EXCLUSIVE: Chris Davies on League One promotion pressure, emphasizes importance of right mentality

New Birmingham boss Chris Davies knows his side will be under pressure next season to win promotion straight back to the Championship – and says they must have the right mentality to deal with it.

Davies takes over at St Andrew’s after serving as Ange Postecoglou’s assistant at Tottenham in the Premier League.

The Blues were relegated under interim manager Gary Rowett, who stepped in when Tony Mowbray took a medical leave. Mowbray later resigned to focus on his health.

Davies acknowledges that Birmingham will be seen as a top contender next season but emphasizes they won’t underestimate any opponent.

The 39-year-old said on the club’s official YouTube channel, “That mentality is very important.”

“We need to strike the right balance between being very ambitious and uncomfortable with being in League One, but at the same time fully respectful of the challenges and opposition we are going to face.

“It will be important for me to create that mentality amongst the team and the staff so everybody is clear about what is going to be expected.”

Davies also admitted that a big summer lies ahead at St Andrew’s, with some “key positions” the club needs to fill before the campaign gets under way on the weekend of August 10.

“Recruitment is critical for every team,” the new boss explained. “We have quite a few positions to fill so it is important that we do our work, but do it calmly and clearly to bring in the right type of characters.

“It is imperative that who we bring in fits what exactly we are trying to create here, both on the pitch and their behaviour off it.

“We have some key positions we need to fill and there are some quality, skilled people here who I have met already. They are working hard on that process and it will be a big focus for the next few weeks, getting that going.”

He continued: “It is important that your facilities and environment are good – yes, to attract players and almost be a symbol of the direction the club is going in, but also in terms of day-to-day work.

“We need to be working, preparing and recovering at a high level and from what I have seen of this training facility, it is everything I would want and ticks all those boxes.

“We can deliver a high quality service to the players to make sure we are ready for everything we are going to face.”