Birmingham City

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Birmingham City boss Chris Davies, Southampton's Tonda Eckert, Kim Hellberg of Middlesbrough and Portsmouth head coach John Mousinho have been nominated for the Championship's Manager of the Month award for October.

Davies led Blues to four wins from their five league games last month which included a victory at West Midlands rivals West Bromwich Albion.

Southampton continued their strong start to the season in October with 13 points from their five unbeaten matches under Eckert to move into the top eight in the Championship table.

Hellberg took Middlesbrough to the top of the table last month as his side scored 14 goals in their five games which produced 13 points.

Portsmouth's October started with a derby defeat by Southampton before Mousinho's side went on a five-match unbeaten run, securing 11 points and moving into play-off contention.

The winner will be announced on Friday, 13 November.

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The Football Association (FA) have contacted Birmingham City for an explanation after objects were thrown on to the field during the Blues' win over Swansea City last weekend.

The game at St Andrew's was interrupted in the second half as Swansea goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux complained that missiles were being thrown from the crowd.

Birmingham have now issued a statement, external saying "the actions of a very small minority cast a shadow over" their 2-1 win.

"Several objects were thrown onto the pitch from the Tilton End. This is completely unacceptable. There is no place for this behaviour at Birmingham City Football Club," the club said.

"The incidents were reported by the referee to the Football Association who have contacted the club for an explanation of the events. The club is working closely with the police and assisting them with their enquiries.

"We will support the police with its investigations to ensure the appropriate action is taken against anyone who is identified to have broken the law."

Former Bromley boss Andy Woodman joins Aaron Paul and Jobi McAnuff in the latest episode of the 72+ podcast. He lifts the lid on life after leaving Bromley and what's next for him.

They discuss the top of the Championship, with just one point separating the top five.

At the other end of the Championship, what's happening with Bristol City, who currently lie 17th in the league under former Lincoln manager Michael Skubala – and when is the right time for a manager to make the jump up?

In League Two, it's been a less than desirable start for Crawley Town who are bottom of the Football League and out of the FA Cup after being beaten by seventh-tier Wimborne – where do they go from here? Elsewhere in the FA Cup, Plymouth Parkway assistant manager Matt Godfrey drops by after their win – and with Barnet on the horizon.

And after Shrewsbury Town's new ownership is confirmed, what's next for them?

Listen to the full episode above or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

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Tom Brady's overnight departure from Birmingham City has created a few headlines.

Blues, top of the Championship for the first time since October 2008, are currently in the best place they have been in since Brady arrived in such a fanfare of publicity in August 2023 - and now seems a good time to quit while he is ahead.

Is the minority co-owner's exit quite the story that it is being made to appear?

This will actually feel like the merest ripple in a bucket of water.

Brady's role at the club was actually very minor.

Right from the start it was a case of somebody with a big name throwing a bit of publicity behind Blues with the club hopefully then trying to make a bit of money on the back of it.

Maybe he's a little bit bored? Maybe he's just very, very busy.

He had only ever been in light touch. He has not been seen anywhere near St Andrew's in over a year.

He only ever visited two matches at home - and one at Wembley - in terms of coming over.

The main message on social media that does come over is that the important Tom is the other Tom - Blues chairman Tom Wagner.

He continues his recovery from his illness and he was at the Swansea match on Saturday.

He's had a rough ride over the last few months but he remains the force behind the club and he continues to have his hand on the tiller.

Wagner brought Brady in because they were friends and they had invested in a Pickleball League together

Beyond that, I don't think this is huge.

The faith they've showed in manager Chris Davies is now showing its benefit on the field

And, as for all those references to Brady's Blues? In fact, he was just a tiny shareholder. Really, it was all just a bit of fun while it lasted.

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We asked for your thoughts after Birmingham City beat Swansea City 2-1 at St Andrew's in the Championship.

Victory for Blues was their seventh win in their past nine games and took them top of the table.

Here are some of your comments:

Brad: This season feels so different to last. More threat, stronger defensively and it looks like there's a genuine resilience. Cripes I'm hopeful!

Anthony: I thought Birmingham played well without ever dominating against a very good Swansea side. It was a shame that one side had to suffer a sending-off as the game was building towards being a very interesting contest. I think Birmingham nearly paid the price for substituting two of their more influential players too early. Millar in particular was proving a real threat every time he received the ball. I was very relieved when the final whistle went to provide us with another victory.

Kevin: Blues are looking stronger and more solid and gelled as a team as the season progresses. You can see the confidence the players now have in ball possession and distribution. Chris Davies has to take a lot of credit for his tactical changes at the right times during most recent games this season. I think two to three quality signings in the January transfer window and Birmingham could be on the verge of an automatic promotion slot. KRO.

Mick: Top of the league says everything.

Liam: Should have gone in 3-0 at half time. Second half didn't play with any rhythm to our passing. To be fair to Swansea they pressed really well with ten men. Stanno's goal was the icing on the cake to win it. It's a tough league and as results have shown anyone can beat anybody. KRO.

