Birmingham City praised for one particular thing at St Andrew's - "Pre-Knighthead it was shocking" | OneFootball

FLW have asked our Birmingham fan pundit about the atmosphere at St Andrew's and his response singled out one particular change that they've made.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

It's been a mixed start to the new season for Birmingham City, with a solid start disrupted by three defeats in their last four matches dropping them to the middle of the Championship table.

But while these defeats have prompted some degree of speculation over whether the team can manage a second successive promotion this season, in an overall sense the atmosphere around the club has been transformed. The arrival of new owners, Knighthead, has certainly improved the mood around St Andrew's.

Last season was a dream season for Blues fans, with the club running up an EFL record 111 points in securing the League One title and making a quick return to the Championship. With this all in mind, FLW have spoken to our resident Birmingham fan pundit about the atmosphere at St Andrew's after seven games of the new season.

Keep Right On hailed as the song which helps Birmingham City the most on matchdays

FLW's Blues fan pundit, Jason Moore, is particularly happy with one element of the Birmingham pre-match routine which has changed since the club came under new ownership: "Atmosphere-wise at the Blues, you know what, it's banging now, to be fair. I quite like the atmosphere at the Blues.

"At the start of the game they do a slow version of 'Keep Right On', I think the DJ during the pre-match build-up does a good job. He gets everyone riled up, and to be fair, the atmosphere around the club is pretty good and that helps with the atmosphere in the stadium."

Jason can clearly see the contrast between the atmosphere at St Andrew's now and how it was under the club's previous owners: "Pre-Knighthead it was shocking, it was pretty poor, but no, right here right now it's pretty good, and we back the lads pretty well, especially that Keep Right On just before kick-off."

He believes that this one song makes a huge difference to the atmosphere around St Andrew's on match-days: "We do a very slow version of it. I love it. I'm going to be biased, I think it's the best song in the football world, and the fact that we do a slow version just before kick-off is just different."

He also feels that slowing this song right down has one quite specific effect, which benefits the atmosphere around the ground before kick-off: "It's also good when the opposition fans are singing. We belt that out, and it's a slow version. There's quite a big pause between it and they to pipe it up to give them some backing, and we drown them out, so it's miles better."

Keep Right On To The End of the Road has been Birmingham City's song for 70 years

This year marks the 70th anniversary of Keep Right On To The End Of The Road's association with Birmingham City. First written and performed by the Scottish music hall legend Harry Lauder in 1924 and first recorded two years later, it was adopted by the club during their 1955-56 run to the FA Cup final, a match which ended in a 3-1 defeat to Manchester City at Wembley.

And the song has persisted in the hearts of Birmingham City fans ever since. In 2011, when they reached the EFL Cup final, it sent Lauder into the charts, reaching number 23 in the Independent Singles Charts. It's not the oldest known football song - that honour belongs to On The Ball, City at Norwich, the origins of which are somewhat disputed but can be traced back to the Edwardian era.

But more than a hundred years on from its first performance and seven decades after it was first adopted at St Andrew's, Keep Right On To End Of The Road retains its place as one of the songs most associated with one club. And while Birmingham City may be going through a slightly sticky patch on the pitch at the moment, Blues fans will be fervently hoping that, in this case, 'the end of the road' means a return to the Premier League for the first time since 2011.