Birmingham City go into the 2026-27 Championship with a clear split in their numbers. Their 44-point home record was the fourth best in the division, but they won only five away games last season and finished in the Championship's bottom six for away results. Only two clubs scored fewer away goals. The job for Chris Davies is plain enough: keep St Andrew's strong, then stop the road form from dragging them backwards.

Birmingham's home strength and away weakness

West Ham, Wolves, Burnley and Southampton are part of the early promotion picture, but Birmingham's own case starts with the basics. The home record gave them a platform, yet the away numbers were a problem all season. Five wins on the road is not close to the standard they need if the owners are likely to expect a top-eight finish as a minimum, as Richard Wilford said on BBC Radio WM.

Wilford's other line cuts to the point: "Last season they fell short on their travels - their five away wins put them in the Championship's bottom six and only two clubs scored fewer goals away from home." That is the part Birmingham have to fix first. If they can turn even some of those away draws and narrow defeats into wins, the home base becomes a strength rather than a mask.

Blackburn as the warning sign

Blackburn Rovers are the cautionary example in the same division. They won only four home games at Ewood Park last season, and that kind of return leaves very little margin anywhere else. Birmingham do not need to copy Blackburn's problem to understand it, they just need to see how quickly a weak home ground can flatten a campaign.

The Championship itself looks unusually open before a ball is kicked. Only four of the 24 clubs have parachute payments in 2026-27, and Southampton start with a four-point penalty after the spygate scandal. That gives the early table a different feel from a normal year, and it puts a premium on the clubs that can keep collecting points while others settle.

Birmingham's home form is already there. The question is whether they can make the away record stop being the obvious weak point when the season starts.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →