Birmingham City

Image source, Getty Images

Midfielder Kanya Fujimoto has left Birmingham City to join J-League side Tokyo Verdy until the end of the season.

The 27-year-old joined Blues from Portugese side Gil Vicente in July 2025 but has made only five substitute appearances in the Championship along with two starts in the Carabao Cup, including this season in a 6-1 hammering by Brentford.

Fujimoto started his career with Tokyo Verdy and returns with the club second from bottom in Japan's top division and without a win from their opening seven games of the season.

Birmingham host Middlesbrough in the Championship on Saturday (15:00 BST).

Birmingham City are hoping to pick up their first home win of the season when they face Middlesbrough on Saturday (15:00 BST).

Boro head to the Midlands on a five-game unbeaten in in the Championship.

• Birmingham City have lost each of their past seven Championship games against Middlesbrough since a 2-0 win in October 2021 under Lee Bowyer.

• Middlesbrough have won seven of their past eight league visits to Birmingham, including their last five in a row since a 2-1 defeat in October 2019.

• Birmingham have drawn all three of their home games in the Championship this season, one of two sides to do so, along with Cardiff. The last sides to draw each of their first four home matches of a campaign in the division were both the Blues themselves and Ipswich in 2018-19 (both drew first 5).

• Middlesbrough have scored in each of their past 11 league games (W6 D4 L1); they last enjoyed a longer run in August 2018 (19 games).

• No side has earned more points from losing positions in the Championship this season than Middlesbrough (7), four of which have come across their last two matches against Norwich (3) and Millwall (1).

Image source, Shutterstock

We asked for your thoughts after Birmingham City's 2-1 win over Derby County at Pride Park.

Here are some of your comments:

Derby fans

PianoMan: As a Rams fan, it's painful to watch this. We are not a team right now. Too many errors caused by a lack of communication, confidence and knowledge of how John Eustace wants to play (if there is a strategy?).

We are shocking. Injuries are significant and we have to ask why... why so many players are injury prone. Recruitment need to look at this. We are in trouble. Teams know we are poor and can beat us.

Philip: Eustace has got to sort out our defensive weaknesses otherwise we will be so far behind the rest. The season will be over before it's started.

Daniel: Not good enough. Surely time's up for John Eustace?

David: Well done to Birmingham. We had plenty of possession, but I worry that our forward play is going to make this a tough season.

Kazzian: Another game with no ambition by Derby to win the game, totally devoid of ideas around the penalty area. Stood and watched Birmingham play football. One effort on goal at home in the first-half tells the story. Could and probably should have been 5-1. Dire.

Image source, Shutterstock

Birmingham fans

Tony R: A good away performance. Competent and measured. We looked decent in attack (Liam Millar did well again) and strong defensively (Christoph Klarer's best game of the season?). The sort of game we would probably have lost last season, so a big 'well done' to Davies and the players.

George: Desperately need to work on our finishing. I wouldn't say bringing on a host of defenders to manage the game is a good idea either. It invites what we saw at the end of the match, an onslaught. If it ain't broke, don't fix it Davies!

Major: A hard-fought, fully-deserved victory for Blues. So much better than the insipid loss up there a few months back. 10 points from a murderous row of opening fixtures should hopefully be a good platform to build on from here. Well done also to James Beadle, Bright Osayi-Samuel and Chris Davies for sticking it to the doubters!

KhanDjarin: What a signing Liam Millar has been so far. Lively start to his time in a Blues shirt!

James: What a game of football that is. Easily the best defensive performance from Birmingham this season and outstanding from Beadle in goal. How Luis Vasquez has missed that is beyond me, and it's not like it's the first time he's missed blatant opportunities. Unbelievable that Blues didn't score more but a win is a well-deserved after all.

Kym Smith
Fan writer

Image source, Shutterstock

After the loss at Norwich, there was more than a bit of tension in the away end at Pride Park on Saturday.

As any Blues fan will know, we have a real knack of not taking advantage of teams on a bad run of form.

Derby haven't had a great start to the season but they had noticeably pulled their socks up following their lacklustre performance against West Brom and were making themselves much more difficult to break down.

Bobby Clark's 40th-minute goal was in great danger of taking the joy out of the half-time pies, but Blues showed great resilience by going straight down the other end and equalising, courtesy of a wonderful diving header by Carlos Vicente.

It was good to see Jhon Solis back - we've missed his presence in midfield. As expected, he was subbed after an hour, but his replacement Paik Seung-ho was the one who came up with the winner that set the away end bouncing.

It's never over until it's over though, and while Blues were pushing for a third, Derby were desperate for an equaliser and the tension was increasing.

