The spoils of the season

Someone said to me the other day that Blues had no player in the PFA Championship team of the season, didn't win a manager of the month or a player of the month award.

But then they got promotion, so they must have done something right.

Fewest goals conceded, fewest losses. More points than Albion who won the title last season. Best record against the best teams.

That someone was Alex McLeish. Not that he was bitter - far from it - just a little miffed that Blues were always seemingly dismissed.

It was probably because they kept on doing what they had to do, they didn't have a startling purple patch.

Wolves won seven games in a row on two occasions early. That gave them the platform to go on and take the top spot, despite a spell of one win in 11 games.

And there was the perception that Blues couldn't string two passes together, unlike my friends at 14th-placed Doncaster Rovers, who were 25 points behind Blues. (let's not go there, eh, they'd only get the wrong end of the stick . . . ).

That said, Blues won the performance of the week for the 2-1 win at Reading. To be fair, it would have been hard not to have given them that one!

Peter Beagrie, Sky Sports Championship expert, often had a downer on Blues. But at least he has seen fit to name two players in his team of the season: Maik Taylor and Lee Carsley.

Predictably, he has been slated for choosing that pair.

Matthew Kilgallon got in, ahead of Liam Ridgewell, who has been an unsung hero in the league's best defence.

Ross McCormack, who snubbed Blues in the summer, was selected too. Take away his penalties, could he have done what Kevin Phillips did?

And if there were signings of the season, what about Stephen Carr and Keith Fahey for 'big spending Birmingham'?

Talking to Carsley this week for an exclusive Blues View interview, he was not happy that Blues didn't play the dashing football everyone wanted. But he was happy that promotion was achieved.

Now it's a case of taking another step forward said Carsley. And so far, from my conversations with McLeish and David Sullivan, there does seem to be a vigour and determination to get the right people in and, more importantly, harmony.