Exclusive: Don Goodman names the toughest stadium to play at in the EFL Championship | OneFootball

Don Goodman believes this club's ground is the toughest to play at in the Championship

Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman doesn't believe that there are too many tough away grounds to go to nowadays, but feels that Birmingham City are currently on top in the Championship.

Almost every club in the second tier can generate a good atmosphere. Still, due to the modernisation of football grounds and the game's development, there aren't many traditional "difficult" places to visit in the division.

However, when packed, St Andrew's can still give off that intimidating feel, given the old-school nature of the ground, which has hosted Birmingham matches since it opened in 1906.

With the Blues set to be leaving their famous ground ideally in the next five years, if Tom Wagner's ambitions of being at their new 62,000 capacity ground by 2030 come to fruition, it'll be interesting to see whether they can continue that rough nature that St Andrew's brings.

But for now, Goodman believes that it's their current home that is the most difficult place to go in the Championship.

Don Goodman evaluates how difficult it is to go to Championship grounds today - places Birmingham City as number one

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, former West Brom and Wolves striker Don Goodman felt that it was difficult to suggest one Championship ground which he feels would be challenging to go to as an away player in the modern era.

Goodman spent a lengthy period in the EFL during the 90s and into the early 2000s, where there were more traditionally tough places to go to and grind out results.

"It's a very difficult question because it's certainly not like when I played," he said.

"There are a lot of new stadiums and modified stadiums which aren't that intimidating, it has to be said really, and I'll be honest with you, I don't think there are many intimidating places at all levels across the country.

"Atmosphere-wise, I think one of the old stadiums which generates that, because they're all brilliant and generate a great atmosphere when all is going well, and they get behind their team, I'd probably argue Birmingham City, currently, out of all of them."

The Blues' home record recently has been impeccable. Even when they were relegated to League One in the 2023/24 campaign, they still held the 9th-best home record in the division.

But under Chris Davies, the Blues went from strength to strength, going the entire third-tier campaign unbeaten at home, and showing in 4–0 wins over Portsmouth and Millwall this season that St Andrew's is a truly difficult place to go.

"It's an old, traditional stadium," Goodman continued. "Obviously, they're not going to be there for too many more years.

"But I'd say that, while there aren't many difficult grounds to play at in the modern game, Birmingham generates one of the best modern atmospheres."

Birmingham City will hope to create a similar atmosphere at their new 62,000-capacity ground

Image supplied through Grayling

There's no doubting that St Andrew's is recognised as one of the more foreboding grounds to go to in the Championship currently, and there'll be expectations of that continuing when the Blues move to a ground which is double the capacity.

So many times, we see teams move from a tight-knit, traditional ground to one that's bigger, more modern, and that will ultimately generate more revenue, but sometimes comes at the cost of killing a notoriously raucous atmosphere.

That will have been the main drawback of moving Birmingham to a brand-new, 62,000-capacity stadium, which owner Tom Wagner hopes to be done by 2030, but evidently, the American businessman doesn't believe that it'll decrease much at all.

Or at least, the extra money that it'll bring the club in ticket and concourse sales will be enough to afford a potential drop in atmosphere.

Ideally, the Blues will be competing at the very top of the Premier League by the time they move grounds. So, hopefully, the occasions of big top-flight and possibly European matchups will help continue the gritty atmosphere that Birmingham games have come to be known for.