Ben Davies never quite managed to become a regular at Rangers and it was seen as best for all concerned when he left on loan in the summer.
Birmingham City tied up a loan deal for the centre-half near the end of the transfer window, teaming him up again with Ibrox teammate Scott Wright who completed a permanent switch.
The 29-year-old would have been targeting more regular minutes after rarely featuring over the last couple of seasons and facing more competition after the signings of Robin Propper and Neraysho Kasanwirjo, with Propper and Souttar seemingly the preferred pairing at centre half.
Davies had spells in and out of the Gers team over his two seasons but only played eight times in the league in his final full campaign in royal blue.
There were some mistakes in high-profile games, including derbies, and supporters were never fully convinced.
Rangers loanee Davies finds a home at Birmingham
He was never going to find it easy to break in at Birmingham either with Christoph Klarer and Krystian Bielik already a settled pairing before his arrival.
But the Rangers loanee had a chance to step in when the latter was suspended and he has since been injured for the last two games, allowing Davies another chance to impress.
And he certainly seems to have done that with supporters pleased with what they are seeing.
Davies played alongisde Klarer last night as the table-topping Blues carried on their good form with a 2-0 win over Bolton.
Afterwards, one fan wrote on social media: “Ben Davies just quietly goes about his business. Solid and balances out the back four perfectly.”
Another said: “No Bielik no problem. Ben Davies has been quality every time he’s stepped in.”
While another one was quick to question Rangers fans’ assessment of the player, saying: “Rangers fans really said Ben Davies was bad…”
Davies’ own reaction to Birmingham display
The man himself had the chance to have his own say post-match when he was interviewed by club media.
He was chuffed with his night’s work as he discussed his partnership with Klarer and the challenge Bolton provided.
Davies told Birmingham’s club YouTube channel: “Yeah, it was a good win that. It was hard fought in the end because after a dominant first half Bolton came into it and had some chances. So to get that second goal and a clean sheet, it looks like it was a good night’s work and to be fair it was.
“The first half felt good, I feel like everyone was in tune. And we moved the ball really well and limited Bolton to not very much. So that felt good. That’s how we want to play, on top of teams and moving the ball well.
“Second half they changed a few things and brought some quality on, and made it a lot more difficult. We were under pressure so to get that penalty was a big moment.”
On his own progress, he added: “I think for me personally my fitness is getting better, minutes in the legs is helping. Chris has made it really easy to come into the team and play next to him. I think he’s had a great start to his career here, he’s dominant and easy to play with.
“The full-backs have been great too so it’s credit to all the players but also the staff as well.”
