Recently by Colin Tattum

It was 1999 all over again.

And once more, it wasn't a case of partying like it was that said year, as Prince once sang.

Blues play-off defeat was a heartbreaker. They really should have beaten Blackpool over the two legs of the semi-final.

But the club's own play-off history tells you that nothing is ever certain when it comes to these games.

In 1999, Blues first involvement in the format, there was expectation and excitement around St Andrew's in the return against Watford.

Blues trailed 1-0 from the first leg and got off to the perfect start when Dele Adebola prodded a goal after just two minutes.

I'd never heard such noise at that moment, nor before the match, for many moons at St Andrew's.

That was, unfortunately, the only goal of the tie and Watford won 7-6 on penalties, with Blues striving desperately to score again with 10 men after David Holdsworth's sending-off.

This year in the play-offs St Andrew's once again crackled. There was an electricity in the air, that same kind of expectation and excitement.

And similarly at the end, when Blues Wembley hopes were dashed, there was no blame, no anger just sympathy and pride.

The ovation Blues players received and the 'one Chrissy Hughton' chants were quite remarkable and uplifting.

Imagine if it had been Upton Park and West Ham United had just crashed in the second leg of the semi-final.

But that's what it has been like at Blues all season, from the opening day at Pride Park, Derby, through Europe, to Brighton in the last away match in the Championship.

There has been a bond between manager, players and fans. All have been pulling the same way and when Blues face or are in adversity, that's when the support is often at its best.

There's been no sitting on hands, no harrumphing, no criticism.

Fans have seen a group of players, brought together and managed superbly by Hughton, giving their all, playing good football, scoring goals, exciting them and perhaps exceeding most expectations.

Blues fightback from 2-0 down was also typical of their campaign.

As Hughton remarked: "Maybe another group of lads at 3-0 down on aggregate throw the towel in. But these players don't know how to do that one."

The second leg was Blues 62nd game. They have only ever played more - 63 - in 1994-95.

The schedule and demands did catch up with them.

Even though Blues went into the play-offs unbeaten in nine games they had churned out results in that spell.

Blackpool were seven unbeaten and there was more of a fluency to their game.

The loss to injury of Boaz Myhill, Stephen Carr, Steven Caldwell, Keith Fahey, Jonathan Spector and the lack of sharpness/fitness of Guriane N'Daw and Jordon Mutch was telling.

Spector returned to start in the second leg, Hughton believing his athleticism and energy would help stop Blackpool's midfield controlling the game like they did at Bloomfield Road.

In a ding-dong first-half, when both teams attacked with gusto, Blues might not have been as good in possession or as composed, but they troubled Blackpool.

Chris Burke's curving left-footer just went wide in the 12th minute - how many of those has he scored this season? - Marlon King hit the woodwork, for a third time in the semi-finals, in the 13th minute.

Blues needed such chances to have gone in and it would have been a different game, probably a different outcome.

Instead Spector had to be substituted and Blackpool scored through Blues loan target Stephen Dobbie at a corner 30 seconds into first-half stoppage-time.

Colin Doyle, like any 'keeper, will have been disappointed that he didn't stop the ball sqeezing in at his near post.

When Matt Phillips stole behind the defence to make it 2-0 three minutes into the second-half, thoughts of a Barnsley-type scoreline in 2000 flashed through the mind.

But Blues rallied, as they often have.

Nathan Redmond, who looked lost at Bloomfield Road, was a catalyst as a substitute for the disappointing Andros Townsend, taking the game and the ball to Blackpool's defence.

When Nikola Zigic rifled in and Curtis Davies powered a header past Matt Gilks in a nine-minute spell, you felt it was going to be another comeback of Carling Cup semi-final proportions.

Ian Holloway admitted that he feared the worst.

"What a fightback! What a noise! I couldn't get messages out there. I made a couple substitutions and that still didn't stop the flow.

"If they had scored a third one I couldn't see us living with it, it was immense.

"I've never seen a game twist like that so quickly, credit to them and their crowd.

"The game plan went out of window and luckily they ran out of time. "

Sadly, Blues were not able to deliver a knockout punch, they fizzled out a little bit after the surge that brought the goals. Whether they were just too drained, emotionally zoned out, possibly. But Blackpool were resolute and hung in there, just as Watford did 13 years ago.

Davies was immense, King's all-round play was excellent, but his shooting touch was awry; Zigic was a handful and Blackpool found it harder with him in the Blues team than not.

Chris Burke couldn't have tormented the visitors much more, while Mutch again found the going tough against a Blackpool midfield that had Barry Ferguson at his wily best. These were the biggest games of Mutch's career so far and the 20-year-old will be a better player for the experience, however painful.

