April 2009 Archives

The guessing game has started.

Who does Alex McLeish pick for the second bite of the cherry at Reading?

It's (again) win or bust, and there are important decisions to get right in the forward areas.

Before we get onto that, a quick point from the Preston North End game and the decision making in the wake of Lee Bowyer's sending-off.

Why didn't Eck shut it down and send on Lee Carsley with Blues 1-0 up? He's taken flak for it, and from this reporter too.

So I asked him and, in fairness, unlike some managers who bristle at the slightest hint of criticism, he answered.

"For clarity's sake, he was going on and it was something we had considered," said McLeish.

"We were having a look at the pattern of the game first and, unfortunately, Paul McKenna scored his 'worldie'. The timing was out, and when it was 1-1 we obviously had to change tactics to try and get another goal, which we almost did."

There were eight minutes between the red cards for Bowyer and Lee Williamson and McKenna's goal.

Both teams went 4-3-2 and the management team asked that one of the forwards dropped into midfield to help, to track back, once possession had been lost.

From Birmingham, onto Berkshire; the must win game moves.

Reading's win at Norwich City, thanks to Shane Long's two goals, has set up one heck of a showdown and made Blues failure to book their Premier League ticket on Saturday all the more galling.

Blues lose at the Madejski Stadium on Sunday, Sheffield United do no better than draw - and it's the Royals who go up automatically.

No question, Blues blew it against Preston North End. At 1-0 up - their favourite scoreline this season - you expected them to have seen the game out.

But four minutes after Keith Fahey's goal, Lee Bowyer and Lee Williamson tangled like pair of rugby league players, went forehead to forehead, and were sent-off.

Bowyer was daft to become embroiled as he did, especially as he was on a yellow card anyway. However, especially with emotions pumped and the stakes in the game so high, you're never going to get him to act like a shrinking violet.

Phil Dowd is the sort of referee you can accurately describe as officious. He makes his mind up, and that's it. Taking into consideration the magnitude of the game, he should have realised it was not a violent confrontation and had a word.

In the Scottish Cup semi-final hours earlier in the day, there was a flare-up involving Rangers' Mo Edu and St Mirren's Stephen McGinn that incorporated a hard push in the chest and a slap in the face.The referee in that instance, Calum Murray, told them to calm down and get on with it.

It was a further eight minutes after the red cards until Paul McKenna smashed a stunning equaliser. In those eight minutes, should Alex McLeish have sent on Lee Carsley, probably for the ineffective Garry O'Connor, and shored it up? Quite possibly.

Although it was 10 against 10, by having four across the middle of the park and James McFadden up front - who can keep hold of the ball to allow others to join in - Blues might have stifled the eager threat Preston carried.

That said, you can't legislate for two such well struck long range goals, nor Blues turning in one of those performances that they have done on occasions at home, just when it was least needed. They weren't quite firing, they missed chances, they were on edge at the back.

It still brings a shudder down the spine to recall Stan Lazaridis's shot that somehow rolled right along the goal line, stayed out, and was retrieved.

All of a sudden, the ball was in the back of Blues net and Preston North End had saved their skins and were heading towards penalties - and we all know what happened then.

Of course, it was Deepdale, May 17, 2001, the play-offs.

Blues lost 4-2 in the shoot-out (Marcelo and Darren Purse missing) and Trevor Francis's sulk over the choice of ends where they were taken went down into folklore; moreover
Preston folklore.

For the third successive season, Blues had missed out in the play-offs semi-finals and TF was soon to make way for Steve Bruce.

Now Preston stand before Blues and promotion again, this time of the automatic variety.

A win, possibly even a point, would book Blues place in the top-flight. Preston have a slim chance of making the play-offs themselves, so they won't be turning up just to watch a party unfold.

However, due to the 5.20pm kick-off, their chances might have already gone west because of results earlier in the day.

But they do delight in sticking it to Blues, regardless, going back to that First Division spat eight years ago.

In 2007, on the final day, Blues lost 1-0 at Deepdale having spurned some glorious chances to win the Championship.

This season Jon Parkin's stoppage-time goal gave them the win at home too.

