July 2008 Archives

Finally left Austria, having spent half a day traipsing around Salzburg (we have to go budget airline late evening to Stansted, no direct flights from Munich to Birmingham for us).

Well, after photographer Tim Easthope and I managed to get the infamous Audi up and running.

After Blues had left their hotel in Westendorf earlier than expected to beat a strike by Lufthansa pilots, we noticed the rear tyre in the hire car was flat.

Coming after the first day farce when there was the front nearside tyre burst and had to be replaced with the spare space-saver in the boot, not good.

Suspicions about how it had happened were aroused when Tim revealed he had seen a couple of players smirking and whispering just before they departed by coach.

Although I have no proof, I would lay money on it being the handiwork of either Gary McSheffrey or Garry O'Connor.

That's a few (more) ' 4 - couldn't hit a barn door' man-for-man marks in the Birmingham Mail for that pair this season.

As we had had an extra time in Austria, Tim and I took the opportunity to watch a friendly down the road at Worgl between Real Mallorca and Feyenoord.

And for one game only, we became official European scouts for Blues.

If Alex McLeish ever decides this managing lark is not for him, then he could pick between becoming the new Barry Norman or joining the after dinner speaking circuit.

The Blues manager invited myself, photographer Tim Easthope and Blues PR and media pair Chris Kershaw and Chris Alcock out for a drink in one of Westendorf's quiet bars as the pre-season tour in Austria wound to a close.

It ended up as one of those evenings you look back on and realise sometimes you are privileged in this job to get such an opportunity to chat freely with football people in a relaxed environment.

McLeish is a great story teller and regaled us with anecdotes from his playing days at Aberdeen, which offered an absorbing insight to Sir Alex Ferguson's drive and man-management, and with Scotland.

He talked about what it was like in the Glasgow pressure-cooker at Rangers as well, all sorts of players from all sorts of countries he has played against, bossed, or knows about, and his enthusiasm for the task in hand at Blues.

Alex McLeish has made especially sure that the squad has been drawn closer together these past 10 days.

He took them all out to a plush restaurant that nestles halfway up the Alpenrosen Mountain in Westendorf for a team meal - 'manager's treat' - which, by all accounts, was enjoyable and increased the bond that is noticeably forming among the whole touring party.

When you think about it, this pre-season trip is worth its weight in gold for McLeish.

He is now able to bring in - and keep - the players he wants, as well as replace backroom staff in the medical and fitness fields.

Then there's also a relative new PR department with them in Austria too.

All are getting to know one another and McLeish is stamping his authority quietly on the training, playing style and the way everyone must conduct themselves.

It's becoming 'his' Blues, and the mood among them is one of enthusiasm and optimism, fired in no little measure by three straight victories in the friendlies. Relegation is becoming a distant memory.

A couple of days before the meal, the Blues party went white water rafting in Kirchdorf.

Most players lose themselves in their laptops, i-phones and computer games on tour during rest time.

Arsene Wenger might be interested to know that Martin Taylor has been wading through Leo Tolstoy's famous tome War and Peace. Then again, Wenger would probably demand he be banned from every library for life.

Tiny has brought over his course work for an Open University degree in political science too.

Having covered Blues tours since 1990, lots has changed.

Back in the day players didn't have gadgets and had to make their own entertainment. Usually it involved sneaking out for a drink.

A trip to Ireland in the Kumar era was eventful to say the least.

One get-together in a bar lasted most of the night and, for some reason or other, a version of I Am The Music Man started (it was all so innocent in 1990) and seemed to go for ever.

Trouble was, Terry Cooper was suddenly appointed manager and was due to fly over the next day - when Blues had a match against Kilkenny.

They looked a right old state as they trotted out of the dressing rooms past their new boss.

A rather lacklustre performance followed shall we say - I think Mark Yates saved Blues blushes with an equaliser - and Cooper couldn't quite believe what he had seen.

As the team trooped off, he turned to me and a couple of others within earshot and said: 'Are they always that c***?'. If only he had known!

It's fair to say that Blues performance in the win over FC Viktoria Plzen was pleasantly surprising.

Maybe it's because we're used to certain disciplines from Blues. Maybe it's because a lot of players are feeling the heat for their places.

Maybe it was because they were infused with the youthful energy of Jordon Mutch, desperate to show his worth at senior level, and the determination of trialist Zola Matumona to impress.

But there was no doubting the dynamism of Blues play, and the accent on taking the game to the other team rather than trying to set their stall out to be solid and not give much away.

There was slick, quick passing, forward running from the centre and flanks ahead of and to support the strikers. Full-backs overlapping even.

There's been a lot of talk about the signings of Lee Carsley and Kevin Phillips, centring primarily on their age.

Being close up to the action as we were in the St Johann sportstadion, you could not only see who is doing what a little better, but saying what.

And both of them, it was obvious, command the respect of their team mates and are talkative leaders on the pitch, passing on advice and orders.

Their movement is top class as well. Both know where to be, and when.

Considering James McFadden, Sebastian Larsson and Marcus Bent were among those watching, it bodes well for Blues.

You can always rely on Mehdi Nafti when you are seeking material for a blog or diary item.

Only this time I had my doubts.

The rain had returned to Westendorf today and there were not enough bikes to go round for the players to cycle back from the training ground to their hotel.

So, to avoid getting a soaking, Nafti and Cameron Jerome cadged a lift back in the hired Audi.

"I will drive," pronounced Nafti. Ah . . .

"The car's only insured for me," I said.

"No problem," said Nafti. "In."

I pointed out that there had been a front tyre blow-out and a temporary spare was on, so you had to take it steady. Mistake.

