Those of you that have not lost the will to live and have ploughed through my previous articles will know that Mrs Bazza has a congenital absence of the football gene. Last week I announced that I had spoken to our 19-year old son on the phone and that it was our intention to go to the Swansea game on the Friday night. My son is at University in Bristol and it occurred to him and of course myself that it would be an ideal opportunity to meet up, spend some quality time and take in the game to boot. Mrs Bazza did not see it that way at all.

You’re not driving all the way to Wales on a Friday night, don’t be stupid, it’s too far, you’ll spend 5 – 6 hours in the car yadda yadda yadda! I had naturally already checked on distances and discovered that the Liberty Stadium was only 5 miles further away than St Andrews. My wife was not having this and the time to travel there and back was now extending by half an hour with every sentence and there were many sentences intrepid readers! I listened patiently to all the reasons why I shouldn’t set out on this venture, smiled sweetly and said I was bloody going and that was the end of the matter. I did suggest that she may like to join us so that she could see her boy whom she tells me most days she misses. “What! Traipse all the way to bloody Wales? You have to be joking!” I had to accept she did have a point there! – well you wouldn’t normally want to cross Offa’s Dyke from God’s country would you?

That was decided then; tickets were purchased to be collected, car was packed with groceries for our poor wee lamb who was probably starving to death as we spoke, shirt of the faithful was donned and I betook myself down the M4. Apart from the satnav directing me three miles away from where my son was, the journey was without mishap. We travelled on together to Swansea to a well organised Park and Ride which deposited us right outside the ground in time to get in, grab a pint and burger and chips with salt, vinegar, tomato ketchup, the lot! (Sadly there were no pies; a huge sin of omission in my view). The Liberty Stadium is a modern ground with television coverage of the match for late comers. We decided to watch the first couple of minutes in the catering area whilst we finished our chips and pint.

GOAL! 0 -1 and only 90 seconds gone! Gloom already! We finished up and took our seats. Swansea proceeded to batter us and how they were not 3 – 0 by 15 minutes only their forwards will know. We were very very lucky. We were too narrow, lacking pace on both defensive flanks and the Swansea wide men were literally playing kick and rush and getting behind us with consummate ease.

Out of nothing we broke away and following a superb cross to Bent it was 1 – 1. Got out of jail there then? Not so; just in time added on we got opened up on the other flank and Liam Ridgewell’s valiant attempt to prevent the cross coming in from the bye-line saw the ball clip his heel and trickle just over the line. At 2 – 1, I could only see Swansea scoring more and had it been 5 – 1, we could have had no complaint whatsoever.

Due credit has to be given to Alex McLeish and the players after half time. The formation was changed to 4-4-2 pushing McFadden further forward. We started to up the tempo, get in their faces, deny them time and space and hey presto they were playing in front of us. Passing the ball better also helped. Super Kev and Agustien came on and the game changed radically.

Two superb finishes from Phillips turned the game on its head. Although Blues were undoubtedly the better side in the second half, over the whole piece this very attractive Swansea side can rightfully feel aggrieved that they lost this game. Sadly for them, when pressured they are vulnerable and will concede goals to teams that have a go at them. Going forward they are the best team I have seen us play this season. I see them in the play-offs come May.

Pleasing though this result was it was once again a game of two halves and highlighted the main problem Blues have had this season. Hard work and a high tempo throughout are required to beat these teams. Sluggish, off the boil performances will result in dropped points and one only needs to point to the games against Blackpool, Coventry City and QPR for evidence of that.

So onto to Ipswich at home; I had been offered a VIP ticket to watch Arsenal in the Champions League on the same night. Deluded fool that is the blind, faithful Bluenose that I am, I turned it down to drive up to Birmingham instead!

Actually I’m glad I did because for once I think I saw the better match. We came out of the traps at pace and having scored two in 14 minutes and had another Phillips effort disallowed a wonderful start highlighted an excellent first half performance. Ridgewell’s goal was a fabulous finish and I was pleased for him after his mistake against Charlton. As for Phillips? Imperious, brilliant and sheer class. The guy’s movement is a delight to watch. It just shows that the truly great strikers don’t necessarily have to be big or tall they just need to get in the right places and Super Kev does time and again.

The second half was a bit of an anti-climax as we went of the boil a little and sat back allowing a very ordinary Ipswich Town side to come back into a game they should have long since been out of. Despite this with more fortune and run of the ball a third and fourth could easily have accrued. The customary nervous last few minutes were guaranteed when we failed to defend a corner properly and concede to Alex Bruce’s near post header.

2 – 1 fails to tell the story of how dominant Birmingham were. Despite the rather disappointing second period the overall performance was much better than of late and we can only hope that Blues are finally getting to grips with what is required. We will have to be at our best against Wolves on Saturday and prolonged lacklustre periods in that game will result in null points. I am hopeful that Blues’ perennial tendency to up their game against the better sides in whatever division we’re in will come to the fore.

Certainly, the boys in gold and black do concede if they are attacked. Let’s hope so because defensively we are not good enough to defend a narrow lead for long periods. I always say that I am never wrong with a prediction except lottery ticket numbers and Birmingham City’s scores so I’m not going to attempt to call it but I believe we have nothing to fear providing we play to our best.

KRO, SOTV