Chris Davies waving goodbye to Birmingham City? Footage emerges and it's dividing Blues fans | OneFootball

What he did after the full-time whistle at Fratton Park has sparked debate.

Birmingham City's final game of the Championship season went rather like their season as a whole: it showed plenty of promise but ultimately fell below expectations.

Chris Davies' side came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw at Portsmouth, courtesy of August Priske's equaliser, meaning that they finished in 10th and nine points adrift of the play-offs.

While a top-half finish on your return to the second tier would usually be a commendable achievement, there was significant hype around the West Midlands club at the start of the campaign, with many tipping them for successive promotions given their hefty backing and sky-high ambition.

At full-time, Davies waved goodbye to the cohort of Birmingham supporters who made the journey down to the South Coast, and many think he was waving farewell as Blues boss.

Was Chris Davies waving goodbye to Birmingham City?

Davies took charge of his 110th game as Birmingham manager on Saturday in what has been a largely successful stint at St Andrews @ Kinghthead Park.

The 41-year-old took over as Blues boss in the summer of 2024 following the short spells of caretaker managers Mark Venus and Gary Rowett, with the clear non-negotiable of achieving promotion to the Championship.

Indeed, that objective was never in doubt as the Blues spent substantially to bring Jay Stansfield to the club from Fulham, breaking the League One transfer record by some distance, while Alfie May, Tomoki Itawa and Christoph Klarer were all smart additions.

The Blues waltzed to the third-tier title, notching 111 points, a record points tally for that division, finishing nine points clear of rivals Wrexham.

However, Davies would have known that his true judgment would come in the Championship, where there would be heightened expectations amid the club's pursuit of Premier League football.

After the full-time whistle at Fratton Park, Davies was filmed waving to the Birmingham faithful before patting his players on the back and walking off the pitch, and many believe that he was waving goodbye for the final time as Blues boss.

What next for Davies and the Blues?

Birmingham were well-placed to reach the Championship top six, but after a poor run of form at the end of the season, they finished some way off.

While many questioned whether Davies was the man for the long term, that form has convinced many that he should not be allowed to take the club forward.

Football League World exclusively revealed that the Blues were considering a highly ambitious swoop for former Tottenham head coach Thomas Frank should the club relieve Davies of his duties at the end of the campaign.

Frank did a stellar job while in charge of Brentford, taking them from the Championship to becoming a stable Premier League club, providing strong foundations for current boss Keith Andrews.

Birmingham's current manager has been criticised by local journalists for the club's poor run of form and his selection, which is said to have crossed a line with a chunk of supporters who have lost faith in the 41-year-old.

The West Midlands outfit certainly find themselves in a critical moment as they must decide whether to give the man who got them promoted another chance or whether to wield the axe and bring in a more experienced, successful name to take them forward.