What ex-Birmingham City captain Curtis Davies thinks of Tom Wagner behind the scenes | OneFootball

What ex-Birmingham City captain Curtis Davies thinks of Tom Wagner behind the scenes | OneFootball

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·7 September 2026

What ex-Birmingham City captain Curtis Davies thinks of Tom Wagner behind the scenes

Article image:What ex-Birmingham City captain Curtis Davies thinks of Tom Wagner behind the scenes

The Blues owner's first sighting at St. Andrew's in many months brought emotional scenes

Former Birmingham City captain and centre-back, Curtis Davies, has heaped strong praise towards the club's chairman, Tom Wagner, who made an emotional return to the West Midlands for Sunday's 2-2 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers.


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The 57-year-old, who has been seen as a saviour in the eyes of many Blues supporters, attended his first match in eight months whilst continuing to recover from a stroke.

With Birmingham's clashes against Wolves always seeing emotions run high due to the local pride at stake, the American's long-awaited return to B9 after several months out of the public eye brought even more strong feelings from those who were in attendance.

It has been made no secret that, under the ownership of Wagner, Birmingham are hoping to end their lengthy exile from the Premier League, which has stood since May 2011.

In what is their fourth campaign under Knighthead's control, Chris Davies' side have endured a mixed yet unbeaten start, although there were plenty of positives to take.

And, whilst assessing how his old side performed on the day, Davies explained to those watching across the nation just how he feels about Wagner and how the American is hoping to transform the Second City.

Curtis Davies makes Tom Wagner feelings clear after emotional Jay Stansfield interview

Article image:What ex-Birmingham City captain Curtis Davies thinks of Tom Wagner behind the scenes

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Davies, 41, signed for Birmingham from cross-city rivals, Aston Villa, for £3.5m in January 2011, featuring 106 times for the club and scoring 12 times before departing for Hull City two-and-a-half years later.

Having also played for another of the club's closest rivals, West Bromwich Albion, the former defender still lives in the area, and was clearly touched by Wagner's return after an emotional interview was given by club-record signing, Jay Stansfield.

The forward was seen holding back tears after revealing just how close he and Wagner have become in the past three years, as well as how special it was to see the American back in the director's box at St. Andrew's.

Reflecting on Stansfield's comments, Davies then added: “Hearing Jay and the way he spoke and getting emotional about this man (Wagner), what a human being first and foremost, an unbelievable person.

“When you speak to him face to face, he’s a multimillionaire and all the kind of things that come with that, however such a humble human and what he wants to do with this football club and with this city is unbelievable," Davies explained.

“Living in the city knowing what he wants to do, the plans he has for transport, an unbelievable person, great to see him here and a good day to come back. However, I am sure he would have wanted the full three points."

Tom Wagner's future plans for Birmingham City have been well-documented

Article image:What ex-Birmingham City captain Curtis Davies thinks of Tom Wagner behind the scenes

Image supplied by Grayling

Image supplied by Grayling

Even though Birmingham's recent journey under Knighthead has been up and down in terms of relegation and promotion from the Championship and League One, Wagner's vision has not been deterred.

Indeed, after it was first noted that a new stadium was on the horizon, designs and the name, the Powerhouse, were revealed last November, with an unveiling video including the likes of Real Madrid and England star, Jude Bellingham, who played 44 times for Birmingham after becoming the club's youngest-ever player seven years ago.

Chris Davies also recently revealed that he had been in dialogue with the owner, who has provided ample backing to the 41-year-old in terms of support and transfer fees, despite there being a handful of times when sections of the fanbase have called for a managerial change.

Curtis Davies would have loved Tom Wagner's ownership during his Birmingham City spell

Article image:What ex-Birmingham City captain Curtis Davies thinks of Tom Wagner behind the scenes

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It is no surprise that Wagner has received plenty of praise from Davies for his commitment to helping better Birmingham as a club and city, which didn't exactly happen during his time at the club.

Indeed, just months after joining Blues, Davies saw the club relegated to the Championship just months after winning the EFL Cup, before former chairman, Carson Yeung, was initially arrested on suspicion of money laundering.

Despite helping Chris Hughton's 2011/12 squad reach the play-offs, they were defeated by Blackpool, and in his final season, even though he was named Player of the Year, Blues finished 12th under Lee Clark, which was the start of a major regression in the table.

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