Birmingham City’s opening Championship match of the season at home to Ipswich Town is growing ever closer.
It would be quite the statement to make on the end of the Blues if they were to get the better of the recently relegated Tractor Boys on the first, action-packed night of the division, with a win being the best possible way to storm out of the traps and to ease any potential nerves.
The aim for the reigning League One champions will be to achieve the unbelievable feat of back-to-back promotions up to the Premier League, with the first month of the season, and beyond, making it clear to everyone if Davies’ men are made of stern enough stuff to secure this wild goal.
If they were to triumphantly leap into the Premier League, this would be the first time the West Midlands side had played in the top division since the 2010/11 season, with forgotten heroes from Birmingham’s past, such as Nicola Zigic, leading the line all that time ago.
Zigic’s heroics at Birmingham
Birmingham supporters have likely put Zigic’s exploits to the back of their mind for some time now, with the likes of Jay Stansfield and Alfie May being cheered on instead.
However, looking back on the 6-foot-8 Serbian’s career at St. Andrew’s will be tinged with lots of pleasant nostalgia, with his most memorable contribution in Birmingham blue coming when he headed home the opener against Arsenal in 2011 at Wembley, as Alex McLeish’s men surprisingly lifted the League Cup.
Across a varied career that saw him play in Spain for Valencia, alongside lining up for several different sides in his native Serbia, Zigic is likely most fondly remembered by Birmingham fans, with the towering giant ending his 158-game association with the club by netting 36 goals and picking up 18 assists.
Seven of those efforts would be picked up during his final full season in England as Birmingham bravely staved off relegation in the Championship, as his ability to be in the right place, at the right time to score a vital goal for the Blues won him cult hero status.
One brand new striker target on Birmingham’s rumoured shopping list will hope he’s remembered in a similarly glowing way down the line, as the experienced goal machine in question looks to secure a deal to join Davies’ ranks before the early September deadline.
Adding in another striker to Davies’ camp might well feel like a wasted move, considering the Blues boss already has Kyogo Furuhashi and the aforementioned Stansfield ready for selection.
Yet, if Birmingham were to win the services of Werder Bremen star Marvin Ducksch – who the Championship side are ‘quietly confident’ about winning as per recent reports by GIVEMESPORT – the 31-year-old should be able to offer the second-tier newcomers something unique in attack, much like Zigic gifted the Blues all those years ago.
For starters, Ducksch would be entering into his new surroundings at St. Andrew’s as a seasoned attacking option that won’t be fearful of the testing Championship, with Zigic also possessing that same level of calmness when walking through the door in 2010 as a 29-year-old menace from Valencia.
Moreover, the 31-year-old would also be moving to England with lots of pedigree attached to his name. Zigic was very much in the same boat when he made the daring move from Spain to St. Andrew’s, having bagged 59 goals in total for Valencia, Racing Santander, and Red Star Belgrade.
|
Ducksch’s career numbers in Germany by division |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Division played in |
Games played |
Goals scored |
Assists |
|
Bundesliga |
130 |
34 |
28 |
|
2. Bundesliga |
138 |
71 |
34 |
|
3. Liga |
54 |
19 |
14 |
|
Sourced by Transfermarkt |
|||
His goal-heavy 6-foot-2 counterpart has even more strikes to shout about when plying his trade all across his native Germany, with a stunning combined haul of 124 strikes tallied up by Ducksch as he made his way up the German pyramid, all the way to the top in the Bundesliga.
This sublime goalscoring form for Bremen and many other sides has resulted in the robust attacker even being labelled as “extraordinary” by teammate Mitchell Weiser for what he can offer up top.
Zigic was often referred to in a similarly positive tone at St. Andrew’s – with one of his ex-Blues bosses Lee Clark dubbing him “extremely talented” – as Davies and Co. in the here and now hope their ongoing pursuit of Ducksch results in them winning an up-to-date iteration of the much-loved colossus.
