Birmingham ‘can take League One by storm’ under ex-Reading boss, legend says

Former England and Premier League great Emile Heskey has urged ex-Reading manager Chris Davies and his Birmingham City side to “take League One by storm”.

Heskey, with more than 100 Premier League goals and 62 England caps, spent two years with the Blues 20 years ago as part of a 22-year professional career.

Relegated to the third tier for the first time in over 30 years, the big players are expected to bounce straight back with heavy funding from new American owners.

Former Reading youngster and coach Davies takes up his first managerial role after spending years as assistant to Brendan Rodgers and Ange Postecoglu at Liverpool, Swansea City and most recently Tottenham Hotspur.

“I think Birmingham City can take League One by storm, 100 per cent,” Heskey told OLBG. “They have a new manager in Chris Davies so he will need time to work with the team and try to hit the ground running.

“He’s worked under some of the best managers out there. He’s worked under Brendan Rodgers, he’s worked under Jose Mourinho and more recently with Ange Postecoglu, so I think they have a very, very good chance.

“They have probably the best infrastructure out there, ready to come right back. When you look at Ipswich, maybe they could even do the same, come back and then go straight back to the Premier League.

“I think they’ve got a really good manager in terms of his philosophy and they’ve got a fantastic support network in terms of the fan base going away from them.

“They are also a realistic fan base. So they’re going to get behind them, they’re going to push them so they get right back up.”

Ruben Selles takes his Reading side to St Andrew’s on the opening day of the season, with the match televised live on Sky Sports.