Liam Millar has spoken candidly about why his form at Birmingham City has reached a level he has never previously sustained in his career, crediting manager Chris Davies with creating the conditions for him to simply play without constraint.

The Canadian winger has contributed seven direct goal involvements in his past seven Championship appearances for Blues, a run that includes four goals in four matches either side of the recent international break. That sequence takes in a goal in the 2-2 draw with Middlesbrough, one in a 4-0 dismantling of Preston, and two more in last Saturday's convincing 3-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers. Three assists in September complete the picture.

"It's just the fact I can really express myself and be myself," Millar told BBC Radio WM. "The gaffer gives me a lot of freedom to be me and I've never really had that in my career before where I've been able to really express myself as much as I'm doing right now."

What Davies has built

It is worth pausing on that claim, because players speak about freedom routinely and it is often little more than a pleasant platitude. In Millar's case, the output gives it some weight. Seven involvements in seven games for a wide player in this division is a high-end return, and sustaining it across an international break, when form and momentum can evaporate, is harder than it looks.

Millar also pointed to the team's collective approach as a driver of his individual numbers, and that framing is important. He is not simply describing a manager who has handed him licence to roam; he is describing a system that uses variety deliberately.

"We play very good football and we have a good mix of going long and with the ball we're unpredictable," he said. "It's just all a perfect piece at the minute."

The blend of a high press with the ability to go direct is a detail worth noting from a tactical standpoint. Teams that can switch between those modes are harder to press-trap and harder to sit deep against, which gives wide players more space in transition. Whether that accounts for a meaningful portion of Millar's output is something we do not have the granular numbers to settle definitively, but the logic is sound.

Play-off experience and promotion ambitions

Millar joined Birmingham on loan from Hull for the remainder of the season, and he arrives with recent experience of exactly the sort of run-in Blues are targeting. He was part of the Hull side that won last season's play-off final, giving him a first-hand understanding of what a promotion push in this division demands.

That experience appears to inform his confidence about what he sees in the current Birmingham dressing room. "I see a lot of similarities between our team last year at Hull and this Birmingham team now," he said. "Honestly, I feel really good about what's happening here so far."

Birmingham currently sit fourth in the Championship, three points behind leaders Swansea City. The top two earn automatic promotion; anything from third to sixth sends a club into the play-offs. Fourth is a useful position at this stage of the season, carrying genuine promotion potential while remaining well clear of the choppy waters further down the table.

The limits of the evidence

It would be premature to project Millar's current rate across the remainder of the campaign. Seven involvements in seven games is the sort of form that invites regression, and Championship defenders will study him more carefully as his influence grows. Davies will be well aware that sustaining this level requires both the player and the system to remain adaptable.

What is harder to dispute is that Millar, at 27, looks like a player who has found an environment that suits him at an optimal moment. If Birmingham are to mount a serious promotion challenge, keeping him in this kind of form through the winter months will be one of the more important factors in their favour.

Frequently asked

How many goals has Liam Millar scored for Birmingham City?
Millar has scored four goals in his past four Championship appearances for Birmingham, contributing to a total of seven direct goal involvements in seven matches.
Is Liam Millar on loan at Birmingham City?
Yes. Millar joined Birmingham on loan from Hull City for the rest of the current season.
Where are Birmingham City in the Championship table?
Birmingham are currently fourth in the Championship, three points behind leaders Swansea City.