Friday 21 August 2015 21:46, UK
After resisting the temptation to seek pastures new, Clayton Donaldson feels he made the right choice to sign a new Birmingham deal, and tells Pete Hall that the club's Premier League ambition helped persuade him to put pen to paper.
It has been a tumultuous few years for Birmingham City since relegation from the Premier League.
Championship play-off heartache in 2012 was followed by a disappointing mid-table finish the following season, before the rot really set in.
Lee Clark's Birmingham avoided relegation with the last kick on the last day of the 2013/14 season at Bolton – a near miss which gave the club a huge wake-up call.
A huge influx of players arrived the following summer, with Donaldson being one, and he immediately was made aware of the magnitude of that escape.
"The club had just avoided relegation the season before, and I can imagine that season was very tough," Donaldson told Sky Sports.
"But everyone just breathed a sigh of relief and moved on. It was a huge scare with the dramatic last game, but it made everyone aware that if you don't do as well as you can you can be looking at relegation – it stood us in good stead for last season to go through all that.
"We brought in nine or 10 new signings, and that helped get it out of everyone's heads, and that we are a club that can aim higher. Birmingham City should be in the Premier League, not in League One."
A poor start to the last campaign saw Clark relieved of his duties, and Gary Rowett take charge.
The modern-thinking coach instigated immediate change, and Donaldson's goals helped Birmingham turn their season around and finish 10th.
Such form saw the former Brentford hitman targeted by the likes of Reading in the summer, but Donaldson elected to sign a new deal at St Andrews, despite being made aware of interest from elsewhere, and revealed his manager's determination to keep him made putting pen to paper a no-brainer.
"Players these days are aware of interest in them," Donaldson added. "You hear it on Sky Sports News or read it in the newspapers, or your agent gets wind of it – it can't be avoided.
"Obviously you have that thought would the grass be greener elsewhere, would it be a good move for me? But we finished the season well, and thought we are on to a good thing here under the manager.
"I knew there was interest in the summer from elsewhere, but hearing the manager say I was a player he didn't want to lose, it helped me make my mind up more clearly.
"Every player wants to hear that from their manager. He made me feel like this is the place where I am wanted. I am enjoying my football, won a few awards last season and thought there was no point in looking elsewhere."
Rowett has won much acclaim for his transformation of the Blues. The 41-year-old utilised data and analytics to set Burton Albion on the road to promotion, and Donaldson revealed that the more relaxed attitude that Rowett also adopts can bring the best out of players.
"A poor start (to last season) didn't help, but we have quality players here so I wasn't too worried myself," Donaldson said. "The change of manager helped us and we moved up.
"It was a fresh start for everyone. The new manager gave everyone a clean slate, allowed us to pat ourselves down and start again. He gave us that belief again, and told us to go and express ourselves. I got a few goals and it allowed us to move forward.
"Gary is much more relaxed, he is not as intense as other old-school managers. They are there bawling, upset about everything, and don't see the bigger picture.
"He lets you get on with it, and once you cross that white line it is the players who have to deal with everything. He understands his players better having not been out of the game long himself.
Another highly-rated star has committed his future to the club and got Blues fans starting to dream big.
Demarai Gray has a long list of admirers. Premier League new boys Bournemouth have already made five bids, Liverpool have a first-option clause on the 19-year-old and other top clubs are watching developments closely.
Despite such temptation, Gray also penned a new contract in England's second city, and Donaldson believes such a move shows the club's attitude has changed for the better.
"Bids came in for him in January from the Premier League, and for us to keep hold of him and convince him to sign a new deal is a sign of the club's intentions," Donaldson added.
"Once I saw this was going to happen it made it clear to me that we are all moving in the right direction – we want to keep our best players. In the past, bids have come in for players and Birmingham have been forced to sell, but things have changed now."
That progression has been exemplified by their impressive start to the new campaign.
He can run all day long, causes problems. His thirst for work is incredible and mobility is brilliant.
An opening-day home win over Reading was followed by an energetic showing in a 2-2 draw at Burnley, a match which Donaldson impressed Sky Sports pundit Peter Beagrie.
"There's no such thing as a lost cause with Donaldson," Beagrie said post match. "He can run all day long, causes problems. His thirst for work is incredible and mobility is brilliant."
Derby are up next, live on Sky Sports 5 HD on Friday night, and Donaldson feels Birmingham can target further points.
"We got our first win on the opening day, and are still unbeaten," Donaldson said. "The first few games are always a bit tense, and the first win was important to settle the nerves.
"It is not just the Derby game, if you look at all the teams in the Championship anyone can beat anyone.
"For spectators it is great – you cannot call anything. Every game you look at it and say that nobody is 100 per cent going to win the match."
Donaldson knows at 31, this could be his best opportunity of playing in the Premier League, and victory over Derby could provide more evidence that after a few years in the Championship wilderness, Birmingham are on the up once again.