Roger: At a goal up and then against 10 men I thought the lads could have been a bit more ruthless, but credit to Swansea. Good to see Jay back in the scoring mood.

John: A win is a win, but they looked tired and their spark was missing. Chris has done a great job so far. I hope it will continue after the two-week break. KRO.

Birmingham City and Swansea City appear to be heading in different directions as they prepare to face each other at St Andrew's on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

Blues have won six of their past eight games (D1 L1) to rise to third on the table with a chance of rising to the top if things go their way this weekend.

Their only loss in that time was to Cardiff City though and while their next trip to Wales will be against a side who have lost three of their past four (W1), Swansea could make it another miserable crossing of the border.

The Swans are on the same amount of points as Birmingham and will be hoping they can reclaim their spot at the apex to restabilise after their bad string of results.

• Birmingham are unbeaten in their last 10 league games against Swansea (W4 D6) since a 3-1 home loss in July 2020.

• Swansea are winless in their last five away league games against Birmingham (D2 L3), having been unbeaten in their previous five at St Andrew's (W2 D3).

• Birmingham are unbeaten in their last 10 home league games (W6 D4), winning the last three by an aggregate score of 10-0. They last won four in a row without conceding in the second tier (or higher) in April 2007.

• Swansea have lost three of their last four league games (W1), more than they had in their previous 17 (W10 D5 L2).

• Alex Cochrane has scored in each of his last two league games (2 goals), as many goals as he'd scored in his first 75 league appearances for Birmingham.

Kym Smith
Fan writer

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Prior to Tuesday night's kick-off, the news that both August Priske and James Beadle were out was slightly concerning.

Most of Millwall's team are over six feet tall and we would need as much height in the squad as possible,

In the event, Alex Cochrane magnificently knocked them off their stride with less than a minute on the clock; I can't remember the last time we scored that quickly.

The whole of the first half was a comprehensive dismantling of a team that were only a few points behind us in the table.

If there was a fly in the ointment at all, it was that we seemed to take our foot off the gas in the second half. If we really are going to make a concerted attack on the top of the table, we're going to need a bit more killer instinct.

The stats show that the promoted teams consistently score a lot of goals, so we have to keep working on our attacking play.

On the goals conceded side, we're doing really well and fingers crossed, there won't be any injuries or suspensions for Christoph Klarer and Phil Neumann. I can't help feeling a bit sorry for Dael Fry though; he's barely seeing the light of day at the moment.

Something that is really helping us at the moment is the quality of the players we can put on the wing. Liam Millar and Patrick Roberts are currently first choice, but Carlos Vicente and Demarai Gray are well capable of continuing the pressure on opposition defenders when they are subbed on.

And once again, a shoutout for Jay Stansfield. He got the goal he has been craving and it was great to hear the ground erupt with his name. He contributes so much to the press in every game, and had two really good opportunities on Saturday.

It's one of those three-game weeks again, so can we get nine points out of nine? Swansea are going to be a tough opponent on Saturday; they slipped up against Portsmouth on Tuesday and will want to put things right.

Both of us are going to be looking for another three points to take into the international break.

Hear and read more from Kym Smith on Birmingham Hospital Radio, external

Birmingham City boss Chris Davies spoke to BBC Radio WM after the 3-0 win over Millwall lifted Blues up to second in the Championship.

"Getting a margin in a game is wonderful because you have a cushion to work with. Getting a goal after a minute... it's a great strike," Davies said.

"We were well worth it. We were fluid, aggressive in the press, and didn't give them time or a lot away. It was an excellent first half. The second half could have been better, in patches, but I am pleased overall.

"Millwall are a very good team and tricky to play against, with big, strong centre-backs, but there was space around them to exploit. This season we look better at set-pieces but also on counter-attacks.

"The league table is temporary at the moment. Two years ago when I came in, this club had been relegated out of the league and were in League One. We have come a long way since then.

"We feel we deserve to be where we are. There is a long way to go but it is nice for us to be up and around the top part of the league and we need to do our best to stay up there."

Listen to Chris Davies' full post-match interview above or on BBC Sounds here.

Both Birmingham City and Millwall returned to winning ways in the Championship at the weekend and meet in the Midlands on Tuesday night (20:00 GMT).

Blues have won only two of their six home games so far this season but are one of four Championship sides yet to be beaten by an away side.

• Birmingham have won just two of their past 13 league games against Millwall (D6 L5), though one of those was a 4-0 victory in this exact fixture last season.

• Millwall are winless in six away league games against Birmingham, with five consecutive draws being followed by a 4-0 loss last season.

• Birmingham are unbeaten in nine home league games (W5 D4), beating Preston 4-0 and QPR 3-0 in their past two. They last won three in a row without conceding in the second tier (or higher) in March 2009.

• Millwall have lost three of their past five away league games (W1 D1), more than they had in their previous 16 on the road (W9 D5).

