The season that Curtis Davies has had typifies the problems that Blues have gone through. After a really tough start when his form took a real dip he’s steadily come back to form from Christmas onwards (barring a couple of blips) and whilst he’s done okay it’s been nowhere near the highs of last year.

The consensus around the media types connected to the club that I have spoken to is that they think Davies should be the player of the season. Whilst he’s not quite been the rock at the back of last year there is no denying that he’s had some very good games. Indeed, he’s been invaluable at both ends of the pitch, with six goals currently to his name (only Marlon King, Nikola Zigic and Wade Elliott have scored more for the team this year) to add to some excellent performances when it’s mattered at the back.

With Stephen Carr sidelined with injury and central defensive partner Steven Caldwell dropped for Paul Robinson, Davies has had to assume the mantle of captaincy of the Blues team as well. He doesn’t strike me as the most vocal of players, but I think it’s obvious that he’s trying to lead the team by example. There is clearly a footballing brain there; you only have to read his recent interview in the Birmingham Mail about the Millwall game to see that Davies is capable of seeing where the problems lie and giving honest, frank answers rather than the clichéd platitudes we come to expect from footballers.

I don’t think there is any surprise that there is a correlation between the upturn in Blues’ fortunes and the upturn in Davies’ form. I will freely admit that he struggled in the early part of the season and I did wonder as Christmas drew near if the rumours of his sale were getting to him. Make no mistake – other teams were interested and two late offers for Davies were refused on deadline day by Peter Pannu who clearly decided that Blues would be better served with the player than the money. With Curtis being one of the few players not out of contract come the end of the season the question is if Lee Clark will (as I understand he wants to) be able to build a team around Davies as his captain and rock in the heart of defence – should Blues be forced to sell the Leytonstone-born defender I think they will struggle to replace him with someone of equal talent to lead the team.

Being player of the season is more than just playing in every game. For me, it’s more than having a couple of standout moments or being the darling of fans. In a team that is full of loanees, journeymen and kids it’s important to have someone who can lead it in times of strife and I believe that Davies is that player for Blues. Whilst he might not have hit the heights of last season he’s been there to give his all. He’s led from the front – scoring twice at Barnsley from free kicks to win an incredibly important three points. He’s led from the back  – as at Peterborough where he and Caldwell held rock solid against a team that threw a lot against it in its desperation to win points. He’s richly deserving of a nomination for player of the season and I will freely admit that I will miss him greatly should we have to sell him.

Tags: Curtis Davies