Arsene Wenger once named the EFL Championship ground he found ‘very hostile’ | OneFootball

Arsene Wenger described Birmingham City's St. Andrew's as 'very hostile' after his side dropped crucial points in the 2010/11 season.

Birmingham City will hope to win promotion back to the Premier League this season, as they look to return to the top flight for the first time since 2011.

It’s fair to say the time since that relegation has been eventful for Blues, as they’ve gone through different owners, and they even dropped to the third tier of English football for the first time since the 90s.

Pleasingly for Birmingham, they’re in a great position off the pitch under their US owners, and there will be a belief that they can reach the Premier League under this regime, as they have been very ambitious.

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Arsene Wenger didn’t enjoy his time at St. Andrew’s in the past

Of course, playing at that level will be nothing new for Birmingham fans, as they’ve seen the team against the elite, and St. Andrew’s was a great venue when the side were doing well.

And, it’s fair to say that Arsene Wenger got a first-hand experience of what the Blues’ home crowd can be like during the 2010/11 season.

At the time, under Alex McLeish, Birmingham were in the top-half of the Premier League, and they denied Arsenal a crucial three points in their quest to win the title with a stoppage-time equaliser from Kevin Phillips denying the Gunners all three points.

After the game, Wenger had plenty of complaints about what had gone on, from the playing surface, to refereeing decisions and the long ball approach from the hosts.

However, there was a compliment among the moaning from Wenger, as he touched on what was a ‘hostile’ atmosphere created by the Blues fans when speaking to the Guardian.

“I think the place [St Andrew's] is very hostile, but what is most important is the pitch is terrible.”

Birmingham City’s home support will be crucial to their success moving forward

Obviously, this was a long time ago, but, when Birmingham are competitive and playing well, St. Andrew’s remains a great venue in terms of generating an atmosphere.

To his credit, Chris Davies recognised that, and he has made the home ground a fortress since his appointment.

Incredibly, Blues didn’t lose in their record-breaking League One title win, and they were beaten just three times in the previous campaign.

When you take into account the two draws on their own patch this season, it means Davies’ has lost just three of his 48 home games in the league.

The players and boss deserve huge credit for that, but there’s no denying that the home support have more than played their part over the years, in helping make St. Andrew’s an intimidating stadium for the opposition to visit.

As we know, home form is always crucial for any team that wants promotion, and this shows that Blues have the foundations in place to do well, with their away form the major worry last season.

With Wolves up next, St. Andrew’s will no doubt be at its vociferous best for the derby, and Blues will hope to continue their fine form on home turf.

If they can, it will fuel the belief that Birmingham