The scenes at the end said it all. Players were absolutely devastated, flattened. Yet the response of St Andrew's, one of appreciation, respect, pride, that togetherness, also told you everything about the season as a whole.

* My semi-final, second leg match report can be found here.

It could have been a lot worse for Blues; could it have been any worse for Blackpool?

The 2012 Championship play-off semi-final is finely poised. Both teams will believe that they have got a great chance of reaching Wembley.

Blues know they had a let-off after the Bloomfield Road opener. In the second-half Blackpool dominated possession, passed round and ran through a struggling collection of blue shirts trying to keep up and got good sights of goal.

Stephen Dobbie missed a sitter in the 63rd minute, just after Peter Ramage made a crucial saving block from Gary Taylor-Fletcher as he looked sure to turn in a cross from six yards.

But Blackpool only had Tom Ince's deflected goal - really a Curtis Davies own goal - to show for all their endeavour and good play. I doubt if that's enough, and I suspect the feeling inside their camp is the same too.

It wasn't a case of Blues bottling it, freezing or getting the tactics or approach wrong. They had an off night, too many were below par and Blackpool played well, they were better and sharper.

And yet, just one goal separates the sides and you cannot imagine Blues being as inefficient and passive as they were on Friday at St Andrew's. If they are, then they deserve to be knocked out.

Blues have scored 95 goals this season. They had scored in their previous 16 league games. But they drew a blank, which was unusual and not to type.

Despite being sub-standard, they could have been ahead by half-time due to two early chances that were spurned (Davies' header pictured below).

And Marlon King grazed the crossbar just before Davies' fateful intervention took Ince's shot spinning through Colin Doyle's legs (he was a bit awkward in trying to get his feet adjusted) and clipped the post in stoppage-time when he should have snatched Blues an equaliser (last picture).

That's why Blackpool won't exactly be doing cartwheels just yet. Can they play as well as they did again? And they had not too much to show for it, ultimately, on Friday.

Blues drew at Bloomfield Road in the Championship in November in a similar type of game.

Then, as on Friday, Blackpool's peculiar if not unique approach was hard to keep a lid on.

They have two players sitting and the rest just whirr about wherever they like, with the full-backs joining in.

When the wide players couldn't get involved properly - as Blues' didn't - when the midfield can't keep possession, pass the ball and get close - as Blues' didn't - and when the ball doesn't stick up front and you end up doing deeper, then there's trouble and constant pressure.

Davies had one of less secure games, too, and I doubt very much the yearned for introductions of Nikola Zigic and/or Andros Townsend would have done much to alter the pattern of the game.

Chris Hughton usually is very positive and will encourage his side to attack and go forward to the very end.

On this occasion he admitted he was nervous about what he was seeing for those anxious 25 minutes after the second-half got underway.

Jonathan Spector thus came on and, for me, his introduction definitely helped to quell the Blackpool attacks and also brought some poise, allied to energy, to the centre.

The tempo of the game probably would have been too much for Zigic and Blues showed little evidence that they would have delivered a decent ball or got up and support a different striker.

As it happened, that last-gasp chance for King was fashioned by a run by Wade Elliott (I would have brought on Townsend for him, in truth) and a lovely cushioned pass by Jordon Mutch, whose distribution overall was wretched.

Blues played Elliott off the front in the league match at Blackpool to try and boost the strength in the centre when possession was lost.

At home in the 3-0 win in December, Zigic started up front with King.

Keith Fahey's guile and passing was missed and I get doubt that he is going to be fit for the second leg.

Mutch has been up and down of late and dogged by injury, while Guirane N'Daw, after his hamstring strain, was again rusty and lacked sharpness to impose.

Morgaro Gomis instead? Easy to champion in hindsight, and in fairness he might have scurried and kept the ball moving better; the game might have passed him by too. N'Daw was selected because of his greater strength and power, but he had no impact.

Nathan Redmond found it a whole different ball game off the front in an away fixture when the defence was focused and determinated, and the ball was more often than not in the other half.

When Blues went in at half-time against West Ham United in the Carling Cup semi- final second leg trailing 1-0 and 3-1 on aggregate, we all thought it was curtains.

This is, arguably, a less demanding requirement. Blues, surely, will play better, they will move the ball and attack with more clarity than they did on Friday.

Blackpool will not go into a shell, they will leave spaces to exploit and with a hostile atmosphere, with St Andrew's up for it, Blues can still do the business and reach the Wembley final.

Hughton was clearly annoyed after the first leg and quite defiant.

He said: "The performance we know wasn't one of our better performances.

"There's every chance on Wednesday that our approach will be different, every chance our approach will be as it has been for every game this season - and we have got a good record at St Andrew's.

