The decision Tom Wagner refused to make - and why it might send Birmingham City up | OneFootball

The American has continued to have full faith in Chris Davies no matter the circumstances

It has been a rather satisfactory November for Birmingham City, with plenty of events at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park catching the attention of many on the outside.

Blues' ownership group, Knighthead Capital Management, have continuously set lofty and well-documented targets when assessing the long-term future of the club which bears the Second City's name.

Doing exactly that for a prolonged period of time has only sent expectation levels at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park through the roof, with Blues becoming the subject of many promotion or, at a minimum, play-off themed predictions before they opened the curtain for the Championship season with a 1-1 draw against Ipswich Town in B9 on August 8th.

16 games later, the truth is that the current Championship is as unpredictable as it has ever been in recent memory, with none of the three sides who were plying their trade in the Premier League last term - Ipswich, Leicester City and Southampton - blowing their 22 divisional counterparts away despite benefitting from parachute payments.

As such, this has paved the way for many sides, including Blues, to make a run for the top six, or at least be within touching distance as we head towards the crucial festive and New Year period.

Given the fact Tom Wagner continued to bankroll a high-profile recruitment drive in the summer, Blues became the subject of ridicule from rival supporters, as well as frustrations amongst their own, during a patchy run of form between late August and mid-October.

However, it is fair to say that the American will now feel extremely vindicated in his decision to publicly back Chris Davies, who has, to a large extent, rekindled a successful formula of late.

Chris Davies was the subject of early-season managerial sack talk amid poor Birmingham City run

Indeed, despite achieving the remarkable feat of 111 points - an EFL record - and receiving the LMA League One Manager of the Year during his first campaign in a full-time managerial role, Davies became the subject of intense pressure amid a rather dismal run of form in the aforementioned timeframe.

After winning twice as well as one loss and a draw from Blues' opening five encounters, the 40-year-old oversaw a subsequent run of just one success until October 21st, with reports claiming that he had two weeks to 'save his job' despite winning 1-0 at Preston North End last month, before further news broke which claimed that ex-Wolves boss, Gary O'Neil, was in contention for the role should results not pick up.

Ultimately, even before such news broke, there was very little chance of Wagner, rather harshly, pulling the trigger despite the natives becoming restless due to a lack of goals and creativity, despite the bundles of talent within Blues' ranks.

"I think it’s probably a bit of luck, probably a bit of new players coming into the squad and getting adjusted to the way Chris wants to play, recognising that no one stands still so some adjustments needed to be made," he told Sky Sports ahead of the 1-1 draw with Wrexham on October 3rd.

"Chris has the complete and total confidence of the board. Period. Full stop."

Davies has certainly gone a long way to silencing such doubters in the weeks which have followed, with Birmingham marrying their 'Powerhouse' stadium plans and official 150th anniversary celebrations with a strong run of form on the pitch, coinciding with some key tactical tweaks.

Tom Wagner's key Chris Davies decision could be huge in deciding Birmingham City's fortunes

Including the aforementioned success at Deepdale last month, Blues have emerged victorious in four of their past seven games, which includes a run of 12 goals in three-straight outings at St. Andrew's, with all of Portsmouth, Millwall and Norwich City put to the sword in commanding fashion.

Defeats against Bristol City and Middlesbrough have been the only recent blots in Blues' copybook, whilst they showcased a strong resilience to resurrect what was a below-par first-half performance, in particular, against West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns.

At the start of the month, the former Tottenham Hotspur assistant began to hand Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee, Tommy Doyle, and £1.75m summer recruit, Marvin Ducksch, their first regular run in the starting lineup, and it has been a stroke of genius.

Doyle, who was already known for boasting such attributes, has been a key inclusion, allowing for the ball to be switched from defence into attack at a much greater speed, whilst his technical ability was instrumental in feeding Patrick Roberts, who provided Jay Stansfield's cross for the striker's first against Norwich on Saturday, before a pinpoint free-kick of his was glanced home by Ducksch on 78 minutes against the Baggies.

Even more so, Ducksch is fully showcasing why he has German international caps to his name. His ability to hold up the ball whilst battling against seasoned and physical Championship defenders has allowed Blues' key wide players - Roberts and Demarai Gray - to create many more chances than what they could previously muster, as well as having a poacher's instinct.

Heading into December, a return of 10 points from the past 15 available and an improved goal difference has Birmingham positioned in ninth, just two points behind sixth and five points behind second place.

Whilst Davies and his players will not be getting carried away after what has gone on before in the season, there is every chance that a 15-year Premier League hiatus could be ended at the end of this campaign, even though the Blues boss previously attempted to debunk such theories.