Nafti straight away put his foot to the accelerator and zoomed off, on the wrong side of the road too.

"We drive on the left or the right here?"

As we entered a straight stretch of road, Sone Aluko, Colin Doyle and Garry O'Connor came into view pedalling their way back to the hotel.

Sshh. Men at work.

Got an interesting perspective on Blues opening win of the Austria tour.

At SV Westendorf's tight ground, there is only one elevated viewing section, a wooden construction above the dugouts that houses the PA.

After bagging my position on a wooden bench alongside Chris Alcock, of Blues World televsion, and press officer Chris Kershaw, Alex McLeish clambered up the steps and sat down beside us in the only space left.

Notebook in hand, I thought he had come to offer his services as my assistant or tea boy.

Not quite. It's not often you get to see and hear what a manager does during a game, even a stroll in the evening sun like last night's 7-0 victory over Kirchberg, at such close quarters.

McLeish certainly keeps a beady eye on proceedings and jots down short memos as the game goes on.

He also demands high standards, as he tut-tutted at a lack of quality on a couple of occasions when balls were not delivered accurately enough.

He was on at Sone Aluko to stay wide and provide width when he noticed him drifting inside too much.

But then he wasn't criticial for the sake of being critical: 'Suppose can't be too harsh, it's the first game and they trained hard on the morning' he said to himself.

McLeish is determined to rid Blues of a default defensive mindset that has been ingrained over recent years.

Mehdi Nafti played a short, square pass when there was space up ahead; McLeish urged quicker ball movement to the attack.

Stuart Parnaby checked his position and held off when in possession; 'Parns, go for, go forward' he ordered.

His bright yellow boots and diminutive size marks Zola Matumona out from the rest.

The Congolese trialist from FC Brussels has shown some nice touches in pre-season training.

He's obviously happy with a ball at his feet - far happier than he is flying.

Blues supporter Martin Smallwood was chuffed when he found himself booked on the same flight to Munich as the Blues squad when they came out for their camp.

Matumona sat next to him and was absolute bag of nerves.

Martin, who is from Marston Green, recounts: " We didn't have much of a conversation because he speaks no English, and he was quite quiet.

"But as soon as we were about to take off he was shaking. He was absolutely petrified and when we got airborne he pulled his tracksuit top right over his head and stayed like that for ages. I felt sorry for him but I couldn't stop laughing!"

Smallwood, an 'unemployed property developer' who now lives in Warwick, is one of the few hardy souls who regularly makes a point of clearing a week in July to follow Blues abroad in pre-season.

And the 52-year-old, who acts as physio for the Blues Old Stars charity side, discovered by accident where they were working out.

"I was in my guest house having breakfast when this big group of people went past the window on their bikes. I had to look again and then I realised it was the whole team and staff, so I followed them to the training ground."

This time of year the demands on a manager gets a whole lot tougher.

The scramble to assemble a squad before the transfer window shuts means there's little respite, even on a pre-season tour, where the idea is to get away from it all.

Alex McLeish flew out a couple of days earlier than the Blues squad that arrived here in Westendorf last night.

He had taken in a game in Bern on Friday then watched a four-team tournament, also in Switzerland, the next day before driving south for five hours to meet up with his players.

Sitting there in the team's hotel lounge, for the whole evening his mobile phone was welded to his ear and his Blackberry buzzed constantly as he sought to strike deals, ins and outs.

And, as disclosed in today's Birmingham Mail, he's close to recruiting his third, if not fourth player, of the summer, and two trialists have also been added to the mix.

There was no opportunity to make small talk over a cup of coffee with his management staff; McLeish looked tired and weary, to coin a phrase.

It reminded me of the scene constantly replayed a year ago in Germany when Steve Bruce kept taking calls, for what seemed like every half-an-hour or so, rolled his eyes and answered: 'Mido my friend, how are you?'.

Blues first game was due tonight, against non-leaguers Kirchberg, but the day's heavy rain that has saturated the pitch at Westendorf made the surface unplayable.

Hopefully, the hire car will get myself and our photographer Tim Easthope there tomorrow for the rearranged match in one piece after a first day scare.

Super Kev for Blues?

Looks like it. The talisman of Albion's Championship-winning campaign, Kevin Phillips, has been earmarked to do more of the same.

Alex McLeish hopes that he will be replacing a goalscorer (Mikael Forssell) with a goalscorer par excellence.

There has been a lot of juggling done by McLeish the last couple of weeks in regard to recruiting a striker.

Some of his other choices had to be left on the shelf because of cost, albeit £3 million - £4 million shouldn't really be a problem let's be honest.

McLeish maintained a hovering, patient presence when it became clear Phillips and Albion were at loggerheads over a new contract.

In the end, Phillips decided he needed to make a decision and on Wednesday afternoon informed McLeish that he was ready to get serious with Blues and ice another crack at the Premier League (hopefully for one season only).

Naturally there have been grumblings about Phillips's age - he's 35 later this month - following on from 34-year-old Lee Carsley's signing.

Phillips made 42 appearances last season and bagged 24 goals. He was joint second top-scorer in the league. Check out what the Birmingham Mail Albion's correspondent Chris Lepkowski wrote about 'Super Kev' a few weeks back.

Albion manager Tony Mowbray used him shrewdly and didn't flog him into the ground. McLeish will have to do the same.

Albion was the right team for Phillips in that they are geared to attack and creating chances. At Championship level, with the ball in the right areas, he gorged himself.

Carsley's appearance record and fitness levels were carefully checked by Blues before they took the plunge. So was Phillips's.