"We need to impose ourselves more on the game."

For the first time in a decade Blues are in the play-offs.

But not for the first time in a year, focus has shifted onto the future of the manager.

Chris Hughton is a prime target for Albion to replace Roy Hodgson, who has been appointed the new England coach.

The development has come at just the worst possible time for Blues. And the issue is not going to go away.

We cannot ignore it, as the forthcoming weeks and months could be as crucial as any in the club's history.

Plenty of people seem to think it is inevitable that Hughton will end up at the Hawthorns.

It is a possibility, but I get the impression it is not cast in stone as some might have you believe and Hughton, if they came calling, would say 'thanks, but no thanks'.

Undoubtedly, Albion chairman Jeremy Peace likes Hughton.

He interviewed well for the job after Roberto di Matteo was axed 15 months ago.

But Peace didn't want a raft of new backroom appointments; Hughton wanted Colin Calderwood as his number two and Paul Barron as goalkeeper coach.

Hodgson was happy to go along with vision of Peace and sporting and technical director Dan Ashworth, so got the job.

It's ironic that he began to chunter on about more investment, more quality and stalled on a new contract and then the England job materialised; you could be forgiven for thinking the parsimonious Peace was secretly delighted.

That's not of much consequence to Blues, or is it?

Hughton is ambitious. Is Albion really considered a 'big' job? They are a very well run club, but Blues were a more tempting proposition until very recently - and could be again in the near future.

And Hughton's stock has risen since he was interviewed by the Baggies.

Although the circumstances are different, Hughton will have seen the sort of firestorm that can be created when a manager skirts cross-city.

Since joining Blues, the club, the fans, the staff have grown on him, got under his skin.

He is enjoying it at St Andrew's, despite the restrictive circumstances and uncertainty over finances and ownership. He has relished a very peculiar and different challenge than his peers have had to cope with.

The ovation he got at the club's annual awards dinner at the ICC left him in no two minds about how much the supporters like and appreciate him. Don't underestimate this; Hughton doesn't strike me as someone who is callous and dumps on people the first opportunity he gets.

What hasn't helped his cause, or done anything to stem the speculation and worry, are his answers to queries over the past couple of days about his future and the accounts.

He has flat-batted them, given very little away about his inner feelings.

In one way I suppose you can't blame him, considering what he has had to get to grips with since day one.

And he can hardly talk about a job that has not been offered.

I don't think the board would be keen to help him on his way out of the door either, like they were with Alex McLeish.

Hughton is the Chinese appointment, their man, Peter Pannu's pick. And he has not criticised them or rocked the boat in any way.

And when Hughton states, continually, that there have been 'no surprises' all season, that the board have told him what is going on, I believe him.

Pannu met with Hughton before flying back to Hong Kong and gave him a heads-up on parent company Birmingham International Holdings delaying the accounts, again.

When asked about this, and the fact a transfer embargo could still be in force until two weeks before the new season, Hughton didn't seem panicked.

In fact, he intimated that it wasn't a problem and would be resolved soon.

I understand the figures are all in place, audited and ready to go, but it is only a very minor issue, something not insurmountable, that has to be smoothed over.

That said, the viability of BIHL and thus Carson Yeung's grip on Blues is, I believe, diminishing.

If Blues do not reach the Premier League then I can't see how the Chinese will be able to stay in charge, especially with Yeung's own personal monetary woes and court cases looming.

They have been trying to source investment for months, apparently to no avail, and although the club hasn't been formally put up for sale I am sure there will come the time - if it hasn't been happening already - whereby interested parties are discreetly sought.

Hughton is not daft, and he will have gone through such scenarios in his own mind.

Hypothetically, does he stick it out regardless and take his chances in the hope that new owners arrive and suddenly things get a whole lot better?

How much Albion want Hughton, how much the board want to keep him - if they are not considering an exit strategy - and the timing of events will determine much these next several weeks.

But as I have written previously, there are so many imponderables in this whole current saga that no one, insiders or outsiders, can predict what is going to happen with certainty.

Yet if Hughton is still in charge come August, don't be that surprised.

Chris Hughton was treated like a king at Blues annual awards dinner at the ICC.

The manager received a standing ovation from the 1,000-strong gathering before and after he got up to speak.

As we have come to expect from Hughton, he deflected the praise away from himself.

And he paid tribute to the Blues fans, the staff at St Andrew's and his footballing support staff and players at Wast Hills.

They were keeping the spirit alive, he said.

Here is the transcript of his speech:

"This is really just an opportunity for myself, my wonderful staff that I have and the players to thank you for your wonderful support.

