Birmingham City chairman Tom Wagner has been to view St Andrew’s amid the redevelopment that has been ongoing during the summer months.
Birmingham City chairman Tom Wagner confesses he felt a touch emotional as he witnessed the significant alterations made at St Andrew’s over the summer. Tonight, in memory of club great Trevor Francis, who died a year ago on this day, the Blues will welcome Rangers in a pre-season friendly, opening the doors to fans for the first time since the club’s heartbreaking relegation from the Championship in May.
That relegation, however, has not deterred Knighthead from expanding all areas of Blues as a club; in fact, as Wagner points out, they have expedited the initiative on all fronts, from matchday hospitality to transfer business. St Andrew’s has already received a lot of TLC since Knighthead took over a year ago, inheriting an asbestos catastrophe left by Trillion Trophy Asia.
New screens have been built, safe standing has been established, and the club’s culinary facilities have been renovated. All of this, and more, is the consequence of Knighthead’s long-standing vision and investment, which Blues fans will be able to enjoy during the upcoming home games.
“Many of the areas will be unrecognizable to fans when they return,” Wagner told BluesTV. “I’d seen the graphics before work started, and it was still breathtaking when I came in. It was really emotional to see what had been accomplished in such a short amount of time. I’m excited to see how supporters react when they see it for the first time.
“We understand what we did well and where we need to improve. Some of our off-field accomplishments were beyond our expectations. We are all aware that our performance on the field was well below what we expected and would demand. We haven’t considered stepping back. We are accelerating everything.
“We’re moving forward with every initiative. Despite relegation, we are determined to improve our squad this season. I am convinced that will be the case, putting us in a good position to compete this year and beyond. That is the goal.
