Chris Davies is not interested in the memes.
While Luis Vazquez’s miss at Derby County did the rounds online, clipped, replayed and ridiculed alongside some of the most infamous blunders in football, the Birmingham City head coach has already filed it under one word: freak.
“He could do that 100 times and score 100 goals,” Davies told BBC Radio WM, brushing aside the social media storm that followed the Argentine’s late howler in the 2-1 win at Pride Park. One swing, one miss, and a week of viral infamy. On the inside of the club, though, the reaction has been very different.
A miss that went viral – and a manager who didn’t blink
Vazquez, still waiting for his first league start and his first league goal for Blues, had the chance every striker craves: a simple finish to kill the game, open his account and change the narrative around him. Instead, it joined the catalogue of great misses, mentioned in the same breath as Roger Davies and Ronny Rosenthal.
The internet loved it. Davies refused to.
“He’s a tough cookie. He’s shown no signs of fragility,” the Blues boss said. Rather than let the moment linger, he went straight to his striker after the final whistle at Derby, making sure the conversation happened before the noise outside could grow.
“I made a point to talk to him straight after the game last Saturday,” Davies explained. The message was clear: the miss does not define you.
Training this week backed that up. When Vazquez struck a “good goal” in a session, as Davies put it, the reaction from the squad told its own story. “He got a big cheer from the lads.” Dressing rooms can be unforgiving places. This one chose solidarity.
Waiting for the first one
Vazquez’s situation is a familiar one in Championship football. New country, new league, limited minutes, no goal yet. Every chance starts to feel heavier than the last. Davies knows that weight as well as anyone.
“He’s so desperate to score,” he admitted. “And we so want him to score. As soon as that first one goes in, it will all be forgotten about.”
That is the truth at this level. The clip that did the rounds last weekend will be buried the moment Vazquez finally finds the net in a league game. The memes stop. The narrative flips. The striker who missed a sitter becomes the forward who kept going and broke his duck.
For now, the wait continues. But the manager’s faith is not up for debate.
Strong on the road, questions at home
While Vazquez wrestles with his own search for a first goal, Birmingham’s wider story under Davies is taking shape.
Seven points from four away games is no small return in a division as unforgiving as the Championship. Trips to Sheffield United, Wrexham, Norwich City and Derby County have yielded two wins, a draw and just one defeat, at Carrow Road. The away form has bite.
Home, though, is a different puzzle.
As Middlesbrough arrive at St Andrew’s this Saturday, Blues are still looking for a first home win of the league campaign. Bristol City, Southampton and Wolves have all left with a point after 2-2, 1-1 and 2-2 draws respectively. Goals are coming, but so are frustrations.
Davies is not blind to the contrast. The next step in his early tenure is obvious: turn those home stalemates into something more.
A tougher start, a better team
Strip away the noise around one missed chance and one missing home win, and the numbers paint a quieter, more reassuring picture.
“We’ve got the same amount of points as we did this time last season, but we’re a better team,” Davies said. It was not a boast, more a statement of where he believes his side now stand after what he has been repeatedly told was as testing an opening schedule as any in the division.
“We’re more of an attacking threat, but we also look a bit more solid and more of a team.”
That balance matters. Birmingham have shown they can trade punches going forward without losing their shape at the back. Davies still sees “room for improvement in a few areas,” yet he is not about to apologise for the start they have made.
“We can’t say we’re not pleased with the start we’ve made, given the challenge we had,” he said. Tough fixtures, new ideas, and a squad still bedding in – and they have kept pace with last year’s points haul.
Built on commitment
If there is a line that sums up Davies’ view of his team, it comes when he talks about what they do without the ball.
“Our love of defending is clear to see. It’s as good as scoring a goal.”
That is not a throwaway remark. It is a glimpse into the culture he is trying to build. Systems can be tweaked, shapes can be redrawn, but he keeps coming back to the same foundation.
“That takes you a long way. So much gets talked about systems but you can’t get away from commitment.”
Commitment to the press. Commitment to the block. Commitment to a striker who has just missed the chance of the season and has to walk back into the dressing room and face his team-mates.
On Saturday, St Andrew’s will look for its first league win of the season and Luis Vazquez will hope for his first goal. One result, one finish, and the mood music around both could change in an instant.
How quickly Birmingham can turn promise into something more tangible will tell us plenty about where this campaign is really heading.