"It's 60 games now, a long tough season where you supporters have had to travel long distances.

"We know in this financial climate how difficult that can be, but the support that you have given us - and will need to give us over these play-off games - has been wonderful. We all thank you for that.

"It's also an opportunity to thank others as well.

"We've got a group of players, who will have to go shortly, but that's the price that they have to pay for having the season they have had.

"We have a lot of people pulling in the right direction, administration staff at the stadium, irrespective of some of the financial consequences of going down, it is an incredibly run football club.

"We have a culture at the training ground, administration staff, ground staff, I have a wonderful PA who has looked after us incredibly well at the training ground, which is where we spend most of of time.

"It's important that we are able to have that type of environment and they make it for us. My staff that are very much around me, Colin Calderwood, Paul Trollope, I can name a few; Dave Watson, Ewan Chester, Joe Carnall - they are wonderful staff that are all pulling in the right direction.

"We have a group of players that are a pleasure to work with and I'm sure each member of staff would say exactly the same. The credit goes to them.

"I can remember being with Julia Shelton [head of football administration] the day before the summer deadline and we had Pablo and Wade Elliott in the office, and two players that were departing, Scott Dann and Cameron Jerome.

"As soon as that day went, we knew what we had and we knew that we could have a group of players that were pulling together.

"From that moment they have excelled, in everything as staff that we have asked them to do. They have excelled, over and above.

"In a season that is as busy and difficult that we have had, the only way you can create some type of team spirit and togetherness is if you've got the players all pulling in the right direction.

"A manager that I used to work with, Martin Jol, used to talk about protecting the spirit.

"Nobody more than the players have worked harder to protect the spirit.

"That can take you only so far. What takes you further is the ability.

"Lots has been said about the players who have gone, but it's really about the players who have stayed.

"Whether you're as experienced as Stephen Carr, who trains like a 15-year-old every single day, or Nathan Redmond, who has really made his mark this season.

"Irrespective of this, they have been absolutely magnificent.

"I, and my staff, know that they deserve these play-off games. Lets just hope they are able to get to that third game and take the club back to where it should be."

What is it with Blues, goalkeepers and the play-offs?

Boaz Myhilll, Blues regular between the sticks, could miss the rest of the season due to a thumb injury.

Colin Doyle now has to step to the fore.

Back when Blues first contested a promotion place via the play-offs, in 1999, Kevin Poole was in goal.

Ian Bennett got injured in September and understudy Poole was the last line of defence against Watford.

And memorably, he was thrust forward by Trevor Francis ahead of Chris Holland in the semi-final second leg penalty shoot-out and smashed the ball past Alec Chamberlain (below).

Poole's was Blues seventh penalty on a gripping night of St Andrew's drama. Holland missed the eighth kick and the Hornets won, 7-6.

The next season Blues had to draft in Thomas Myhre as an emergency measure.

The Norwegian came on loan from Everton as Bennett, once more, got crocked.

He broke his thumb diving for a ball at Wast Hills in April.

Poole was all ready to step in, but was dramatically ruled out by a hernia problem.

So Blues got special dispensation to take Myhre (the transfer deadline had passed) and he saved a penalty on his debut against Wolves.

But the less said about Blues shock 4-0 semi-final first leg defeat by Barnsley the better.

In 2000-01, Bennett was the goalkeeper against Preston North End. It was his first - and last - play-off appearance for the club.

In the penalty shoot-out at Deepdale in the semi-final return leg, Blues lost 4-2. Marcelo and Darren Purse missed Blues first two spot-kicks, while Rob Edwards fluffed his attempt for Preston.

But a year later, at the Millennium Stadium, Blues finally triumphed in the play-offs, and it was another goalkeeper who made a massive contribution.

Nico Vaesen had signed the previous summer from Huddersfield Town in a then record £675,000 for a Blues goalkeeper.

In the March, Bennett had wrestled himself into favour once more and then - you guessed it - suffered injury.

So Vaesen returned to the starting line-up, saved a penalty at Norwich in his second game back, and held his place all the way to the final.

Darren Carter swept in the decisive spot-kick in Cardiff, but Vaesen's one-handed stop of Daryl Sutch's effort set up the denouement and the chance to end a 16-year top-flight absence.

Vaesen can be seen below celebrating with Bennett, who was on the substitutes' bench, and Martin Grainger.

Should Myhill not make it - assuming Blues do qualify for the play-offs - then who is to say Doyle won't be a next hero if it all comes down to penalties?

He has saved three of the last four faced for Blues. He has that happy knack.

That Fabrice Muamba is making a gradual recovery is not only astonishing but hugely uplifting.

He remains in a critical condition and none of us know what the immediate or long term future is likely to hold for the ex-Blues midfielder.

