Birmingham City: Tom Wagner warned over repeating John Eustace mistake with Chris Davies | OneFootball

Blues have started life in League One excellently, but a past experience with their ownership could be a cause for concern.

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...

Birmingham City have started life in League One brilliantly, and are currently top of the table after their first nine matches.

Their 1-0 defeat to Charlton Athletic last Saturday at The Valley was their first loss of the season, but seven wins and one draw has seen them go a point clear at the summit ahead of Wrexham, who have played a game more than Chris Davies' side.

Nevertheless, a 4-0 victory over Shrewsbury Town in the EFL Trophy means that they enter the international break on a positive note, and they will be hoping to continue their march back to the Championship in their next fixture away to Lincoln City.

Since taking over the club in July 2023, it has not been the easiest of times for American businessman Tom Wagner on the pitch, but this season has seen Blues start to fulfill their potential at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park and beyond, with supporters fully behind the American owner despite relegation earlier this year.

But, a decision made by Wagner early on in his tenure may still have fans worrying if the team starts to suffer from a slump in form.

Sacking of John Eustace should not be repeated with Chris Davies by Birmingham City

John Eustace was sacked by Birmingham in October 2023, with the team sixth in the Championship - a decision that seemed bizarre at the time.

Wayne Rooney was seemingly headhunted for the role straight away, but failed to meet the high standards that his predecessor had set, and by the time he was sacked in January 2024, it was possibly too late to stop the inevitable.

Blues were relegated at the end of last season, and Wagner stated in April his regret at making the decision to sack the current Blackburn Rovers manager.

While it is likely that he has learned from his mistakes, there could be a fear that something similar could happen again.

Football League World asked their Birmingham Fan Pundit, Mike Gibbs, about what one demand he had for the owner of the club, and he told FLW: "I'm not necessarily sure it's a demand of the owner, but it would be, you know, let's not make the same mistakes we've done in the past.

"If we have a bit of a difficult sticky patch, let's keep the faith in the manager, keep the faith in what he's trying to do and what he's trying to build, let's not undo the hard work with rash, silly decisions.

"Chris Davies is not John Eustace, he's obviously playing the type of offensive, forward-thinking football that the owners want, but I just hope that they don't make any rash, silly decisions really."

Chris Davies should be safe at Birmingham City if he continues current run of form

While past experiences could play on the minds of those who support Birmingham, Davies seems to be fairly safe in his job following the start of the season.

Obviously, it must be noted that a disastrous turn of form could see him sacked, but with Blues top of League One, it seems unlikely that this could happen in the near future.

Davies has got the team playing fantastic football, demonstrated clearly by their second goal against Shrewsbury in the EFL Trophy.

Their lightning quick passing and the movement of their midfield makes them an intimidating opponent for anybody in the third tier.

If they continue to play the way they are, there is no doubt that Birmingham will return to the Championship, and with the financial backing that their owner has already given them, they could be challenging towards the top of the second tier next season.