When we did get a rare opportunity to break, Luis Vazquez unfortunately produced one of the misses of the season when he put the ball over the bar from just two yards out.

There was a lot of added time because of Henrik Meister's injury for Derby and, by this time, the Rams had us pinned in our own half.

We eventually had seven defenders on the pitch and they were needed to counter what Derby were throwing at us. We finished the game on top after some epic defending.

What we do seem to be developing is some resilience, which you need in the marathon that is the Championship season. Middlesbrough are up next, and we're certainly going to need resilience to deal with them.

With thanks to the Derby fans who helped us remember the passing of young Paul Pike earlier this year. May he rest in peace.

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

Don't forget to tap the 'follow' button at the top of this page to stay up to date with the latest Birmingham City news.

Birmingham City manager Chris Davies spoke to BBC Radio WM following Saturday's 2-1 Championship win at Derby County.

"It was a game that had a bit of everything. I thought we were well worth the win and I thought we could have been a couple of goals up in the game," he said.

"Against the run of play it was a sloppy goal and we gave ourselves a bit of a challenge there.

"It was good to get the goal before half-time and after scoring the second goal, the determination, grit and mentality to defend the goal and be a team and grind out a win was the most pleasing thing of all."

Image source, Getty Images

Chris Davies says Birmingham's form has made him sure Blues can improve on their 10th-placed finish last season.

After picking up seven points from their opening five Championship matches Davies' side suffered a first defeat of the season at Norwich on Wednesday, their first in 11 matches across the end of last season and the start of this.

Before Saturday's trip to Derby, managed by former Blues boss John Eustace, Davies told BBC Radio WM: "We're looking more competitive. It feels to me we're close to being a really good team at this level, but we're just not quite there. We've got to keep pushing.

"We've had a really tough start with the fixtures. Once we get past the international break the fixtures certainly, on paper, get better for us.

"We have to come out of this period showing we can compete with some of the best teams in this league home and away."

Blues lie 15th in the table but have played Sheffield United, Bristol City, Wrexham, Southampton, Wolves and Norwich, who all harbour ambitions of fighting for promotion.

"I don't think anyone in the Championship had a harder start than us in terms of opposition," he said. "It's not an excuse it's a fact.

"We've got some decent results in this period - we've got to keep that same competitiveness and come out of it with a few more results and then we can really push on.

"I want us to be right up there. We've been competitive in every game, had some decent performances and results. We've acquitted ourselves well during that period but of course we want more points.

"We've been more consistent in our performance level this year than last year when we finished 10th. We've got to stick together and I'm sure we can have a better season than we did last season, from what I have seen so far."

Davies said he hopes Patrick Roberts and Jhon Solis can "play some part" in the game at Pride Park, which kicks off at 12:30 BST, after missing one and two games respectively through minor injuries.

Derby County have managed only one point from their opening three Championship games as they host Birmingham City on Saturday (12:30 BST).

Blues head to the east Midlands without a win in their past three league matches so both sides will be hoping for an upturn in form.

• Derby County have only lost two of their past 13 home league games against Birmingham City (W6 D5) - a 3-0 defeat in January 2016 and a 2-1 loss in April 2021.

• Birmingham have only lost one of their past five league games against Derby County (W2 D2), although it was their most recent, a 1-0 loss at Pride Park in March last season.

• Derby have lost their past two league games; the Rams last lost three in a row in March 2025.

• Birmingham have only won one of their past nine away league games (D3 L5), a 2-1 victory at Wrexham in August.

• No goalkeeper has made more saves in the Championship this season than Derby's Jacob Widell Zetterstrom (22).

Kym Smith
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Blues went to Carrow Road as the last undefeated team in the Championship, and with the pundits informing us that Norwich have never lost four consecutive games against us.

There is always a bit of foreboding when the stats are waiting to trip you up.

You know it's not going to be your night when your team has played the high press well and then gets a perfectly good goal chalked-off.

What we thought was going to be Liam Millar's first goal was denied by the offside flag, and closer inspection of the replays showed that he was more than likely onside.

Our woes were compounded a few minutes later when Oscar Schwartau's screamer put Norwich ahead. It was an excellent goal, but he was given far too much space to shoot.

Of course, when your luck is not in, being one down simply is not enough, and before the end of the first half Papa Diallo got a second for Norwich due to some pretty poor defending from Blues. Tomoki Iwata and Christoph Klarer seemed to be lacking in concentration.

We began the second half in a rather discombobulated state; in fact both teams were scrappy. The appearance of Alex Cochrane and Ethan Laird did seem to help, and we seemed to be able to put a bit more into attack.