Hopefully he is coming out of the woods.

After suffering a cardiac arrest on the pitch in Bolton Wanderers' FA Cup tie at Spurs, his heart stopped beating for two hours.

So to be where he is at present is a tribute to the remarkable inner strength and spirit of the 23-year-old and testament to the incredible medical treatment he has received from the moment he collapsed on the White Hart Lane pitch with no one around him.

Muamba only spent two seasons at Blues. But you won't hear anyone who came into contact with him during that time say a bad word about him.

He's an exemplary person and professional.

Steve Bruce brought him in on loan from Arsenal for the 2006-07 season, along with Sebastian Larsson and Nicklas Bendtner.

He wanted some young and hungry players to add energy and quality for their attempt to win promotion after their four-year stay in the top-flight came to an end in such a tortuous manner.

All three loanees were unknown quantities and all three ended up making significant contributions to Blues runners-up finish.

Muamba had Stephen Clemence, Mehdi Nafti, Neil Danns, David Dunn, Damien Johnsonn and Neil Kilkenny competing for central midfield places.

He took a while to get into the swing of things, but the most effective partnership in the middle tended to be Clemence and Muamba.

His non-stop running, telescopic tackling with those longs legs and sheer exuberance made him a favourite of the fans.

Bruce described him as a 'monster' after inspiring Blues to an important late-season victory over Southampton.

"Yes, there are times when stumbles over the ball and he is not the prettiest," said Bruce.

"But to have an 18-year-old boy driving the team like he did, fair play to the kid.

"He has got the attitude and athleticism to play in the Premier League. He is a monster. The ultimate modern day player."

When Blues were paraded on the Council House balcony at a civic reception to mark their promotion (remember those?) Muamba got the biggest cheer and the crowds below chanted 'sign him up,sign him up, sign him up'.

Muamba did move permanently, for an initial £2 million, after collecting the young player-of-the-season award.

Muamba - pictured above with his Championship runners-up medal - always showed great humility, and was always very respectful. Especially for one so young.

Talking about the trophy, he said: "It was a pleasure to win. I felt honoured.

"I wasn't expecting to win anything personally when I came here but by the grace of God I did."

A religious person, Muamba was a regular in the congregation at the Everlasting Hope Church, Aston, and immersed himself in the local Congolese community.

When he was granted asylum and came to London in 1999 as an 11-year-old, he couldn't speak English.

Blues fans used to sing an uncomfortable song about him that rhymed the words 'refugee' and 'quality'.

The majority didn't like it and felt it was disrespectful.

I asked Muamba about it and he replied in typically gracious manner: "It doesn't bother me, but it does bother me. But what can I do? The fans want to show their appreciation, which is nice. Maybe they could change the words - one word - then that would be great."

Muamba had designs on becoming an accountant until football took over.

He always knew his limitations and strived to get better. He said that his time at Blues helped him develop as a player no end, particularly mentally and physically, but that he still needed to improve technically.

In his second season, when Blues were back in the Premier League, he was a regular and his athletic drive and enthusiasm remained boundless.

I remember when he and his close pal, Johan Djourou, were paired together in the centre of the park at Derby County - they tore Pride Park up, marauding about the place.

Muamba's shooting prowess was the subject much good-natured ribbing, and the second of only two Blues goals came in his last match, a header on the final day of 2007-08 against Blackburn Rovers, when Blues were relegated.

As a financial consequence of the drop, and Alex McLeish's decision to try and bring more craft into the side, Muamba was sold to Bolton in a £5.75 million deal.

It would have been fascinating to see how things would have panned out had he stayed and came into the sphere of the likes of Lee Carsley, Lee Bowyer and Barry Ferguson.

Muamba was very much a 'Blues player'.

His career took a different path and now it's not about the football; we can only hope and pray that this fine young man continues to recover his health and is able to lead as long and normal a life as possible.

The memory may begin to fade, but it will never die.

Dateline Wembley, Sunday, February 27, 2011, sometime around 5.45pm.

Obafemi Martins put the ball in the Arsenal net, Blues won the Carling Cup. Forty-eight years of nothing, over.

Just recalling that moment brings a shiver back down the spine, never mind watching the re-run on DVD.

A lot has happened since that glory day. And then some.

But I'm sure like the overwhelming majority of Blues supporters, I wouldn't have swapped it for Premier League survival.

Just imagine had Blues lost the quarter-final, concentrated their minds and avoided the drop.

No Europe, no flowing football, no 6-0 away wins, no Nathan Redmond, no Chris Hughton and still no money.

