Birmingham City Manager Chris Davies Backs Striker Luis Vazquez

Chris Davies is not for turning. Not on Luis Vazquez.

All week, the Argentine striker’s late miss at Derby County has been replayed, clipped, slowed down and turned into a punchline. A sitter in a 2-1 win became internet currency, lumped in with the infamous howlers of Roger Davies and Ronny Rosenthal.

Inside the Birmingham City camp, it has been treated very differently.

‘A freak’ – and forgotten inside the camp

Ahead of Middlesbrough’s visit to St Andrew’s on Saturday, Davies brushed the whole thing aside with a firm shake of the head.

“A freak,” he called it.

“He could do that 100 times and score 100 goals,” he told BBC Radio WM. “It can only make him stronger.”

No arm’s-length management here. Davies went straight to Vazquez after the final whistle at Pride Park.

“I made a point to talk to him straight after the game last Saturday,” he said. “He’s a tough cookie. He’s shown no signs of fragility.”

The dressing room backed that up on the grass this week. When Vazquez buried a “good goal” in training, the reaction from his team-mates was instant.

“He got a big cheer from the lads,” Davies revealed. The message was clear: you’re still one of us, and your moment will come.

Waiting for the first one

Vazquez is still chasing his first league goal for Blues. He has yet to start a Championship game, used so far as an impact option from the bench, and that miss at Derby would have finally broken his duck.

Davies knows exactly what that first strike would mean.

“He’s so desperate to score,” he said. “And we so want him to score. As soon as that first one goes in, it will all be forgotten about.”

The manager is banking on the same thing every striker craves: once the net ripples once, the noise dies down and the goals usually follow. Until then, the spotlight lingers.

Strong on the road, questions at home

While the Vazquez clip has dominated timelines, Davies’ broader picture at Birmingham looks far more stable.

Seven points from a possible 12 away from home – at Sheffield United, Wrexham, Norwich City and Derby County – represents a solid return. Norwich remains their only defeat in that run.

The puzzle lies back at St Andrew’s.

Blues have yet to win at home in the league this season, drawing 2-2 with Bristol City, 1-1 with Southampton and 2-2 with Wolves. Goals have not been the issue; closing games out has.

That contrast – rugged and efficient on the road, still searching for a ruthless edge at home – now frames Saturday’s meeting with Middlesbrough.

‘We’re a better team’

Davies, though, is content with the foundations laid across the opening weeks, especially given the warnings he heard about the fixture list.

He has been reminded often that Birmingham’s start was as demanding as almost any in the Championship. He does not disagree, but he does like what he sees.

“We’ve got the same amount of points as we did this time last season, but we’re a better team,” he said.

“We’re more of an attacking threat, but we also look a bit more solid and more of a team.”

There is no glossing over the work still to do.

“There’s still room for improvement in a few areas,” Davies admitted, “but we can’t say we’re not pleased with the start we’ve made, given the challenge we had.”

Built on commitment and a ‘love of defending’

For all the talk of systems and shapes, Davies keeps coming back to something more basic, more old-fashioned.

“Our love of defending is clear to see,” he said. “It’s as good as scoring a goal.

“That takes you a long way. So much gets talked about systems but you can’t get away from commitment.”

That is the standard he is setting: forwards chased by memes are backed, not buried; defenders are praised as loudly as scorers; and home form is treated as a problem to solve, not a crisis to fear.

Middlesbrough at St Andrew’s will test all of that. The only question now is whether Birmingham’s faith – in their structure, in their steel, and in Vazquez – finally turns into a home win and a first roar for their waiting striker.