Birmingham City need to battle with expectation in League One

Although football is not played on paper, it is fair to claim that Birmingham City has one of the strongest squads in League One at face value.

Turning the clock back just ten months, Tom Wagner’s much-anticipated takeover of B9 was finalized, and the team John Eustace had at his disposal was changed by only 12 signings.

These featured a slew of well-known Championship players as the club sought to move away from the continual threat of relegation, which they would eventually succumb to on the final day of a tumultuous and catastrophic season.

Tyler Roberts’ continued misfortune after moving to Birmingham City

For one of those dozen, moving to St Andrew’s at Knighthead Park appeared to be a new beginning after a difficult era.

That’s in reference to former Leeds United attacker Tyler Roberts, who returned to the West Midlands just five years after leaving West Bromwich Albion for Elland Road for a reputed £2.5 million fee.

Roberts played 61 minutes in the opening-day tie with Swansea City before suffering a calf injury the day before the Blues defeated his former team 1-0, weeks after dealing with a groin issue.

This kept the 20-time Wales international out of action until a 33-minute cameo in Wayne Rooney’s 3-1 Boxing Day thumping of Stoke City, who lasted only two more games in the B9 dugout, with Roberts again appearing as a substitute in both games.

Roberts’ inconsistent pattern of game time continued under Tony Mowbray, Mark Venus, and, most recently, Gary Rowett, with only eight starts in 17 Championship appearances, leaving many supporters disappointed but giving the 25-year-old more motivation to silence the critics, with three years remaining on his contract.

Relegation could be a blessing in disguise for Tyler Roberts

In the grand scheme of things, relegation was a crushing blow to the club’s ambitions. However, the club’s return to League One for the first time since 1994/95 may be considered as providing a stronger foundation from which to develop momentum.

This is a similar perspective that Roberts must adopt, as he will prioritize an injury-free preseason after being on the losing end in terms of regular minutes and opportunities to shine.

Birmingham’s relegation also marked the end of Jay Stansfield’s loan tenure with the club, with the Fulham striker serving as the one bright spot in a poor performance, scoring 12 goals in 43 Championship matches. Meanwhile, Roberts, along with Scott Hogan and Lukas Jutkiewicz, combined for only four goals throughout the season.

With Stansfield back at Craven Cottage and Hogan released, the League One campaign represents a perfect opportunity for the attacker to find the net on a regular basis – if he can stay healthy and consistent in his play, something he has struggled to do at times throughout his career.

Birmingham’s wide players, such as Keshi Anderson and Koji Miyoshi, should step up and offer Roberts with the necessary support for him to thrive, with double figures a possibly realistic goal.

Birmingham City need to deal with expectation in League One

As previously said, Birmingham will be among the strong favourites for promotion at the first attempt, leaving it up to the players and whoever succeeds the aforementioned Mowbray to deal with the high expectations.

Returning to Roberts, the attacker contributed to Leeds United’s eventual promotion back to the Premier League under Marcelo Bielsa with some strong individual performances, none more so than a 4-0 demolition of Hull City in February 2020, so he must draw on those experiences for his own good, as well as the team’s overall benefit, if they are to be among the early-season pacesetters.

Many will be interested to see how the forward does during the season, but it might be vital for his career as a whole.