Blues, arguably, would be in the kind of state Wolves are. But then again, a manager change would have been likely and not in the manner it did happen; Sam Allardyce for a sacked Alex McLeish, anyone?

But, as Hughton says, it is what it is. Blues won the cup, got relegated.

It's better to enjoy and embrace what Hughton and his Band of Brothers have done and are trying to do than look back with regret.

McLeish has gone, 14 of the 18 who were named on the Wembley team sheet have departed, all bettering themselves in the process . . . oh, er, hang on . . .

In the passing of time Blues Carling Cup win will be seen in the correct context of one of the major final upsets and a triumph for preparation, planning and the nous of group of players who not only drew on their experience and showed great desire and heart, but showed they could play - and performed when it mattered on the big stage.

The manner of Martins' winner was fortunate but Blues deserved that pot.

The lack of a proper celebration of the achievement still wrankles. But, as I mentioned at the start of the blog, the memory will never die and no one can change the past, just get behind those trying to shape a better future after picking up the pieces of a nuclear St Andrew's summer.

Nor will the memory of watching Blues compete in Europe, the night against Nacional at St Andrew's, in Bruges, die.

The Premier League isn't the be all and end all.

Last week some national journalists were debating on Twitter where to go on Sunday, Arsenal-Spurs or Liverpool-Cardiff at Wembley.

Many felt the north London derby was bigger. No way.

Priorities are skewed in football. It's not the money, money, money, it's the glory.

And look how the 2012 Carling Cup final panned out. Another dramatic contest and Kenny Miller, in the 88th minute? It was a Martins moment.

These are the sort of things that makes the game so gripping and so great.

What happens in the near future to Carson Yeung and how the financial health of the club holds up remains unclear (Blues are not a Portsmouth, they are not a Rangers).

But looking back now on a year ago today (and people do so in general on 2011 in the decades to come) it was a rare old time all right.

The sonar has just gone 'ping'.

For most of a season Blues have gone under the radar.

Since relegation and Alex McLeish's sensational walk-out, it's been about court appearances, financial crisis, player sales, cramming in European games and playing catch-up in the Championship.

They've gone under radar, all right - but not anymore.

Level on games with most of their rivals now, Blues sit third in the Championship table after the victory over Portsmouth on Tuesday and are unbeaten in a dozen games (all competitions).

And the rest of the league, and the country, are taking notice of the sterling, marvellous efforts of Chris Hughton and his players - and with some fear, as well.

Graham Taylor was on the radio a fortnight ago and apropos nothing in particular volunteered his view that Blues would be promoted this season. The silence among his fellow pundits was deafening.

That's because nobody, apart from outside this region, really knows what to make of, or say about, Blues.

To some they're the team who won the Carling Cup, got relegated, lost their manager to their rivals and are going under . . . aren't they?

It's no coincidence that in five of the last six pre-match media conferences Hughton has given at Wast Hills, your Birmingham Mail correspondent has been the only newspaper/online journalist present.

All that's changing now, with Blues on the fringe of the top two and continuing to confound, surprise and delight.

And the increased scrutiny and pressure shouldn't have an adverse effect on them. Hughton and his coaching staff are too shrewd for that, and there are a glut of very experienced, strong characters in a squad that is very close and together.

They only nagging fear is that because of the volume of games - Blues are up to 41 played now - and the relatively lean squad, they could fall just short and burn out.

But at present, their sharpness, durability and fitness is not in question.

Blues have scored 20 of their 63 goals this season between the 80th - 90th+ minutes and it's hard to recall a game when they didn't finish stronger than the opposition.

Hughton's subtle selection alterations throughout the season have worked. Everyone has been involved, and importantly everyone has also stepped up and played a part and made a contribution. One or two loan signings to add some freshness and vigour should also help.

Jean Beausejour's sale could hurt Blues perhaps more than imagined.

A clever, creative footballer, Beausejour counter-balanced right winger Chris Burke's qualities nicely and added positively to the overall team shape. He also worked prodigiously hard going the other way and built up a good understanding with that Roberto Carlos impersonator, David Murphy.

Since his departure Hughton has started Morgaro Gomis and Jordon Mutch wide on the left, players who, in my book, are not suited to the position. They will do a job and work the line, sure, but they are at their most effective in central midfield.

This could become a vexed issue in the coming weeks, especially if Hughton opts not to pick either Nathan Redmond or Wade Elliott there regularly, both of whom would provide a better balance to the side.

But certainly it's not something the manager isn't aware of and, let's be fair, in a season of so many questions, Hughton has usually come up with the right answers.

Overall, he has had Blues performing with élan. There's been genuine width and wing play, patient but purposeful passing, chances, goals.

