stuff.<\/p>\n Brady is uneasy talking to English people, apart from Beckham, and much more relaxed around Americans. His reference points are all American, sending manager Chris Davies a video about transformational leadership from a college football coach. He perks up when talking about his NFL career; when there is more footage of Brady\u2019s touchdown passes than Birmingham\u2019s passing, it feels clear who the designed audience is.<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n The legendary NFL quarterback features prominently in the five-part series (Built in Birmingham)<\/p>\n Perhaps they want non-stop Brady but the wit and the best one-liners come from the Birmingham fans, whereas the serial Super Bowl winner\u2019s management-speak musings on leadership may work on the US corporate circuit but, no matter how often Wagner says they are invaluable, feel bland. They certainly don\u2019t spare Birmingham the drop in 2024. Brady\u2019s one footballing opinion of note concerns Wayne Rooney<\/a>. \u201cI am a little worried about our head coach\u2019s work ethic,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t have great instincts on that.\u201d <\/p>\n![\"Tom](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/BCFC_EP2-Still-From-TX.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/BCFC_Trailer_Stills_02.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
![\"Wayne](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GettyImages-1787692443.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n