In their ranks are Sean St Ledger, a Villa fan raised just around the corner from St Andrew's who was considered by Bruce on trial, and someone called Darren Carter came on in the 6-0 drubbing of Cardiff City last Saturday.

And for those who dread the worst case scenario laced with irony, Paul McKenna will break Sir Tom Finney's record of 472 appearances at St Andrew's - he was the man who rammed in the winning penalty in that play-off drama.

If the game goes according to form, then Blues should get what they require.

They are on their best unbeaten sequence, of nine games, since Bruce's team got it rolling on the way to Cardiff and play-off glory in 2002.

St Andrew's has become a tough place to play again - 11 men or not - and Blues really do have that fixed stare about them, fixed firmly on automatic promotion.

From watching the team, to seeing them around Wast Hills and talking to players, that's what comes across.

The attitude's been there since Bristol City at home for me, that was the game, the performance, that got Blues going. It was if that night their desire, ability, resolve and determination shone through - the penny dropped.

At the pre-match media conference on Thursday afternoon at Wast Hills, Alex McLeish and James McFadden were similarly focused.

McFadden, in particular, was quite open about what this game meant to him. He was honest about his own form. For those who still think he 'doesn't want to be here', they should think again.

I bumped into Garry O'Connor in the car park and he said the players were really going at it in training, flying about. They couldn't wait. Again, that sense of the moment is nigh, we won't let it slip, sprung to mind.

Let us hope Blues do indeed deliver and don't let Preston throw another spanner in the works.

Join me for a live web chat at 1pm (GMT) on Friday to discuss all things Blues and look ahead to the biggie, the Preston North End game.

Can Blues seal promotion at St Andrew's? Who should Eck pick in defence, midfield and up front?

Will Preston throw a spanner in the works once more?

There's plenty to discuss so do join the debate, it would be a pleasure to have your company.

Martin Paterson, take a bow son.

His fine glanced header was the only goal at Turf Moor that gave Burnley a key win over Sheffield United.

It went down well in Lancashire, putting the Clarets four points clear of Swansea City and Preston North End, who are trying to secure a play-off place.

But in these parts it was just as huge - victory over Preston on Saturday at St Andrew's will now guarantee Blues promotion.

It was Sheffield's first defeat in 12 games, and only their fifth away from home - still the best mark in the Championship, although now joint best.

But no matter about that. Blues have strung together a nine-match unbeaten sequence - their best since 2002 - and won at Watford on Saturday for the first time in 13 league and play-off games since 1972 to pile the pressure on Sheffield, who flunked it on Monday night.

So no matter what Sheffield do on Saturday at home to Swansea City, if Blues see off Preston they will be up.

Too early to congratulate Birmingham, asked Sky's Greg Whelan on Monday night. 'Too early,' replied Kevin Blackwell with a smile before disappearing back to the dressing room.

Cardiff City remain a threat. They can still overhaul Blues. They have their game in hand away to relegated Charlton Athletic on Tuesday.

But it would take a spectacular collapse from Blues who, over the last few weeks, seem to know exactly what they have had to do and how they have had to play.

Join us here on www.birminghammail.net from 2.30pm Saturday for our popular live match blog service.

It's impossible to underestimate the magnitude of the Watford - Blues game, and myself and Andy Walker will be at Vicarage Road to bring you all the action and engage in the usual entertaining debate and banter.

Blues, without Lee Carsley, Maik Taylor and Liam Ridgewell, face their moment of truth on the back of an eight-game unbeaten run.

Watford have drawn three straight and won the previous four of their home Championship games.

We will also have updates and scores from the key matches elsewhere, including Molineux where Wolves take on QPR going for the three points that will return them to the Premier League.

So forget the talking heads on satellite television who don't know their Trevor Francis' from their Kevin Francis', join us at the Birmingham Mail.

Keeping it real, with people who care and share your passion for the Blues.

To paraphrase Brucie (Forsyth, not Steven), it was 'so much better than last year'.

Well, not strictly true. It was still a slick event. In terms of the atmosphere, last night's player-of-the-season awards dinner at the ICC had a different flavour, a more relaxed, less tense feel.

Not surprising considering that in May it was held the day after Premier League relegation and just hours after David Sullivan made his 'pile of rubbish' blast.

