The time has arrived
Alex McLeish's demand that Blues need to win eight to 10 of their remaining dozen games in order to clinch automatic promotion from the Championship represents a tall order.
In the context of how and when it was said, after the Crystal Palace game, I don't think McLeish was actually saying 'right, if we don't win this many we're stuffed'.
But the message was clear that Blues have to get out of a rut and string together a sequence of victories, right when it matters - now.
If their present form continues, they are predicted to finish fourth. Cardiff City would be champions, Bristol City runners-up and Reading third.
On their seasonal form, Blues would end up third, according to the statisticians.
Three wins in the last 12 games isn't up to scratch; then again leaders Wolves sequence of one win in 10 isn't either.
Form teams Cardiff (who drew one of their games in hand 0-0 against QPR on Wednesday) and Bristol should find it tough to keep it going as they are, you would think.
But this season nothing seems certain in the Championship.
The inability to stick the ball in the back of the net has cost Blues all campaign.
They have scored 40 goals - Wolves and Reading have scored 37 at home alone - and average 1.18 per game, a mark worse than 13 other teams.
In only 10 games have they scored two or more goals, and have managed just six in the last 10 league and cup outings.
Conversely, at the other end, Blues defence is rated the best in the division with a goal against average of 0.85 per game.
Only Cardiff and Swansea City have lost fewer matches, and Blues have the best record against the best teams.
Another telling statistic is the draws column: eight of 10 drawn games have been by 1-1, the other pair 0-0. Fine lines; a goal here or there would have made all the difference.
For me, it's not about the standard of football (it's actually no better or no worse than most other teams, certainly not as boring as many fans have convinced themselves to believe), nor is it McLeish's tactics (again, he is more astute than he has been given credit for). He has not 'lost the dressing room' either.
The biggest loss, at present, is Kevin Phillips to injury. And Garry O'Connor absence has hurt more than maybe we all imagined, given his excellent early season form.
Blues approach work is better than it was in the early parts of the campaign when, ironically, they recorded the best ever start in history to go top in October.
Lee Bowyer has added drive and an edge to the midfield, Keith Fahey creativity, Scott Sinclair speed and directness, Hameur Bouazza the same.
It's just in that final third where it all goes awry.
Cameron Jerome is decidedly out of sorts in front of goal and Carlos Costly doesn't look to be the answer.
Then again, he's Honduran, plucked from Poland, and expected to deliver in a new team, in a new league.
Marcus Bent was another who missed a gilt-edged chance at Selhurst Park.
He's never been Mr Prolific and doesn't always punch his weight. And he was drafted in not as first choice, but back-up.
Interestingly, though, when Blues had their best run of results - five wins and two draws in November and December - he started every game.
It's about a team balance, and taking those chances of course.
McLeish has also spoken about players having the character to handle the pressure and the demands placed on them at Blues, in this league.
It's up to him and his staff to motivate them, certainly, and Blues response in the vital games during his tenure has been poor.
However, it's also down to those on the field when they cross the white line to puff their chests out, be as aggressive as the opposition, do the defensive basics with purpose and don't shy away into a shell because of the heat is on.
Albion won the Championship on 81 points last season. They lost 11 times. Blues got promotion as runners-up in 2006-07 on 86 points.
Eight more wins, as McLeish would like, would give them 85 points, but it might not need such a tally this season.
Whichever team does suddenly spurt and wins three or four games in succession will be in the strongest position, mind. That's why Blues have to click.
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Colin Tattum - Mail man Colin Tattum's view of what's going on at Birmingham City FC.
Haha well we can all dream cant we McLueless! I wouldnt be suprised if we won 0 out of the remaining games. A change is readed now and I think very single Birmingham fan would agree with me.
big eck calls for consistency but how can this be delivered when players are always out of position ? full backs on the wing and vica versa ? murphy at centre forward next ? Why not do as fergy, moores, o'niel do and play the kids, it would be cheaper and may stop the offial reciever from visiting us.
When does he play players out of position? You obviously don't watch Blues. Murphy played left wing twice and we won at Ipswich, drew Swansea. That's it. Every single Blues fan doesn't want him out either. Just the minority of numbskulls who don't know the game and can't think for themselves. Blues fans have been an embarrassment this season
Well thanks very much for name calling freddie, you obviously did not read what I wrote. Players in correct positions are the key words. No one out. It is you who are not paying attention and twisting my words. I refuse to call you names, its below me.