Recalling some of his early training sessions during pre-season in Ireland, he kept barking out 'pass, pass, pass, pass' during practice games and intoned the players to look forwards, not backwards.

Hughton has got Blues going out to win games, to take games to the opposition. The performances away in the Europa League were testament to that. There was no caginess, they went after Club Brugge for example and they didn't know what to make of it.

But also the bedrock is there - the top defensive unit in the Championship, whatever the combination.

Foster, Dann, Johnson, Jiranek, Ridgewell, Parnaby have all gone but no matter.

I wrote at the season's start that Blues arguably had the best defence in the division; there's no argument now.

The group as a whole all work very hard. Watch how Burke is relentless up and down the flank, Nikola Zigic covers around 2km more per game than the average Championship striker.

Blues have kept eight clean sheets in their last 11 games. That's the
best sequence since 2003. They went 490 minutes without conceded a league goal between October and November.

At St Andrew's - where they remain unbeaten - only six have been let in, which is remarkable going.

With four of the five teams immediately below them to come at St Andrew's, Blues are handily placed to dream what many felt was an impossible dream in May.

Will further sales push Blues down towards the Championship also-rans?

After striving so hard to make the play-off zone, and enthralling in Europe along the way, is everything about to go to waste?

That's the natural reaction after Jean Beausejour became the 12th player with a Carling Cup winner's medal on his mantle piece to leave St Andrew's, either by transfer, release or loan.

And with Liam Ridgewell determined to go as well, what are the prospects for Chris Hughton and his side with 20 league matches still to play?

First things first. Whether anyone likes it or not, it has to be accepted that Blues parent company Birmingham International Holdings Ltd are in a financial mess. Even before relegation, BIHL admitted its liabilities exceeded assets by some £28 million.

Add Carson Yeung's court case over alleged money laundering, the freezing of his assets and the suspension of BIHL shares, and something had to give. Players had to be sold in the summer, the wage bill had to be slashed.

Beausejour and Nikola Zigic were among those up for grabs. Wigan failed to land Beausejour then. Now panicking, they have got their man. Zigic, because of injury, age, salary and the type of player he is, was not courted seriously.

Beausejour's wages were cut significantly from around £30,000-a-week because of a relegation clause in his contract. He is now wedged-up once more (but is likely to be back in the Championship again in six months . . . ).

I'm told by people at the club that he didn't really want to go, that he enjoys the football under Hughton, his wife and son are settled in Birmingham. But gone he has.

Ridgewell put in a transfer request to try and force the club to sell him. His agent has been agitating on his behalf for months, and he has not been the same player or the same person since May.

And this is one of the problems of the transfer window: agents have vested interests and some happily feed journalists lines that are, how shall we say, somewhat economical with the truth and fact.

A certain 24 hour sports news channel can't get enough of them as 'sources'. This they were contacted by the two relevant clubs telling them that an offer had not been put in for a player as they claimed - but they ignored this and said they were going to continue to carry the 'story' anyway.

Ridgewell may still yet go, if Albion meet the asking price. And that's the crux of the matter: heldover assets from August - Beausejour, Ridgewell and Zigic - have always remained available for the right money.

The recent cash injection from BIHL helped ease the financial pressure on Blues and basically ensured that the club could continue as a going concern - and not end up as a Portsmouth.

But it was never intended to stave off more departures, just lessen the need to cash in for reduced rates. Peter Pannu stated in his last address that 'no one is for sale, whilst all are available for sale'.

Hughton now has to find new players, almost certainly in the loan market (a striker and wideman priorities) and maintain the tight spirit within the camp.

Hughton is after up to three new recruits, and has been casting the net for weeks far and wide.

On Tuesday, Blues were represented at 12 different games. Hughton is nothing if not diligent.

Don't bank on sizeable sums being paid out for anyone. Nor any big names coming in. Things are more likely to happen when the loan window opens on February 7.

Blues cannot at present commit, for example, a large transfer fee for a player who would want a large wage on a four-year contract.

Hughton watched Albion reserves against Swansea reserves this week, to check on Stephen Dobbie, amongst others. He's the kind of fit: not getting a game, possibly up for grabs on loan, with experience of promotion.

Beausejour will be a loss. A first choice and a clever footballer, he could keep the ball, pass it well and trouble defenders. He would also work very hard for the team.

I also always felt you were left wanting more from him, that for all his good games there were others were he never reached peak effectiveness.

Zigic, I personally cannot see going, but as Chris Wood left and joined Bristol City on loan from Albion (a decision which dismayed the manager, who felt Blues had done well for Wood), a striker is certainly needed to help see Blues through.

