Birmingham City will be keen to follow Aston Villa blueprint | OneFootball

Birmingham City can take inspiration from events across the Second City in recent years, where Villa have enjoyed a renaissance

Despite the fact the on-field gap between the two clubs is at its highest since the mid-1990s, the rivalry between Birmingham City and Aston Villa will never dissipate.

Whilst Blues are currently riding the crest of an extremely positive wave under Chris Davies and the American investment group, Knighthead Capital Management, supporters will no doubt feel a sense of envy as Villa continue to flourish towards the top end of both the Premier League and UEFA Champions League standings.

Tom Wagner hasn't held back when it comes to stating his immediate and long-term ambitions at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park, holding onto the dream of seeing his club return to the top flight by 2026.

And, in order to achieve such a feat, the club will hope to emulate the recent success of their bitter foes, who had to take a step back before making such great strides under Unai Emery and NSWE.

Aston Villa took a step back in order to move forward

Just eight years ago, the B6 outfit found themselves in the Championship for the first time in 28 years, after the toxicity which summed up the latter stages of Randy Lerner's tenure as owner culminated in relegation.

Even throughout their time in the second tier, it would come to the fore that the club were far from stable under Tony Xia's stewardship, despite an improvement under Steve Bruce on the pitch between October 2016 and May 2018.

However, after almost ceasing to exist, the stability and forward-thinking provided by Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris saw the club end their 3-year stint in the Championship after a remarkable run under Dean Smith, which ended in a 2-1 success over Derby County at Wembley, before retaining their Premier League status on the final day of the following season.

At that point, it was clear that NSWE had the intentions of returning Villa to the European stage for the first time since 2009, and apart from the lull which was suffered in the final weeks of Smith's tenure and the subsequent Steven Gerrard era, the club has hardly looked back.

A remarkable run which saw the club into the UEFA Conference League also attracted a higher calibre of players, such as Youri Tielemans, Pau Torres and Moussa Diaby, whilst the continued development of those acquired under previous managers from the EFL such as Ollie Watkins, Matty Cash and Ezri Konsa has been laid bare for all to see.

John McGinn has remained the continuous link from the club's Championship days to their current standpoint, and serves as a reminder just how impressive the club's rise has been, which has seen them defeat Young Boys, Bayern Munich, Bologna and RB Leipzig in European football's top competition this term.

Although Blues fans would no doubt like the club to operate in a unique fashion, they can't ignore what has occurred at Villa Park, which is a blueprint that can be followed.

Birmingham City will look to emulate Aston Villa's success story

It is clear that Wagner and Garry Cook have both stability and progression at the forefront of their minds when it comes to Blues, which was showcased in on-pitch matters when the club invested a record-breaking fee and seven-year contract when acquiring Jay Stansfield on a permanent basis.

Of course, the difficulty which Blues face is that they have to navigate both League One and the Championship before looking to get on an even keel with those in the Premier League.

However, it has been proven that such ambitions aren't impossible by Ipswich Town, although an investment of over £107m on summer transfers for a side currently sitting in the relegation zone further emphasises the gulf between those in the top flight and those in the EFL.

Despite suffering relegation last term, it has been said that there hasn't been this much of a feel-good factor in B9 since the EFL Cup success over Arsenal 13 years ago, which is a testament to the work which Knighthead have put in behind-the-scenes and on the pitch,

This includes a complete renovation of St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park in the short-term, as well as the ambitions of a 'Sports Quarter' complex, which would match Villa's ambitions of extending their grand-old stadium to a capacity of over 50,000.

“We want something that fits in the community and critically it’s important that this doesn’t look like a blight on the skyline of Birmingham and that it fits within the context of the city and more importantly, the neighbourhood," The aforementioned Wagner stated earlier in the year.

This season isn't the first time in the club's history where Birmingham will look to make huge strides forward after a setback, with numerous comparisons being drawn to their last campaign at this level back in 1994/95, when Barry Fry's outfit secured a third tier and EFL Trophy double - a feat which Chris Davies is still on course to match after progressing against Exeter City on Tuesday night.

Despite being far from flawless in a handful of outings thus far, Davies has assembled a squad which has showcased great character, a willingness to play where required - epitomised by Taylor Gardner-Hickman - as well as the well-documented quality which runs through the core after a record-breaking spending spree.

It is clear that the short-term aim of a Championship return is the most crucial ambition at present, although the hope of emulating Villa's recent success and becoming a strong force will not die off in B9 anytime soon.