Phill; Freddieboy is right. you said "when players are always out of position" As for wanting Eck out, I'm a Bluenose and I don't. Aitkin however... And as far as "Playing the kids" I wouldn't at St Andrews, not with our "Boo Boys" being so vociferous. It would destroy them!
Keyser5oze, you are doing the same thing as freddieboy. When did I say I wanted Eck out ? can't anyone read ? I think eck is a very good manager but when he says you cant put kids into a championship race I laff. Shades of the gonners, ever, manu, vile, etc. Read the words, its easy
Totally agree with you Phill. Up the blues !
Phill, you used the words 'out of position'. Freddieboy is right mate. Blues fans are destructive and our club is being run by owners who need to go
I dont think Mcleish is a very good Manager at all!!! and anyone who says he is must not go to watch Blues very much or when they do they are reading the programme and are not concentrating.
The football has been dire for over 12 months,there may be an excuse for the Premiership because its a a very tough league that is bursting with quality players and it was plain to see Blues were not strong enough.
But the Championship is a very poor league that is bursting with very average teams and im sad to say we are one of them.
We have been out played and over run on so many occasions,embarassed by teams like Blackpool,Preston,Burnley and Huddersfield.
We cant seem to get any rhyme going in any of our games and we constently look tired and none motivated.
Footballers are humans and not machines and will have bad spells but are bad spell has being going on for 14 months and every Blues fan must admit,there is a major problem at St Andrews because if it does not end ASAP we will not get promoted!!!
Alex Mcleish and his style of play is not suited for this league,we are struggling and gasping for air most weeks.
To ask a team that has a ratio of winning 1 game in every 4 at the moment too suddenly winning 10 of the last 12 to go on and win Promotion is asking the impossible under this manager because to do that you need to go out play attractive football and score goals.
If you call whacking loads of men behind the ball to cling on to a point in a league like the Championship,a manager who is a good tactician you live in Cuckcoo land!!!
Personally i feel at the end of last season in the premiership we played some of our best football but our major failure was putting the ball in the net and having the know how and experience of seeing out a game. Then this season it is plain to see for everyone nothing has clicked performances or goals. Maybe Big Eck is a better manager at a better level where the football is played (i.e. the premiership) not in the championship where its all about the big hoof and clattering into one another. none of us can pretend to be the manager on here and we all have one common factor - blues and we all have the same aim for blues the premiership so lets get behind the blues for the last 12 or so games and save the criticism until the end of the season.KRO
Tatts - come on, the standard of football has been terrible since the manager arrived. Don't forget that we're the people who have to pay for the privilege to watch this garbage week in week out. I appreciate you are as much of a fan, as a reporter/journo, but it puts a different prospevtive on things when you have to pay for a season ticket, as opposed to enduring it comlimentary from the press box. I'm really scratching my head trying to think of 'the total performance' in one single game from the Blues since 'Eck arrived???
I don't understand where all this football is totally dire has come from...remember the last time we were in the Championship? We hardly set it alight with great football did we? Eck has made us more exciting with Bowyer, Bouazza, Fahey, Sinclair and has at long last got rid of the Johnson and Nafti approach to midfield creativity. The problem is being unable to stick the ball in the back of the net. The Championship is full of average teams who don't play great football week in week out. We are one of them as well. No team has put in a 'total performance'. Wolves lost 5-2 at Norwich but they are better than us right? At the end of the day the bottom line is results in the Championship. Eck can't do wrong for doing right with Blues fans. I dread to think how quickly the next manager will get slaughtered and realise what an impossible job it is with fans like ours and a board who have no interest
You must of been very drunk towards the end of last season Matt "our best Football"??????
Wigan,Reading,Fullham,Huddersfield and Villa where the worst footballing performances that i have ever seen from a Birmingham City team, Garry Pendrey and John Bond gave us a few to think about but if you look at the personnel each manager had available,Alex Mcleish efforts are far more embarrassing then any other i have known!!!
You must of been very drunk towards the end of last season Matt "our best Football"??????
Wigan,Reading,Fullham,Huddersfield and Villa where the worst footballing performances that i have ever seen from a Birmingham City team, Garry Pendrey and John Bond gave us a few to think about but if you look at the personnel each manager had available,Alex Mcleish efforts are far more embarrassing then any other i have known!!!
Drunk at the END of the season ? The best part of going to the match is getting drunk first ! The match wouldn't seem the same without it !
golds, sullivan an brady feed us a load of bull**** an make themselves rich. our club not yours.
Phill
I've said it before and I'll say it again.
We don't need fans like you.
You talk absolute tripe.
