I guess that's why they call them the Blues

First a question: the significance of today, November 11, and I'm not referring to Armistice Day? Answer at the end.

Second: do we want Blues to play like Wolves or Reading, brimming with vibrancy and goals?

Yes. And that's not just me talking, but David Sullivan.

It's been a criticism of Blues in recent days, on the back of two defeats and what turned into a narrow escape at Nottingham Forest.

They don't score enough goals, they don't 'do' a Wolves or Reading. More likely to grind a 1-0 and show admirable defensive resolve and all that.

Put to Sullivan, he concurs: "I agree, I would love us to play that way."

But Blues don't, at least yet. And Sullivan, interviewed for a piece in tomorrow's Birmingham Mail about the current plight, isn't happy, but neither is he spitting feathers

He is taking more of an evolutionary view of things, not a revolutionary view.

Don't panic, was the gist, even though we all seem well aware that, despite second place in the Championship, 'something's not quite right'.

Whether Wolves can keep it up remains to be seen. As they blaze away, Blues are soul-searching, Alex McLeish is getting a fair bit of stick and we are back to where we were a couple of years ago: scrutinising every player, every pass, every formation, demanding better and more.

There is a bit of 'always look on the bleak side of life' in every Blues fan. Disappointment and being let down are familiar experiences, which fires the frustration.

But is it all that bad? There have been three 1-0 defeats this season. They've never been a rabble, torn apart. Defensively, they are the strongest unit in the league.

On the flip side, Blues can't take command of a game for the whole 90 minutes. The opposition often seem to be more energetic and athletic when they take it to Blues, who infuriatingly sit back in satisfaction with what they've got instead of go for the throat.

Width, balance and consistency of selection, taking into account injuries, would help.

Sullivan says: "After these teams [Wolves and Reading], you look at the others." The inference being is that are they really any better than Blues?

He continues: "When we went up two years ago, the best team was West Brom, they played all the football. But they missed out.

"Over the course of a season, it [that way] doesn't always work.

"But we know we have got to start scoring more goals, no doubt about it. We have to play a bit better to make sure we come out of this run we are in."

There's more from Sullivan in tomorrow's Birmingham Mail.

As for the answer to the question: a year ago Blues lost 2-1 at home to Villa, which turned out to be Steve Bruce's last game in charge.

As for Armistice Day, lest we forget.