On the rollercoaster ride that is Birmingham City Football Club’s performance, it’s fair to say
that the 2020/21 season ended on a profoundly different note from how it started – with the
exception of the last two results. Under the waste of space Aitor Karanka, what
started as a low-scoring but defensively astute team ended up both struggling to score and
shipping goals through inconsistency.
With ten games to go, in came former player and Carling Cup Winner, Lee Bowyer with his primary aim, per BCFC, to lift everybody. He certainly achieved this feat, getting results, consistency, and a fairly swift
guarantee that the Blues would remain in the Championship. Now, the honeymoon period is
over, and the new manager must turn to improving performances and fixing the issues that
plagued Birmingham throughout last season.
The Bowyer Boost Indicates a More Successful 2021/22 Season
In just ten games (21.7% of the total 46 games of the league), Bowyer earned 32.7% of
Blues final count of 52 points, 17 points through five wins and two draws. This
superb showing also included a six-game unbeaten run, something that wouldn’t, or couldn’t, have happened under Karanka. The 11 goals scored on his watch also amounted to 29.7% of the team’s total 37. Both the struggles for consistency and goals turned around with Bowyer’s appointment.
The total 2020/21 campaign ended with two strikers splitting 15 goals – neither in double-
digits – followed by two centre-backs on four goals apiece to forge the club’s top scorers.
While all but impossible to achieve, were the side to replicate these results across a 46-game
Championship season, it’d see us land around 78 points – (good for fifth last season) –
and about 50 goals (good for 12th last season). Despite the stark turnaround caused by
Bowyer, Marathonbet still has the Blues at 40/1 to win the league.
The Championship is a very competitive league, making it a challenge to win. However the prize of
playing in the Premier League brings the reward should success come. We have added a few new players, which will bring creativity, but we do still need to bolster the squad so the hope is there a few more new faces to follow.
We Must Score More Goals This Season
For Blues to climb the table, we have to score far more than we have done in recent seasons. The end of last season looked a lot better, as mentioned, and with the addition of Chuks Aneke, hopefully that will happen. As detailed by the BBC, the London-native follows Bowyer up from Charlton Athletic, having enjoyed a 15-goal season in League One. What’s most impressive about the 6-foot-3 striker’s record is that he did it while averaging only 40 minutes per appearance.
Of course to score you need players who can provide for the forwards and the addition of 26-year-old winger Jordan Graham is welcome. Once an Witton prospect, a very untimely knee ligaments injury saw him left-back when he was at Wolves when they suddenly shot up the tiers, per Birmingham Mail. After being given ample pitch time in League One with Gillingham, Graham has proven that he’s still got
bundles of flair, finishing with 13 goals and nine assists.
A couple of other attack-minded players who look set to make an impact are a new loanee
and a player returning from a loan. The highly-rated winger Tahith Chong will be at
Bowyer’s disposal, and while he’s yet to stack a stats sheet yet, his creativity and drive could
prove a real asset in the Championship. Returning is attacking midfielder Fran Villalba, who
put up seven-goal contributions for UD Almería last season.
With some defensive reinforcements joining too, such as Sanderson, Lee Bowyer appears to be building a squad to, at the very least, improve on last season.
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