• Millwall have scored first in five of their six Championship away games so far this season, but have failed to win more of those (D1 L2) than they've won (2).

Kym Smith
Fan writer

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Our last away outing to Cardiff had been underwhelming in many ways, not least of which that we seemed to forget to turn up.

Lincoln City presented an opportunity to put things right before we face two very tough home games.

We always seem to take a few minutes to get started and, to be honest, we rode our luck a bit when the Imps managed to bounce a shot off the post.

It was August Priske to the rescue again though - we'd missed him last Saturday and his two goals were instinctive.

The key point of the game was Lincoln getting one back almost immediately after our second goal.

Last season that would have induced some real anxiety in the squad and we mightn't have got much out of the game.

Our resilience is still improving and we were able to brush off a small setback and carry on pushing for three points.

Again, Jay Stansfield was instrumental in making the Blues press happen, and it was really bad luck that he wasn't on the scoresheet himself.

I think that now Priske is scoring, it is going to take the pressure off him and he'll start getting goals again.

And just for clarity, I think Ethan Laird was lucky to only get a yellow card.

The main concern from Saturday was James Beadle being subbed at half-time. Hopefully he will recover from his knock by Tuesday.

Ryan Allsop was perhaps unlucky with the Lincoln goal, but there will always be questions as to whether Beadle would have stopped that one.

However, Allsop's distribution is very good, which he demonstrated by providing the assist for Cochrane's first goal of the season.

We're back at home twice this week, but both of these games could be stinkers.

Millwall are a few points behind us but their team is packed with tall players that will really test us – and of course, we need to remember the danger of the returning player with Lyndon Dykes coming back to St Andrew's.

After that, we have to focus quickly and think about how to get past Swansea, who are still second despite a couple of recent losses.

Buckle up…

Hear and read more from Kym Smith on Birmingham Hospital Radio, external

Birmingham City returned to winning ways with a 3-1 victory at Lincoln City in the Championship on Saturday.

We asked for the views of both sets of fans and here is a selection of what they had to say.

LINCOLN FANS

Paul - The big lesson to learn is that you have to take your chances in the Championship. Birmingham proved just that.

Nigel - Lincoln outplayed by a very good Birmingham side. The long ball tactics failed the mighty Imps. We make it hard for ourselves when we constantly gift the ball to the opposition.

Stephen - Played to their strengths, if the key moments in the match had gone our way the scoreline would have been so different. Ethan Laird should have been sent off for the high boot, Lincoln had a clear penalty refused.

Brian - If Lincoln drop down into the relegation places, they will not get out and will need new coach.

Steve - Lacking intent, width and any real idea.

BIRMINGHAM FANS

Richard - A game dominated by the long ball. First half was physical with a number of yellow cards and plenty of head tennis. Quality football was missing. Blues' centre-backs were excellent but we must get better to challenge for promotion.

Donald - Good win but keep the ball on the floor. All the best teams look to accurate passing and speed.

Patron - Well done you guys. Could be playing Villa next season with any amount of luck.

Bob - A great team performance.

Birmingham City boss Chris Davies spoke to BBC Radio WM after the win against Lincoln City. For a written selection of his quotes, click here

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Birmingham can establish themselves in the Championship promotion race if they can quickly rediscover their momentum, Blues podcaster Craig Courtney says.

Blues saw a three-match winning streak, and a five-game unbeaten run ended by a meek 1-0 defeat at Cardiff on Saturday but remain seventh in the table, just three points outside the automatic promotion places ahead of Saturday's trip to Lincoln (12:30 GMT).

Speaking on BBC Radio WM's football phone-in on Wednesday, Courtney of the Tilton Talk podcast said: "Saturday was a little bit of a glitch. We've just got to bounce back from what was a poor performance.

"Nobody is running away with [the league]. Every team seems capable of beating each other on the day. It's arguably the hardest league in the world.

"I think it could be us. It's all about momentum. Last season Coventry didn't have the strongest squad, they had momentum and camaraderie.

"It's not about having the highest-paid players; it's about a team that can be resilient, scrape a 1-0 and, when they need to, have a horrible game that everybody thinks was rubbish but you get three points out of it."

Courtney reckons boss Chris Davies would have given his players "a rocket" after Saturday's performance, adding: "Davies is not afraid to tell people when the team hasn't turned up.

"Some fans think he might be a little bit on the soft side, but I wouldn't have fancied being in the dressing room after a performance like that.

"We did miss August Priske; he's not the out-and-out goalscorer that we'd like, but he is a nuisance player and drags defenders all over the place, creating space and opportunities for other players.

"Luis Vasquez, for me, has got to show us what he's worth; at the moment we haven't seen that as fans. We've got to see that little bit more.

"Do we perhaps put Patrick Roberts in that Jay Stansfield role and perhaps put Stanno up front to try and create the nuisance?"

BBC Radio WM Football Phone-In is weeknights 6-7pm