Birmingham City has returned to the championship immediately with a record campaign last season and has little interest in mere consolidation for the 2025-26 season
Birmingham City has returned to the championship after finishing its season in the third tier. Backed by Tom Brady, the blues know their assignment: promotion to the Premier League.
Last year, the Midlands Clubs collected a record 111 points along the way to the League One title. Everything was filmed by Amazon Prime Camera, the “Brady and the Blues: Made in Birmingham” documentary. And they once again capture the action in the term as Chris Davis’s side pushes the top flight immediately.
Talking to Miller Football ahead of this Friday season opening game against Ipswichtown, defender Ethan Laird said:
“That’s something you have to get used to, and you’re the one that’s a little weird because when the camera on your face is on your face, all the action you do, because you look at the camera. Obviously you get used to it.
“It’s not, but it’s fun at the same time. I’m happy you can see it inside. You don’t see everything we’re standing up, but it’s great because a lot of people feel like they’re missing out on football right now when they don’t know what they’re doing.”
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No one rests in St Andrews’ glory. The goals for this season are clear in both the boardroom and dressing room.
Laird added: “That’s what we want to achieve, we had a great season, a record season.
“But there are many Premier League teams in the Champions – that’s something some people forget. I love it as much as the hype is around Birmingham, but it’s tough. In the Championship, you can lose such a game and win such a game.
“It’s about quality and the moment, and that’s why we love the championship. So this season will probably be the most difficult season we’ve ever had. Because of the ambitions we want to play. People said a lot about us last year.
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Jay Stansfield played a key role in bringing Birmingham back to tier 2. He looted the final semester following the club record move from Fulham, which destroyed the third tier record.
“We know what we want to achieve,” Stansfield says. “We’re improving as a club and we have only one purpose this season. We’ll continue to do that. People talk, but at the end of the season, it’s just a good thing.”
Stansfield, 22, spent five years at Fulham prior to his £15 million move to St Andrews, while Laird is a product of Manchester United Academy. He was unable to appear in the first team at Old Trafford in the league, but he believes the Red Devils spotlight will be compared to the glare of Amazon cameras.
“It’s very similar (Birmingham and Mann United). I came to Mann United when we were the biggest club in the world.
“They had morals and even had the back of our badges like children, they said, “No relent.” We had to see it and understand the words.
“And that’s what the main stage was for. There were a lot of things we had to get used to, and that’s how we were raised. And now when I’m in Birmingham, it looks the same. And the ambitions are high.
“You hear what Nighthead says, what Gaffer is saying, there’s a fuss around the club. Everyone can brew something, something going on, something. It just doesn’t happen. I mean Birmingham means what they say.
Birmingham began this Friday and they resigned from the Premier League after their own back-to-back promotions – welcome to St. Andrews.
The game comes just six weeks before England defeated Germany in the 21 euro final, when Stansfield played a key role for the young Lions. Instead of enjoying the extended break, he decided to return as soon as possible.
“A lot of people asked why they came right after the Euro, and I wanted to be prepared for the season, both mentally and physically. My thinking was just trying to keep going and re-enter that rhythm. I really didn’t want to stop to fully check Ipswich’s preparations before the start of the season.”
Celebrity Christophe Claller, who arrived in Birmingham last summer, was also key to Birmingham’s return to the second tier. The Austrian defender has leaned towards the expertise of NFL icon Brady, a minority stakeholder in the club, who played 43 times for the Blues last semester.
“It’s very special that people like Tom are giving expertise alongside us, being at the highest level for so long,” Kreler says. “Every time he speaks, we listen, and we get a lot of information from his career and what he did to make him so successful.”
Birmingham has strengthened its chances of success with a major move in the transfer market. Former Premier League winner Demarai Gray, former Cerick star Kyoto uruhashi and wolf midfielder Tommy Doyle are one of their headline arrivals. And Klarer believes their addition can make a big difference.
“There’s a very high standard here and they gelled with the team very quickly. Besides being quality players, they’re also great people.”
However, Laird warns that US investment and profitable relocation will not allow Birmingham to advance to the Premier League. Having found a home in St. Andrews, he is confident that the tales of hardships each of his teammates have gone through will be the driving force behind a season that has once again been successful in front of the camera.
“There’s a story in football. The reason we got to where we have is because we’ve been going through those tough times. We have families in need, and unfortunately we have families who have left us.
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