Blues chances of promotion - assuming two or three players will not follow Beausejour out the exit door - depends on who Hughton can get in, how they fit in and how the current squad react (and thus far they have been tremendous with all that's been on Blues plate).

Steering clear of major injuries, too, is going to be crucial.

Promotion's not impossible, but the task hasn't got any easier.

Best moment: Easy, isn't it? Wembley, February 27, Blues - Arsenal, 89th minute.

Moment time stood still: See above. When the ball came back off Wojciech Szczesny to Obafemi Martins, in front of an open goal; was this really about to happen?

Loudest roar of joy: See above. Shivers still go down the spine when I remember that Carling Cup winning goal and the sheer explosion of noise from 31,500 Blue Noses. The new Wembley hasn't heard anything like it.

Most unprofessional act as a journalist: Rising from my Wembley press box seat when the ball spilled out from Szczesny and shouting '****** hell, he's going to score here!'.

Damp squib: Blues post-Carling Cup winning victory celebration. It should have taken place after the Albion game, regardless of the result, and no civic parade through the streets was a disgrace.

Foul that (thankfully) wasn't given: In the Carling Cup semi-final, fourth minute of extra-time. Stephen Carr crashing into Kieron Dyer, barrelling up the line, squaring to Craig Gardner - bang!

Best atmospheres: Wembley. Loud, proud, powerfully emotional. It meant so much to Blues fans.

Best atmospheres: St Andrew's, second-half in the Carling Cup semi-final. Raw, baying, electric. West Ham United couldn't cope. They sensed the inevitable once Blues scored.

Best atmospheres: Bruges, the whole trip. In the Market Square; in the stadium itself, I have never, ever heard a Blues away support sing incessantly without pausing for breath, like in that first-half. Memorable.

Most relaxed/enjoyable atmosphere: Europa League play-off second leg versus CD Nacional.

Worst performance: Fulham, home, penultimate game of last season. Out-played, out-muscled, out-thought. Blues looked shot through.

Heartache: The crazy last day of the season, at Spurs. Before Stephen Hunt's 87th minute goal for Wolves, Blues, playing the best they had in six weeks, were safe on goal difference.

What should have happened next: Alex McLeish resignation.

What did happen next: Carson Yeung's arrest over alleged money-laundering, BIHL's financial problems intensifying, player sales, Alex McLeish doing a bunk.

Most worrying development: See above, the subsequent worsening of Carson Yeung and BIHL's financial affairs and the lack of transparency over the whole issue.

Most often asked question: Are Blues going into administration?

Most repeated reply to a question: No, not at the moment. But the truth is, no one knows for sure - or is telling - exactly what will happen.

Most ill-judged attempt at humour in response to 'where's the money gone?' taunts: Peter Pannu wafting a wad of euros in Madeira.

Best song: While we're in Europe . . . the city is yours.

Worst song: The Carson Yeung chant.

Newspaper that took the blame for the Carson Yeung chant and stirring anti-board feeling: Birmingham Mail.

Most embarrassing boardroom manoeuvre: axing Michael Wiseman, appointing teenager Ryan Yeung.

Best player, calendar year: Stephen Carr.

Best players, this season so far: David Murphy, Steven Caldwell, Chris Burke.

Biggest disappointments: Aleksandr Hleb, David Bentley.

Unluckiest injury: Obafemi Martins stress fracture, Nikola Zigic's groin/hip. Fully fit post-Wembley, Blues probably wouldn't have been relegated.

Player who could have created history with Blues first European goal in 50 years: Steven Caldwell, who hit the woodwork against CD Nacional in the play-off first leg after 24 minutes. Then Chris Wood did the same, twice.

Player who did create history: Nathan Redmond in the return game. His goal triggered the overwhelming of the Portuguese and set in motion the whole European adventure.

Player from the summer exodus who Blues could have done with staying put: Cameron Jerome.

Most misunderstood departing player: Craig Gardner. He had to go, but the exit was clumsy and comments portrayed him wrongly.

Players with brightest futures to emerge: Nathan Redmond, Jack Butland.

Most unexpected bonus: Chris Wood's goals after the last-minute loan from Albion.

Seemed like a good idea at the time, lying on the beach: Alex McLeish's decision to quit and go to Villa.

Golden Bedsheets Award for not-so-plausible denial: Villa insisting that they didn't tap-up Alex McLeish.

Successful compensation claim: Peter Pannu's £2m - £3m for Villa tapping-up Alex McLeish and Eck walking out on his contract.

Best piece of persuasion: Peter Pannu insisting on Chris Hughton as new manager, not Gianfranco Zola.

Best picking up the pieces job, anywhere: Chris Hughton.

Abiding reflection on 2011: glory, gory, unforgettable and unlikely to be repeated.