Birmingham City look to be coasting to promotion back up to the Championship at the first time of asking, with Chris Davies’ Blues sitting pretty at the top of the League One table currently.
Of course, fans of other clubs in the third tier will be hoping that Birmingham don’t walk the league in order to make the division more exciting, but the numbers suggest that the ex-Premier League club should win promotion comfortably with only loss next to their name from 12 games.
Davies in the St. Andrew’s hot seat should be commended for how quickly he’s managed to get the new-look Blues side firing on all cylinders to take the tricky league by storm, with Tomoki Iwata sticking out as one consistently impressive performer under the 39-year-old manager’s tenure.
Iwata's form this season
Away from the flashy signing of Jay Stansfield from Fulham, Birmingham did think about their summer business in through the door methodically – as opposed to just throwing money at an instant attempt at promotion – with Iwata joining from Celtic a far more low-key deal.
Snapping up the Japanese midfielder, who Davies worked with closely as Ange Postecoglou’s assistant manager at Celtic, has proven to be a stunning bit of business, with the 27-year-old an overwhelming fan’s favourite already for his relentless work ethic in the middle of the park.
On top of his energetic displays winning over waves of Birmingham supporters, Iwata has also managed to find the back of the net four times in all competitions alongside picking up one assist, which included this first-time effort getting the better of Bolton Wanderers goalkeeper Luke Southwood earlier this month in a confident 2-0 victory.
Everpresent in his manager’s XIs for his side’s last eight League One games, the ex-Celtic man feels like a crucial glue for the Blues centrally, as more and more wins begin to be eyed up in the third tier.
In another reality, Birmingham could well be laughing even more in the midfield positions with this former Blues flop returning to the club, who is now outperforming Iwata at his current employers.
The ex-Birmingham midfielder now outperforming Iwata
The player in question here is Daniel Crowley, a name that might ring a bell with Arsenal fans as much as it does for those with connections to the League One table toppers, with the former Gunners youth player tipped for big things once upon a time in North London.
The 5 foot 9 midfielder would never go on to make a senior appearance for his ex-employers, but he would boast six goals from 36 appearances for the U21s, alongside receiving some glowing words from Arsene Wenger in 2016, who labelled Crowley as a “special” talent when he was still on the books of the Premier League giants.
He struggled after being let go of by Arsenal, becoming somewhat of a nomad playing out in the Netherlands, before an opportunity in the English game popped back up with Birmingham in 2019.
It would prove to be another flat stint of the attacking midfielder’s career away from the luxuries of the Emirates, with only two goals and five assists coming his way at St. Andrew’s from 45 contests, prior to departing at the end of his contract in the summer of 2021.
Stat – per 90 mins*
Crowley
Iwata
Games played
12
8
Goals scored
3
3
Assists
3
1
Big chances missed
3
0
Big chances created
8
2
Touches*
93.3
70.6
Accurate passes*
68.1 (92%)
52.6 (88%)
But, Crowley has certainly found his mojo playing for Notts County in the here and now, with the midfielder bettering Iwata’s league numbers playing for the Magpies this campaign so far, namely bagging six goals and assists, with an astounding 93.3 touches averaged per League Two clash.
The ex-Arsenal man has also picked up an additional assist in the EFL Cup to take his glowing goal contribution numbers to seven from 13 clashes in all competitions, matching the amount he managed for Birmingham across 45 mostly forgettable appearances, while also bettering Iwata’s return of five goal involvements in ten games for the Blues.
Key for the fourth-tier side over many seasons now, with this delicate effort against Bradford City sticking out as one sublime strike from his Magpies back catalogue, it’s clear that Crowley and his current employers are just made for each other.
The same can be said for Iwata and Birmingham, as Davies and Co continue to thank their lucky stars they went after the 27-year-old in the summer.
Birmingham had the original version of Bellingham but sold him for just £3m
Birmingham City sold their original version of Jude Bellingham for just £3m.
2 ByKelan SarsonOct 25, 2024