Vicente pulled one back by tapping in a good cross from Millar, and it looked like it might be game on again.

James Beadle again kept us in it with a couple of good saves, but as I said at the start, sometimes it is just not your night, and this was never more evident than when Vicente could not finish the move started by Beadle's excellent long ball to Jay Stansfield.

It looked almost as though he wasn't sure whether to cross or shoot, and the ball squirted away to the right. We all had our heads in our hands with him.

It was a bit of a frustrating evening, and we're off to Pride Park for a lunchtime kick-off on Saturday. Maybe our luck will be in there.

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

Don't forget to tap the 'follow' button at the top of this page to stay up to date with the latest Birmingham City news.

Norwich City picked up their second home win of the Championship season by beating Birmingham City 2-1 at Carrow Road on Wednesday evening.

It stretches Blues' winless run to three games.

Here is what the supporters of both sides made of the match.

Norwich fans:

Andy: A hard-fought win, with lots of good chances created despite squad rotation ahead of the Middlesbrough and Manchester City matches.

Craig: Very scrappy performance, too many misplaced passes when not under pressure. Two good goals but not enough quality for automatic promotion. Jovon Makama had an instant impact and could lift this team into play-off contention. But to sustain a promotion push we need a midfield general who commands the ball, neither Kenny McLean or Pelle Mattson did that.

Patrick: Clement has us going in the right direction after some wasted years.

Giles: Norwich are starting to click, apparently we're 'managing minutes' with Jack Stacey coming in for Kellen Fisher. I'd always choose Fisher over Stacey but in Clement we trust.

Image source, Getty Images

Birmingham fans:

Chido: No attacking midfield. Square and back from Paik Seung-Ho and Tomoki Iwata. Norwich were very poor - two shots and two goals from defensive errors. We can't continue to not take our chances.

Steve: One league win so far. Chris Davies out, Eddie Howe in.

Bob: This league is hard enough without officials making mistakes that cost teams points. There should have been a sending off plus a goal which was clearly onside.

Alan Why does Chris Davies keep playing Tomoki Iwata and Paik Seung-Ho? We have needed creative midfield players for two seasons.

John: Birmingham believing their own hype. Norwich were well below par but still more decisive than Blues.

Image source, Getty Images

It is now three games without a win for Birmingham City in the Championship as they were beaten 2-1 at Norwich City on Wednesday evening.

Blues' goal came from Carlos Vicente just past the hour mark.

Birmingham manager Chris Davies told BBC Radio WM:

"It was very frustrating overall.

"We started really well, looked dangerous. We scored a goal I think was onside that was disallowed.

"I don't know what I can say on the officials but I can't remember a game where I've been so disappointed before.

"I couldn't believe some of the decisions but we are never going to win games if we defend like we did for their two goals.

"They haven't had to work hard to score. That cost us the game; that is not on. I wasn't happy at half time but we responded well. We gave ourselves too much to do away from home."

Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Opta

Something has to give as Norwich City welcome Birmingham City to Carrow Road on Wednesday (19:45 BST).

The Canaries have won two and lost three of their opening five games to lie a point behind Blues, who are one of just two unbeaten teams in the Championship, along with leaders Swansea.

Chris Davies' men have drawn four of their five matches, though their only win came in their last away game at Wrexham.

• Norwich have lost each of their past three league games against Birmingham City, never before losing four in a row to them.

• After their 2-1 win in this exact fixture last season, Birmingham could win back-to-back league visits to Norwich for the very first time, with this their 35th trip.

• Norwich have won each of their past three home league games played in midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday), last winning four in a row in December 2016.

• Birmingham have won just one of their past eight away league games (D3 L4), though it was a 2-1 victory at Wrexham in their last game on the road.

• Marvin Ducksch scored three goals in Birmingham's two Championship games against Norwich City last season, his most against any side in 2025-26.

Kym Smith
Fan writer

Image source, Nick Potts/PA Wire

Local derbies are often entertaining occasions in the league season, and we have an extra one this year with Wolves in the Championship.

Like us, Wolves have had a decent start to the season and they are certainly going to be in the hunt for at least a play-off place. They have plenty of firepower, but both teams have struggled to keep clean sheets, so goals were probably something to expect.

The standout incident at the start of the game was the appearance of Tom Wagner in the stands for the first time since February.

To quote poet William Ernest Henley, he looked "beaten but unbowed" - strokes need lengthy rehabilitation, but he received a rapturous greeting from the fans. We all hope he continues to recover well.

