Birmingham City fans pay hard-earned money to travel - it's why Chris Davies must fix big issue | OneFootball

Blues' away form in 2025/26 was a big reason behind their mid-table finish

Birmingham City certainly harbour ambitions of being a force to be reckoned with in the Championship and beyond in the years to come, with the club's ambitions laid bare for all to see.

They are, indeed, one of many reasons why so many eyes have been cast on developments at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park, with owner, Tom Wagner, certainly not afraid to splash the cash.

12 months ago, Blues were seen as having a squad in League One which could certainly hold its own in the Championship, which many supporters would no doubt have been satisfied with initially, given the numerous relegation fights the club found itself in beforehand.

However, after achieving the EFL's all-time record points total of 111, Wagner backed Chris Davies to conduct yet another major squad reshuffle in the summer transfer window, before going again in the winter at a time when the play-off places were not entirely out of reach despite a mixed first half of the season.

In reality, though, Blues have very rarely been part of the promotion conversation this season, meaning Davies and his players will be jetting off on their post-season holidays whilst the quartet of Millwall, Southampton, Middlesbrough and Hull City hope to join Coventry City and Ipswich Town in next season's Premier League.

It certainly shouldn't be all doom and gloom in B9, as there has been evidence of a strong platform for Blues to build from if they are to mount a sustained bid in 2026/27, which also includes two further play-off places.

And, it's fair to say that they wouldn't have been a million miles away this term too if Davies was able to resolve a glaringly obvious issue earlier.

Birmingham City's away support will have felt let down in 2025/26

Having been in the EFL for the past 14 years whilst spending several of those as a stagnant or regressive club, one element of Blues which is hard to argue against is the loyalty of their supporters, particularly away from St. Andrew's.

The travelling Bluenoses are renowned for being one of the most passionate sets of away supporters, who will, for the most part, pack out allocations up and down the country, irrespective of the weather, kick-off time and their club's fortunes.

Given the excitement which swept through the club, this was evidenced right away as over 7,000 Brummies travelled to Ewood Park to see Davies' men stage a dramatic comeback at Blackburn Rovers in the second game of the season.

However, for a large quantity of those who travel up and down the land spending oodles of pounds on their team, Lyndon Dykes' last-gasp winner may have been the high point.

Indeed, 22 of the club's 23 away allocations were officially sold-out, with the one exception being a 1-0 win at Preston North End on October 21st, but even over 3,000 supporters made the trip up the M6 that night.

However, as if Davies and his squad didn't need reminding, their dismal away form was a major hold back in their ambitions of a play-off push, having won just five times away from St. Andrew's all season, collecting just 20 points in the process.

Only West Bromwich Albion, Oxford United and Sheffield Wednesday fared worse, with two of those clubs heading down to League One, whilst in the Second City, Blues had the fourth-strongest home record behind Coventry, Ipswich and Southampton - all of whom have either been promoted, or are still in with a shot of glory.

Chris Davies will need to improve Birmingham City's consistency next season

Indeed, only a handful of sides have defeated Blues on home turf across all competitions since his appointment in June 2024, with three of those being Premier League clubs in the form of Fulham, Newcastle United and Leeds United.

However, it is obvious that the levels of consistency within his team need to be improved by Davies, and whether that is through another squad reshuffle or the further bedding in of exciting January signings such as Carlos Vicente and August Priske, as well as an improvement on their travels, so be it.

Given the expectation levels which surround the club, it is clear that not many would be satisfied with just another top 10 finish next season if it wasn't for a small number of points separating Blues and the top eight.

But, at the same time, the division is bound to be even stronger next term, with the likes of Wolves and Burnley already relegated, whilst the survival battle between West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur is set to go the distance.