Thanks to Sunday’s comeback victory over Dundee United, Philippe Clement’s Rangers are currently enjoying their longest unbeaten run of the Scottish Premiership season.
A run which looked under threat once Sam Dalby put Jim Goodwin’s side ahead, but was made safe as Mohamed Diomande turned on the style at Tannadice, drawing Rangers level with a thumping drive before Robin Propper and the irrepressible Cyriel Dessers secured all three points.
Rangers have now won four and drawn three of their seven games since that Boxing Day reverse at St Mirren.
Their previous longest run without defeat came towards the back end of 2024, between a defeat away to Aberdeen and that aforementioned slip up at the SMiSA Stadium.
But if a seven-game unbeaten stretch has the Ibrox faithful hoping for a respectable end to a troubled campaign, it’s nothing compared to the stretch Birmingham City, and a couple of former Gers players, are enjoying south of the border.
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Rangers loanee Ben Davies driving Birmingham City’s title charge
While Scott Wright’s impact at Birmingham has been restricted by injury since his debut goal against Wigan Athletic in August, centre-back Ben Davies has barely missed a game or put a foot wrong for that matter.
Now, considering the pulling power and the financial might of Birmingham compared to their League One rivals – Wright and Davies would walk into many a Championship side, let alone a third-tier one – few will be surprised to see that former Celtic assistant Chris Davies has The Blues two points clear at the top of the table heading into the business end of the season.
But, title favourites or not, 12 games without defeat takes some doing. Birmingham are still a long way off their club record tally of 20, set in the mid-1990s, but few would bet against The Blues coming close.
In fact, given that Ben Davies missed November’s shock 3-2 loss at Shrewsbury Town, the Rangers loanee can lay claim to a 15-game unbeaten run when he is on the pitch in a Birmingham shirt. A run which goes all the way back to the start of October.
Tuesday’s 1-0 win at Huddersfield Town, meanwhile, ensures that Birmingham have kept a clean sheet in ten of those 15 games.
BSo en ‘the Brick Wall’ Davies, to use the description given to him by The Blues’ official social media channels, can genuinely lay claim to being perhaps the biggest reason why Birmingham – a side constructed upon a rock-solid defensive foundation – have their destiny in one hand and the League One title in the other.
Permanent exit on the cards for Davies as Kieran Dowell joins him at Birmingham
The experienced Davies does not appear to have much of a future at his parent club. He will have slipped even further down Philippe Clement’s pecking order as the ‘amazing’ Clinton Nsiala steps effortlessly into Rangers’ first-team picture.
But with Birmingham boasting deeper pockets than most, and with a return to the Championship feeling increasingly inevitable, Rangers too should stand to benefit from Davies’ return to prominence south of the border.
Because Birmingham’s first act, once promotion is secured, will surely be to tie down the steel-coated centre-half who provided the basis for a title-winning campaign.
Davies has now been joined at St Andrew’s by another familiar face, meanwhile. Birmingham boss Chris Davies was ‘so excited’ to land Kieran Dowell from Rangers on another loan deal. And, speaking following the confirmation of his move to England’s second city, Dowell opened up on the role Davies and Wright played in his decision.
“I was in and out at Rangers and I thought it was time for a fresh start,” said Dowell, before making his Birmingham debut off the bench at Huddersfield in midweek. “After speaking to [Davies and Wright], it felt right.
“It’s happened really fast. I’ve been in touch with the manager and Craig [Gardner, technical director] this week and they are both really ambitious about where the club is going. The lads are flying at the minute, top of the league, and there’s a really positive feel about the place.
“It’s a good chance for me to come and play football, and play for a team that dominates the ball and is winning a lot of games. I spoke to the manager and was sold on how he wants to play. He showed me how the lads have played in a few games this season.
“Throughout my career I feel I’ve done well in teams that want to keep possession and dominate the ball, so hopefully it will be the same.”
