Blues fans entered the summer full of hope and excitement, even though their team had been demoted from the Championship at the conclusion of the previous campaign.
Supporters in the Second City’s blue quarters have united behind Tom Wagner’s ambitious initiative, which he spearheaded after taking over the club last year under the Knighthead corporation.
In an attempt to leave through the League One trapdoor at the first attempt, the Blues have invested unfathomable sums of money in the playing team and made major and much-needed repairs to the stadium, now known as “St Andrews @ Knighthead Park,” during the early phases of Wagner’s ownership.
With 12 goals in the Championship during his season-long loan from Fulham, Stansfield left a lasting impact. The young striker was coveted by Blues throughout the summer, and he even scored against them in a Carabao Cup match a few days before returning to the team for an allegedly outrageous initial fee of £15 million, smashing the previous League One transfer record, though conflicting reports have surfaced.
The impact of Jay Stansfield on Birmingham City and League One
Few were left to challenge Stansfield’s devastating potential in League One this season after his impressive performance in the Championship. That is precisely how it has turned out, at least thus far.
After scoring twice in his team’s 3-1 victory over Hollywood rivals and promotion-chasing Wrexham, Stansfield netted his third goal of the year in their 2-0 success over Rotherham United on Saturday afternoon. Stansfield has now scored in both of his first two games back at Blues.
The 21-year-old has showcased his flexibility in that time too, as he played off the right-hand side during the win against Rotherham. Such versatility will be needed for all of Blues’ striking candidates, of course, as Chris Davies also has Lyndon Dykes and last season’s League One top goalscorer in Alfie May to call upon.
Birmingham have embarked upon an unsurprisingly positive start to life in the third-tier and they are now the only side to remain unbeaten so far, winning five of their opening six encounters.
| League One standings, as of September 24 | ||||
| Position | Team | P | GD | Pts |
| 1st | Wrexham | 7 | +8 | 16 |
| 2nd | Birmingham City | 6 | +7 | 16 |
| 3rd | Barnsley | 7 | +2 | 13 |
| 4th | Charlton Athletic | 7 | +2 | 13 |
| 5th | Huddersfield Town | 6 | +5 | 12 |
| 6th | Lincoln City | 6 | +4 | 11 |
They will face further tests against Peterborough United and promotion-chasing duo Huddersfield Town and Charlton Athletic in their next three affairs. However, with Stansfield now in the ranks and already firing on all cylinders, it is difficult to envisage just who can manage to subdue Davies’ blockbuster side at all this year.
Jay Stansfield and Birmingham City can prove critics wrong in the long-term
You could already make a case that Stansfield is beginning to disprove the doubters, who, it must be said, were well within their reason to question the deal.
Birmingham’s outlay for Stansfield’s signature is alien to this level and such a fee may never be shelled out below the Championship again, and the financial ramifications that could occur in the unlikely event that they fail to achieve promotion could be damaging.
But he appears capable of leading Blues back to the Championship already, and it would be a small reward for their investment. Nevertheless, with Stansfield, Birmingham will be looking at the wider picture.
Everyone can see that they want to play in the Premier League in the not-too-distant future, and Stansfield will undoubtedly be a key player in making those goals come true.
They are projected to add even more to their already strong roster for the upcoming season, thus they are on pace to succeed as well. Their current team is probably competitive at the championship level.
It’s understandable why the acquisition was questioned at the time, but it’s also understandable why Stansfield might end up being a great investment in the long term. If he fulfills his personal potential, Birmingham will undoubtedly turn a profit for him, and they hope that will happen when they eventually make their way back to the top division.
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