There was a shock start when Wolves dangerman Fer Lopez scored with their first attack, while Blues were still waking up. We seemed a bit rattled after this, and Wolves were definitely the better team for the first 20 minutes.

Jay Stansfield got us back into the game with a vicious strike past Jose Sa, notching his first goal of the season and setting St Andrew's bouncing.

The status quo didn't last long though, as we were caught out on a corner and Ladislav Krejci was able to power a header past James Beadle.

Then before the end of the half, we had one of those "derby day moments" when Jackson Tchatchoua turned and passed the ball back to his keeper – except it ended up in the net for a contender for bizarre own goal of the season.

Blues had a completely unexpected equaliser and there was pandemonium.

A game to remember for quite a few reasons; Stansfield off the mark to end his goal drought, a jaw dropping own goal and best of all, the return of Tom Wagner.

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

Don't forget to tap the 'follow' button at the top of this page to stay up to date with the latest Birmingham City news.

Richard Wilford
BBC Radio WM

Image source, PA Media

Tom Wagner's entrance was initially only noticed by those closest to the director's box as the Blues chairman eased down the steps to his front-row seat.

Once the rest of the crowd spotted the American, there was a huge roar - this was a long-awaited moment.

The toll his illness has taken on the 57-year-old was plain to see, with a prominent scar on his head and his left arm sporting a sling.

His presence in the stadium mid-recovery was nonetheless significant, serving as a sign that Knighthead's ambitious plans for the club can reasonably be assumed to be on track.

The club's owners are not a one-man band. But Wagner is the figurehead, the charismatic presence and the man capable of influencing political and business leaders.

His return to St Andrew's was inevitably emotional, borne out by almost tearful tributes paid by goalscorer and record-signing Jay Stansfield in his post-match media duties.

Everyone involved with Birmingham City needed to see Tom Wagner. And he knew that.

Adam Cottier
BBC Radio 5 Live reporter

Image source, Shutterstock

It was a captivating game of football: a full-throttle local derby.

More than eight years on from their last meeting, Birmingham and Wolves went toe-to-toe with great vigour. The stadium was full, voices were loud and the emotion was felt as Birmingham's co-owner and chairman Tom Wagner returned to St Andrew's to a marvellous welcome from the home fans.

And what joy there was around him when Jay Stansfield scored in spectacular fashion - only his third goal since last November.

Jackson Tchatchoua's own goal was comical and Adam Armstrong's late miss was arguably even worse of a blunder. So yes, there was some fortune, but anything less than a point would have been tremendously harsh on Birmingham.

They maintained their unbeaten run with an aggressive performance, unlucky with their own chances, especially in the second half when they had more about them than Wolves.

When I last saw Birmingham they produced a drab showing, losing at Derby near the end of last season, a game where they waited more than an hour to have any sort of attempt at goal.

Now they seem to have added an extra layer to their approach. Centre-backs Christoph Klarer and Phil Neumann are a real presence in both boxes. James Beadle in goal made a splendid save when Wolves were 1-0 up - a crucial point in such a chaotic match. And Liam Millar looked a real livewire on his debut.

I know from speaking to a lot of Birmingham fans that manager Chris Davies has divided opinion - but my impression is that Blues are continuing to make progress.

St Andrew's was really buzzing on Sunday lunchtime, inside and outside the stadium. A far cry from the days a few years ago when a fair amount of the seating areas were closed for renovation, with the club bound for its short stay in League One.

Image source, Opta

Birmingham City welcome Wolves for the first West Midlands derby between the two sides for eight years on Sunday (12:30 BST kick-off).

Blues are unbeaten in their opening four Championship games, albeit just one of those was a victory, while they have drawn the other three.

Wolves suffered their first defeat of the season on Tuesday night, going down 4-2 at West Ham but Cesar Peixoto's side remain near the top of the table in fourth position at this early stage of the campaign before the weekend's action begins.

• This will be the first season in which Birmingham City and Wolverhampton Wanderers will face in the league since 2017-18, when Wolves completed a Championship double over their rivals.

• Wolves are looking to win three successive league games against Birmingham City for the first time since December 1999. They have also won their past three league visits to St Andrew's.

• Birmingham are unbeaten in nine league games (W4 D5), their longest run in the Championship since February 2020 (10).

• Wolves have won just one of their previous 23 away league outings (D6 L16), losing 4-2 at West Ham last time out.

• Wolves' Jose Sa is without a clean sheet in any of his past nine league starts – he is one of two goalkeepers to concede over two goals more than expected according to Opta's expected goals on target model (2.1) in the Championship this season alongside Burnley's Max Weiss (3.4).