{"id":896807,"date":"2026-04-16T00:20:28","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T00:20:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/896807\/"},"modified":"2026-04-16T00:20:28","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T00:20:28","slug":"former-striker-likes-the-look-of-birmingham-citys-lineup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/896807\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Striker &#8216;Likes The Look&#8217; Of Birmingham City&#8217;s Lineup"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: right;\"> Richard Martin-Roberts\/Getty Images <\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"single-quote\" style=\"display: block; margin-block-start: 1em; margin-block-end: 1em; margin-inline-start: 0px; margin-inline-end: 0px; margin: 30px 0px; font-size: 20px; font-weight: bold;\">Former <a style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/insidefutbol.com\/championship\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Championship<\/a> striker Sam Parkin has backed <a style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/insidefutbol.com\/birmingham-city\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Birmingham City<\/a> to end the season on a high, believing they have the tools to arrest their poor run of form, with a strengthened starting eleven emerging following key returns from injury.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Birmingham hosted Wrexham at St Andrew\u2019s on Sunday and secured a comfortable 2-0 victory, taking their points tally to 56.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The goals for Chris Davies\u2019 side came from winter arrival Carlos Vicente and captain Christoph Klarer, <a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/insidefutbol.com\/2026\/04\/07\/tells-the-story-ex-striker-with-negative-birmingham-city-assessment\/710023\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">who has been singled out by Parkin as the Blues\u2019 standout performer this season.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Vicente\u2019s goal was set up by fellow January addition Kai Wagner, who marked his return after missing five matches through injury, <a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/insidefutbol.com\/2026\/04\/13\/birmingham-city-star-really-happy-to-have-blues-team-mate-sees-quality\/710464\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">earning praise from the Spaniard for his superb delivery and consistent threat from wide areas.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The result brought an end to a difficult spell for the St Andrew\u2019s outfit, who had gone four matches without a win prior to the victory over the Red Dragons.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Birmingham_Klarer_Lewis_OBrien_620_ofg.webp.webp\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Parkin suggested that Davies\u2019 side are building momentum at a crucial stage with four games remaining, pointing to their recent win over the Welsh side and a strong 45-minute spell at Ipswich Town last week despite a 2-1 defeat as clear signs of progress.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He expressed approval of the current starting lineup, noting that players such as Tomoki Iwata and Ibrahim Osman, who made an impact off the bench at Portman Road, have since been integrated into the side, while also highlighting the German full-back\u2019s return as a major positive.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n  &#13;<\/p>\n<tr>&#13;<br \/>\n      Season&#13;<br \/>\n      Position&#13;<br \/>\n    <\/tr>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n  &#13;<br \/>\n  &#13;<\/p>\n<tr>&#13;<\/p>\n<td style=\"border:2px solid #ddd; padding:12px; background-color:#fec368;\">2024\u201325<\/td>\n<p>&#13;<\/p>\n<td style=\"border:2px solid #ddd; padding:12px; background-color:#fec368;\">1st (League One, champions)<\/td>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n    <\/tr>\n<p>&#13;<\/p>\n<tr>&#13;<\/p>\n<td style=\"border:2px solid #ddd; padding:12px; background-color:#fec368;\">2023\u201324<\/td>\n<p>&#13;<\/p>\n<td style=\"border:2px solid #ddd; padding:12px; background-color:#fec368;\">22nd (Championship, relegated)<\/td>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n    <\/tr>\n<p>&#13;<\/p>\n<tr>&#13;<\/p>\n<td style=\"border:2px solid #ddd; padding:12px; background-color:#fec368;\">2022\u201323<\/td>\n<p>&#13;<\/p>\n<td style=\"border:2px solid #ddd; padding:12px; background-color:#fec368;\">17th (Championship)<\/td>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n    <\/tr>\n<p>&#13;<\/p>\n<tr>&#13;<\/p>\n<td style=\"border:2px solid #ddd; padding:12px; background-color:#fec368;\">2021\u201322<\/td>\n<p>&#13;<\/p>\n<td style=\"border:2px solid #ddd; padding:12px; background-color:#fec368;\">20th (Championship)<\/td>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n    <\/tr>\n<p>&#13;<\/p>\n<tr>&#13;<\/p>\n<td style=\"border:2px solid #ddd; padding:12px; background-color:#fec368;\">2020\u201321<\/td>\n<p>&#13;<\/p>\n<td style=\"border:2px solid #ddd; padding:12px; background-color:#fec368;\">18th (Championship)<\/td>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n    <\/tr>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n  &#13;<br \/>\n  Birmingham City\u2019s last five league finishes&#13;<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The 45-year-old added that the team now appear more settled and better organised, which leads him to believe they are capable of taking at least a point from their trip to Hull.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Parkin said on the <a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=bdkHXifftx0&amp;t=1s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Championship Score Prediction Show (12:03)<\/a>: \u201cI think Birmingham are going to finish the season strong, and my reason being that, well, they won the last game and they played well for 45 minutes at Portman Road, and I looked at the team. <\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Birmingham_Chris_Davies5_620_ofg.webp.webp\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI haven\u2019t poured over the action from the Wrexham victory, but I like the look of the eleven now. <\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe players that came on and impressed at Ipswich were in the team. <\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWagner\u2019s back at left-back. <\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think they\u2019ve got their ducks in a row all of a sudden, so I will go for them to get a point here [at Hull].\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Davies\u2019 side make the trip to the MKM Stadium on Saturday, with victory offering the chance to secure consecutive league wins for Blues for the first time since early February.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>However, with a playoff push now regarded as all but impossible, <a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/insidefutbol.com\/2026\/04\/08\/it-feels-like-birmingham-city-change-expected-by-former-striker\/710027\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">a former EFL player has suggested the manager could face the sack<\/a> amid what he considers an underwhelming campaign in the second tier, despite significant investment in the squad.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/insidefutbol.com\/2026\/03\/10\/birmingham-city-fans-very-ungrateful-believe-ex-efl-star\/707916\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Another ex-EFL star has taken aim at sections of the Birmingham support<\/a>, branding them ungrateful for failing to fully acknowledge what the 41-year-old manager has delivered during his tenure at the club.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Richard Martin-Roberts\/Getty Images \u00a0 Former Championship striker Sam Parkin has backed Birmingham City to end the season on&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":896808,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[7820],"tags":[855,748,393,4884,16426,16,15],"class_list":["post-896807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-birmingham","tag-birmingham","tag-britain","tag-england","tag-great-britain","tag-sam-parkin","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116411526627114476","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/896807","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=896807"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/896807\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/896808"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=896807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=896807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=896807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}