Alex exit
That Aleksandr Hleb has admitted he won't be staying at Blues should come as no surprise.
When his loan from Barcelona finishes, he will be off.
He said that Blues style of play doesn't suit him, that he has found it difficult to adapt.
He would like to go back to Arsenal ideally, where he thinks their football would be more conducive to his capabilities.
That's the same Arsenal who lag behind Blues in the trophy stakes these past six years . . . ho hum.
Hleb has beaten Blues to the punch. They weren't going to make his loan permanent in any case, but he got in first to make it public, when asked about his future.
In many respects it's a shame it hasn't worked out. But, again, no surprise.
When Blues found other targets falling by the wayside as the summer window closed, Hleb was touted late and Blues got in there.
They knew he had had a chequered time at Barcelona and on loan at Stuttgart struggled with injury.
But such a player with something different to their norm, available, prepared to come - well, why not, better than a kick in the whotsits?
As James McFadden went down with a serious injury soon after, Hleb's addition looked all the more a decent one.
But he has not made an outstanding contribution consistently, whether through injury, lack of form or attitude.
That's what you want from the star name. Someone to inspire, lead and take the others with them.
To accommodate a luxury player in a team like Blues, they have to be that much better and reliable, and have the full confidence of the others around them.
And this comes back to the age old problem for Blues: that if they want to progress, they have to sign the 23-year-old Aleksandr Hlebs, not the been round the block versions who are surplus to requirements elsewhere.
In the interview he gave, Hleb was open and honest as he always has been. There's nothing wrong in that for me in an age of bland responses to questions from footballers.
He does struggle to get exactly what he means across in English and that has led to some of his words being spun in the past to make sensational stories.
And post-match Saturday, when he stopped to talk to the media, he tried to stress that he wasn't knocking Blues and the way a club that isn't one of the established elite go about things, that they have to 'fight' and 'run'.
Hleb came on and against Sunderland and his ability and vision was obvious.
However, when there are such complaints or laments about Blues style, he doesn't do himself many favours. Did he think he was coming back onto the Arsenal footballing merry-go-round when he signed for the club? What did he realistically expect?
Blues are not the one-dimensional team that many make them out to be. They have, if anything, passed and circulated the ball too often for the sake of it the last 18 months without having the penetration to hurt the opposition.
Only recently, and during the Carling Cup semi-finals, when they mixed it up and pressed high, they were more effective. And that came after Alex McLeish dropped Hleb following the Manchester United battering.
Hleb has not been the right fit for Blues and maybe there has been more than a little frustration in the manager's office and dressing room.
He's a fine talent and enjoyable to watch on the ball. Off the field he's mischievous and has a nifty sense of humour. He's not gone round sulking since signing, despite the way things have gone in general.
But ultimately his Blues career is one for all to draw a line under in May and then move on.
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Colin Tattum - Mail man Colin Tattum's view of what's going on at Birmingham City FC.
Not being consistently picked hasn't helped. I'm afraid, young Tatts, that Blues are one dimensional. It doesn't matter if we are knocking it long, or knocking it about, we don't have enough players who are willing to play on the front foot and take a chance, We seem terrified of losing our shape and letting the opposition in.
We have enough bread and butter types who can battle, lead and inspire, what we miss is a player with a bit of wit, cheek and unpredictability.
It doesn't matter that Hleb will go, it doesn't matter that the manner of his going will dissuade other mercurial talents from joining us, because Eck will only allow them cameos anyway, so there is no point in them being here.
Hleb can hardly be picked when he's always injured or playing crap! As for mercurial talents, like how many have we ever had? Our club's standing is not a Liverpool, Spurs, or Man City we won't pay top money for top players so we have to make do with what we can mould with a good manager and hope the odd one comes off, like it did with Dugarry. It's all down to the quality of players at your disposal and as the blog states Hleb was a fourth or fifth choice to fill the ranks. As for our football we do play a lot better than many fans believe. We have players who are comfortable in possession are skilled and intelligent. Cant remember us being terrified in the Carling Cup? We miss a player with wit and cheek or whatever but will we pay £20m for that player? There you go
Mercurial talent? Eh. Someone who is never fit and not up for selection and a has been bad for morale? The moment Hleb went out of the team was the moment we got to the final and won it! I have seen most of Blues games this season and we are hardly one dimensional. If you want us to be gung ho and open then we will be relegated. Brilliant creative players cost zillions and we cannot compete with Man City and the top sides to sign them. That's fact.
Pete, not sure you realise that this season is looking like one of the most successful in our 136 year history mate?!
Hleb was a gamble and despite flashes where he looks the genius of his Arsenal days, it's clear for all to see that his contribution has not been great enough and his level of fitness has generally been poor. He had two outstanding games & came off injured in both.
If you knew anything about Eck, you'd know he has a history of signing cultured players who offer something different. He did it with Sauzee at Hibs & Arteta at Rangers. But wit, cheek and unpredictability can cost money at the highest level if they are to make a difference...
"And this comes back to the age old problem for Blues: that if they want to progress, they have to sign the 23-year-old Aleksandr Hlebs, not the been round the block versions who are surplus to requirements elsewhere."
Not sure I agree with this, those 23 year olds will all already be on the radar of clubs bigger than us, although we might sneak one or two I don't think there are too many top quality ones in our range. Though when they come along - ala Foster - we should try and get them.
Some of our best players in recent seasons have been the reverse, older players, who have the class but are coming to towards the end of their career - Ferguson, Bowyer, Phillips, Carr - I think that's not too bad a model to follow. Get guys with the ability, experience, know-how and leadership to drive the rest of the team forward. Get two or three good years out of them with ambitious, younger, but perhaps not top drawer, players around them.
Eck, it's time to go. He may well go down as being the most successful Manager with a 9th finish and a Cup to show but he and his coaching team must surely also go down as producing the most boring unatractive football we have seen for a very very long time along with the lowest scoreing team in English football. I travel up and down the country following Blues and will continue to do so but the Management team have to go.
simple question who would you rather watch blackpool or blues ? if we can keep the defence we have with dann comjng back and get a fit mc fadden add jerome and redmond,mutch in midfield ew only need a couple of decent signings and then its about avoiding injuries.