PS - Have you been to specsavers yet?
kings heathblue, your negativity amazes me and your vehemance gives me the giggles. Opinions are part of footie and we are all entitled to our own opinions. We have the best team in the world, try supporting them with more positive comments. We have a great manager who is not leaving, we are doing well so please, be positive - and get a sense of humour !
Haerborne1 - fair comment i did spend a few afternoons in the pub that season. i was tho comparing last seasons performances to this season. i think that maybe we performed better against the better teams and maybe this is where McLeish is more tatically acute, teams in the champ play differently each game theres no tatics in hit and run whereas in the prem its a bit different.plus theres evidence of this in the teams you've named yourself i.e the fulhams and huddersfields of this world.the games like man utd and chelsea where we suprisingly almost ground out results are perhaps the more technical playing teams.fair comment?
I'm very surprised at the depth of feeling against big eck as it is fairly clear that he will not be sacked this side of May, the team would be thrown into chaos at an important point (yes I know they look chaotic at times). Should we get promoted, we will not sack him then will we ? And we are not about to sack him anyway because he has a contract and I can't see the club paying it up. Lets get behind the team and the boss then and scream stan drews down against bristol. All the stay-aways, get down there !
Still waiting for the time to arrive when Blues play a game wherein they show motivation and any hint of quality.
Yesterday was good if you were a Sunday League outfit but rubbish if you are apparently looking to achieve promotion to the Premier League.
It just isn't going to happen when you have a team full of frees. 4 week loans, a player in midfield recently in from one of the weakest leagues in Europe, another who is just plain crap no matter what league he is just in from and someone drafted in who had actually packed football in altogether.
Just how much of a laughing stock are this Board trying to make Birmingham City Football Club?
Tatts
What the hell is going on - the signing of De La Cruz makes the club look like a total shambles.
We have an exceptional right back loaned to Stoke.
My understanding is that he could not wait to go due to McLeish and has been replaced replaced by Carr (who was retired)and an out of contract Villa/ Reading reject.
It really does beggar belief and its high time that Journalists stopped sitting on the fence. There is something seriously wrong here.
Alex Mcleish is comparable to a Michelin Star Chef put in charge of a chip shop. OUR BOARD are the problem. If they want a top class club with a full stadium the price must be paid. There is no manager on earth could create anything with the materials handed out at BCFC
Interesting to see so many negative comments here and i have to pick up on Harborne 1 who must be the moaning git that sits next to me every week.
Negative football? Bad tactician? Not a good manager at all?
Ok lets have a look at the facts. Starting with negative football, we scored goals for fun in the last few months of the Premiership last season (only after Bruce left)as we had to counter attack and no one expected us to win. We had players like Zarate with guile and craft (a McLeish signing and now one of the top scorers in Serie A now), Forsell who was on mega wages but quality in the box, Muamba who went for ã5m and Kapo (enigma, but capable of magic). We've had to replace them with free signings and loans - surely not comparable?
We then come to the championship EXPECTED to win, so it's a completely new level of expectation and mentality required for the players we have left (who incidentally are inferior to what we had in the Prem) Ok some of the football hasn't been scintillating, but we're 2nd, 3 off the top and right in the hunt - what do you lot expect? Injuries have been frightening.
How could Wolves have coped without Ebanks Blake, ditto Mccormack Cardiff, Hunt and Doyle Reading when we have had to do without the likes of O'Connor, McFadden, Phillips and Larsson for large chunks of the season...i'll tell you what, they wouldn't be anywhere near where we are.
Bad tactician? - McLeish guided Rangers to 7 trophies in 4.5 years (more than in the the O'Neil glory years at the same time)the last 16 of Champions League and a record points and goals tally with Celtic oh and a certain 1-0 win over France in Paris - that's a bad tactician if ever i've seen one! Come off it.
Finally - Alan - Stephen Kelly an exceptional right back? When did this happen? He is Mr negative, two yard passes (usually back the way), never gets forward, never gets a quality ball in and usually gets caught out of position. Did you see his Stoke debut? At least Parnaby and Hunt tried to do the total opposite...i.e. be positive. The board sanctioned the Kelly deal as they were getting something like ã500k for the end of the season. Signing De la Cruz doesn't mean he's first choice, he's essential cover as we have no one else.
Come on, there's only a few games left, let's stop the moaning and get behind the team for the final push. They need us more than you realise and we can be the driving force to get them over the line.
Keep right on
Just read all the comments and Jon's comments at the 'eleventh hour' sum it up best in my opinion.
Facts beat a whinging pair any day.