What Chris Davies said on the day Birmingham City appointed him - supporters are surely proud | OneFootball

Davies' first season with Blues couldn't have gone much better.

Just 11 months ago, Birmingham City concluded their long-standing search for Tony Mowbray's successor after it was revealed the 61-year-old wouldn't oversee matters in the dugout at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park.

After a chaotic season which saw no less than six permanent or interim managers installed in B9, long-term stability and ambition continued to be the buzzwords coming from Tom Wagner and those in the boardroom, as Blues prepared for their first stint at League One level since Barry Fry's double-winning season back in 1994/95.

Plenty of experienced and highly-rated managers were linked after Mowbray's departure was confirmed, which included the likes of Alex Neil, Liam Rosenior and current Coventry City boss, Frank Lampard.

The appointment of Chris Davies seemed rather left-field at the time. However, Wagner's immediate reaction that the new man in the hotseat was the standout candidate in a search which looked into nigh on 1,000 coaches, as well as Davies' resume as a coach and assistant, gave supporters plenty of confidence and belief heading into the new season.

But, what was the 40-year-old's initial reaction to landing a manager's job for the first time in his career at a club which demanded instant success? FLW rewound the clock to last June to find out...

Chris Davies' initial reaction after appointment as Birmingham City manager

Davies was given a four-year contract following his appointment in this half of the Second City, with the instant remit of promotion back to the second-tier, as well as then-CEO, Garry Cook, outlining that a "Championship-ready squad" would be assembled in the transfer window.

The setback of relegation only added to Knighthead's confidence and defiant mentality when it came to the well-documented rebuilding job Blues would undergo, with the former Liverpool, Leicester City, Celtic and Tottenham Hotspur assistant immediately referencing the short and long-term ambition spelled out by Wagner.

After being described as a "perfect fit for Blues," by Cook, Davies' first words to Bluenoses via the club website were: “I am proud and honoured to be the manager of Birmingham City.

"As soon as I spoke with Tom, Garry, Tom Brady, and other board members it was clear to me how passionate and committed the board and all of the Football Leadership Team are to bringing success to this club.

“It is a club with an ambition that reflects my own, and a plan to make it a reality. It is such an exciting time to be at Blues. I can’t wait to get started, meeting everyone at the Club and speaking to our supporters," he added.

"I will give everything to build an attacking team that reflects this great city, and most importantly to produce a team that our supporters can be proud of. Let’s go," Davies concluded.

Birmingham City supporters will be immensely proud of Chris Davies' achievements

Despite coming under the microscope for a divisional and club-record spending spree which included the permanent capture of Jay Stansfield on a seven-year contract, Davies' first year at St Andrew's couldn't have gone any better.

His side have become immortals in club and EFL history throughout a campaign which has seen them smash a whole abundance of long-standing and remarkable records, with the eventual 111-point haul defeating previous global tallies set by Red Star Belgrade and Verdy Kawasaki.

It took some time for Davies' star-studded Birmingham squad to become accustomed to having to break several low-blocks down, especially at St Andrew's, but his side ended the season as the division's top scorers with a tally of 84 goals scored, as well as having the meanest defence with just 31 concessions.

The first of those two points, in the eyes of FLW's resident Bluenose, Mike Gibbs, also makes him somewhat underrated, despite winning the third-tier's Manager of the Season award.

"Whilst he's done an absolutely fantastic job, I think for a lot of people on the face of it, the amount of money spent, a lot of people would probably argue he's bought his way to the title - so I think his achievements will probably be a little bit underrated," he said.

"I think there's no doubt he's an exceptional coach and even with the money that we spent, the set-up of the team, how we played, how he basically took a team that was a counter-attacking, low-block, low possession team and turn it into basically the opposite, deserves a lot of praise."

The former Spurs boss has constantly referenced the club's vision, which is emphasised by the continued plans to build a 60,000-capacity stadium and 'Sports Quarter' complex just a short distance away from St Andrew's, which highlights that he is clearly in it for the long haul, and that his connection with supporters looks set to grow even bigger.