Why Norwich City will always be linked to Birmingham City's lowest Knighthead moment | OneFootball

Blues' biggest setback under Tom Wagner's ownership came against the Canaries in 2024

Under the ownership of Knighthead Capital Management, Birmingham City have become one of the most talked-about EFL sides in the past four seasons.

Prior to the arrival of the American investment firm in July 2023, with an initial takeover spearheaded by Tom Wagner, Blues had failed to showcase any signs of ending their lengthy hiatus from the Premier League, instead becoming regulars in the Championship's bottom-half.

Such poor fortunes on the pitch, coupled with matches being played in a half-open and dilapidated St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park meant there was very little for supporters to get excited about in the middling years, but the mood has certainly changed since then.

In truth, whilst many of the locals in this part of the Second City have opted to remain positive about what the future holds, that can still be viewed as a negative due to the expectations which have been set upon the club since its return to the Championship.

But Wednesday night's meeting with Philippe Clement's Norwich City, even though it is played three hours away at Carrow Road, should still serve as a reminder as to just how much progress Birmingham have made in a short period of time.

Knighthead's first season at Birmingham City was one of immense chaos

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After years of mismanagement, Wagner and Co. arrived at St. Andrew's viewed as saviours, and a highly-positive start to the season was made under John Eustace, including late home wins over Leeds United and Plymouth Argyle.

However, less than two months into the season, the current Derby County boss was sacked despite a 3-1 win over West Bromwich Albion which left Blues in sixth, and he was replaced by the high-profile Wayne Rooney, who was tasked with bringing 'no fear' football to B9.

In reality, it couldn't have transpired worse as the former England boss was sacked by January 2024 having lost nine of his 15 games in charge, and whilst there was a minor upsurge under Tony Mowbray. Birmingham's chaotic season continued when the experienced figure was taken in ill February 2024, with Mark Venus and Gary Rowett later taking temporary charge.

Norwich City relegation match was Knighthead's lowest ebb at Birmingham City

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In the final weeks of the season, Birmingham's woes were compounded with away draws at Rotherham United and Huddersfield Town, the latter of which left them 22nd with one match remaining against the Canaries, who still needed to secure their own play-off spot.

With Blues performing previous escape acts in 2014 and 2017 against Bolton Wanderers and Bristol City, an even-greater one was needed due to the fact they were fighting against the trio of Blackburn Rovers - managed by Eustace at the time - Sheffield Wednesday and Plymouth.

Although Rowett's side kept their part of the bargain with a 1-0 win courtesy of Paik Seung-ho, all three relegation rivals won and condemned the Second City side to League One football for the first time since 1995.

League One relegation only strengthened Tom Wagner's desire for successful Birmingham City rebuild

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"As we chart a course forward, fuelled by your passion and support, rest assured that our plans for the uplifting transformation of the Blues remain steadfastly in place," read a section of Wagner's post-relegation assessment, and that certainly came to be in 2024/25.

Birmingham soon landed on the left-field appointment of Chris Davies to permanently replace Mowbray in June 2024, with the former Tottenham Hotspur assistant soon receiving ample backing in the transfer market.

After breaking the League One transfer record multiple times, on Deadline Day in August 2024, the permanent return of Jay Stansfield from Fulham sent shockwaves through the footballing world, with the third tier side parting with over £15m to sign the forward.

That wasn't the only major talking point coming out of Blues at the time, as, coinciding with an eventual record-breaking campaign on the pitch, during which 111 points were achieved, plans started to become clearer regarding the future ambitions which Wagner has for the club, and they also haven't been deterred despite a mixed period for the side and the owner altogether.

Tom Wagner's emotional Birmingham City return further showcases strong progress at St. Andrew's

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There was plenty of hype which surrounded Birmingham's Championship return last summer, with some pre-season predictions even viewing Davies' side as promotion contenders.

Whilst that would not prove to be the case, even though a 10th-placed finish was still the club's highest in a decade, their last home encounter with Norwich - a 4-1 rout in November 2025 - was an even greater cause for celebration as it came just two days after the unveiling of the Powerhouse stadium designs, with the Sports Quarter complex and 60,000+ capacity arena set to open fully by 2031.

It remains to be seen whether Birmingham can fulfil their ambition of becoming a top-flight side again before that particular year, but if there is anything which showcases the progress made under Knighthead, it was the emotional reception which came after Wagner returned to St. Andrew's on Sunday for the encapsulating 2-2 draw with Wolves.

The New York businessman has been recovering from a stroke from February onwards, with his last appearance in B9 beforehand coming on January 24th.

His return also saw Stansfield, who netted on the day, almost moved to tears in a post-match interview, and that sentiment was certainly shared right throughout the Birmingham fanbase.