‘No disrespect’ – Why Birmingham City don’t have a Wrexham-style documentary as former Blues skipper explains ‘brilliant’ transfer benefits of having Tom Brady & Co on board

The Blues are among the English Football League outfits to have welcomed investment from North America, with NFL legend Brady sitting on their board alongside Tom Wagner and the Knighthead ownership group. Their presence at St Andrew’s has helped to raise the club’s profile in the United States.

League One rivals Wrexham have enjoyed a similar boost to their mass appeal, courtesy of Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, with the Red Dragons using a fly-on-the-wall series to open up a window to the world – with many other clubs and prominent figures in football deciding to follow that lead.

Birmingham have resisted any urge to copy said trend, with former Blues captain Carr – speaking in association with William Hill – telling GOAL when asked if they have missed a trick: “Maybe if it wasn’t in League One, no disrespect to the division. I think all of that comes with being successful on the pitch and bringing it in at the right level. The documentaries bring a lot of exposure to clubs and puts them out there on the map. But the most important thing is that you win games and go up.”

Carr added on the rivalry that has been struck up with Wrexham, as they battle to clamber up into the Championship, and why the subplot of famous faces off the pitch is beneficial to all concerned: “It’s good for the Football League. It brings bigger gates. Birmingham, the crowds they are getting in League One, there are teams in the Premier League that can’t match it. It’s not just the big games, they are getting the same crowds that we got in the Premier League against the lesser teams at that level, so it’s had a positive effect. With that you get bigger sponsors, you have more power, you are well respected and have big connections. It’s brilliant. It’s put Wrexham up there as well – Ryan Reynolds and all. It’s great for League One, brings a lot of spotlight that it wouldn’t have had before, so it’s great for all the teams.”

Birmingham have spent big in a bid to bounce straight back into the second tier of English football – breaking a number of transfer records – and Carr believes that the likes of Brady and Reynolds are making it easier for ambitious outfits in the EFL to attract talent. The 2011 League Cup winner said: “League One and the Championship are tough in different ways. There are a lot of games, tough games, so they have to have promotion. They have put a lot of money in for that league, I don’t know how it works with fair play and all that, hopefully it doesn’t have any effect. It’s a lot of money going in on players, and to be fair the [Jay] Stansfields have backed it up scoring goals – so it’s money well spent at the moment.

“Can they do a bit in the January window, I don’t know. What they have now is an attraction for League One, where players want to be there. Without these people behind it would it be the same? Maybe not. It’s given them a lot of power in what they are spending so they can get players. They are in a front position now in the market, which is brilliant.”

Birmingham have suffered just two defeats through 16 League One fixtures this season, leaving them third in table with games in hand held over Wrexham and Wycombe above them. They will be back in action on Saturday when taking in a trip to Barnsley, before then turning collective attention to a pursuit of silverware in the second round of the EFL Trophy.