Ironic then that the man who ended top of the heap (not the rubbish heap, it should be noted) was none other than Franck Queudrue.

Sullivan again didn't make it to the evening, at the ICC. And he really should have, especially after not attending the AGM. Poor form. All the other directors were there and mingling happily with corporate clients and autograph-hunting and picture-hunting supporters.

Queudrue - who also won the Birmingham Mail readers' player-of-the-season award - was typically laid back and debonair.

And there we have it: Blues out of the automatic promotion places for the first time since the opening week of February.

Sheffield United kept their astonishing run of form going at Reading, winning their fifth straight match for 10 unbeaten in all.

Blues now have to respond tomorrow at Charlton Athletic in what has become a sort of game in hand on the top pair.

Wolves defeat of a shambolic Southampton was no great surprise this Easter Friday, especially after such a quick start.

Yet Sheffield keep getting the job done and their goal difference, which is nine better than Blues', enabled them to barge Big Eck's boys out of the way.

In some respects, it's no bad thing that Sheffield beat Reading from Blues perspective.

The bigger the gap the better considering the last day meeting between the teams at the Madejski Stadium.

Now it's just a case of blunting the Blades and we've seen how significant that ridiculous penalty was at Bramall Lane a few weeks back, haven't we?

Join us on www.birminghammail.net tomorrow when we will be at the Valley bringing you all the action and gossip via our live match blog.

"I fully expect Birmingham to win the league. Now the momentum is very much with them, they are coming strong at the right time. You look at Wolves, morale is low, they've lost
key players, whereas Birmingham have got 19 fit players to choose from. At no time this season have they had that many to choose from, and I think they will go on to win the league." - Trevor Francis.

So is TF right, are Blues primed to lift the Championship trophy for the first time since 1955 (when the competition was the Second Division)?

For me, it's still too close to call but there is no doubt that victory over Wolves, to take Blues to six games unbeaten, has injected more confidence and belief.

Being around and speaking to the management and team at Wast Hills the past few weeks I have detected a change to an earnest attitude, almost a realisation that this is it now, Blues have to bring it all to the table as the season closes in and live up to what they should be capable of.

You may reasonably ask why hasn't that penny dropped since day one, why has it taken this long to wake up?

Well, there are plenty of reasons, which have been discussed at length preivously, but no matter what's past, what matters is the present.

Monday's win was potentially pivotal. Two points is the gap at the top of the table and, as TF says, the momentum is now maybe with Blues, athough Sheffield United have a case to the contrary.

It was a victory well deserved. Blues must win a 'must win' game sometime, I guess, and they did.

They were highly motivated, tactically correct, imposed what they wanted to do on Wolves and had the rub of the green that Mick McCarthy's side have often enjoyed this season.

It's not too outlandish to say it was men against boys.

Blues have the older heads, the experience, something that has been criticised relentlessly. But the value of it was clear to see.

Which goalkeeper would you have wanted? Maik Taylor or Wayne Hennessey? Defenders: Christope Berra or Liam Ridgewell/Radhi Jaidi? Lee Bowyer or Karl Henry? Cameron Jerome or Marlon Harewood? You get the drift.

And all this with ten men, too. I don't know what it is, but going back a couple of years, Blues have found an extra gear whenever they have been reduced in number by a
sending-off. It's almost as if they relish the underdog tag, the against the odds scenario, and the fans buy into it as well.

Yesterday's £4 million movement in Blues shares was not the first sign of a sell-up.

The 19 million shares sold was by the Gold brothers . . . back to themselves.

David Gold and Ralph Gold had held them in Gold FC Limited, a joint business.

They decided to divide that 25 per cent stake in the club roughly in half and take it on individually instead.

David Sullivan's near 25 per cent stake remains in tact, through his firms Roldvale and Conegate.

It seems that the move was part of the Gold brothers on-going strategy to split their business interests.

David Gold bought 13.03 per cent of Gold FC Limited shares, Ralph Gold purchased 11.61 per cent.

There is no suggestion that the pair will vote on Blues matters in anything but tandem, as has always been the case.

Carson Yeung, with 29.9 per cent, remains Blues single biggest shareholder.

But Yeung has no place on the board, no decision-making power, and the Golds and Sullivan's combined shareholding allows them to continue to call the shots.