I had to re-type this, the tear stains on the original prevented me from copying it straight over. 
Over to Bazza:
I have found it very difficult even the day after to find the heart and energy to write my report on this game such is the sense of disappointment that I am sure is shared by every Blues fan this morning. Fratton Park is a simple train journey for me even though it still takes an hour and a half. Having arrived at Fratton station and walked to the ground I met ‘Sandwich’ Bill and Alan in the disabled car park who had travelled down from Birmingham after an early start. We must thank the football authorities at this point for putting our game on early despite the length of journey for the away side and their fans when the Fulham-Spurs tie would have been better suited; reminds me of the time when we reached a semi-final against Leeds and the match was played on a ‘neutral’ ground at Hillsborough!
Anyway, moving on Alan and Bill are some of the most long suffering noses I know and I have seen them many times before at away games. Alan, as he usually is, was smoking a fag in the back of the car and as he flicked the ash the slight breeze kept taking it onto Bill’s lap sitting in the front passenger seat with the door open. “Hey!” Bill kept saying flicking the ash off himself “watch what yow’er doin!”
After about the sixth time of asking Bill stood up protesting still but onto the deaf ears of Alan who simply lit up another having seconds before put the last one out. Both these boys are professionals when it comes to smoking which they continued to do whilst we reminisced about previous games against Pompey. “At least they got a roof on the away stand nowadays,” lamented Bill. We had all been at the game about 12 years ago when it rained incessantly and we all got soaked through to the skin. Four cigarettes later (Alan won the gold medal for smoking in the Olympics in 1964 
) it was time to walk round the other side of the ground to our seats. Pompey may have invested in a roof for the old open stand and over-invested in players they couldn’t afford but the investment stopped short at the toilets which remain pretty basic and have been so all the time I’ve been going to Fratton Park. As they say in these parts avoid the heads unless you’ve got to.
Well I’ve put off talking about the game for long enough so here goes; I thought Portsmouth would fly at us and we would have a torrid first twenty minutes. Apart from a weak shot from Belhadj in the first minute they offered very little and in fact Blues were the better side in the first half controlling the midfield in a calm composed manner but offering little threat. Jerome had a snap shot following good set up work from McFadden and Bowyer which was well saved by David James.
McCleish had started with the same formation as for the Fulham and Wigan games which surprised me as it hadn’t really worked at Fulham when the opposition scored our only goal and against Wigan we only won because we were given a dodgy penalty. Despite this I believe that with a half decent striker we would have gone into the break 2 – 0 to the good. As it was it was 0 – 0 and although we hadn’t made our overall dominance count there was little to complain about. I felt we were more than a match for anything they had to offer and would snatch the necessary winner at some stage purely by the law of averages.
Those hopes were dashed in three second half minutes when a lucky deflection led to a toe poked effort towards Hart who having appeared to grasp it, had it kicked out of his hands by Scott Dann challenging for the ball simultaneously. The ball flicked up off Hart’s leg to present Piquionne with a tap in from inches out that my arthritic granny could have scored to give Portsmouth the lead against the run of play and on the basis of their performance so far, one they scarcely deserved.
However, how typical this is of Blues. Failing to score when you are on top has cost and will continue to cost them which make their position in the Premier League all the more remarkable having scored only 26 goals all season. Blues were shaken and found themselves two down before they had cleared their heads. Piquionne twisted Roger Johnson inside out when the defender got isolated and a fine cross shot was buried into the bottom corner; oh for a striker of this quality! On came Kevin Phillips and Chucho for Fahey and McFadden and latterly Gardner for Larsson, a change that was made at least 45 minutes too late in my view, in an attempt to salvage the tie.
Ten minutes from the end a corner from Larsson was powerfully headed down towards the bottom corner by Roger Johnson only to be brilliantly saved by James. The rebound was headed in by Ridgewell at the far post but despite the ball being clearly over the line the assistant referee failed in his duty of actually watching what was going on and allowed James to claw the ball back from a foot behind the post. Television evidence shows clearly that the goal should have been awarded; it wasn’t and with that decision went Birmingham’s last chance of Wembley glory.
I rang Will after the game on the train home to get his take on the game from the television perspective. He made several valid observations that the formation meant the team was unbalanced as McFadden is not a centre-forward and Fahey is not a winger. Double Agent Ridgewell was our best player and provided the only width which says it all and I agree wholeheartedly. Larsson was truly dreadful both in the persistent way he kept turning in field instead of staying out wide and as for his set piece deliveries, enough said. Jerome was shocking in thought and movement and gave one of the worst performances I have seen from him. He normally at least works hard despite having the touch of a rapist and other shortcomings but this was a lacklustre performance and we saw little of his much lauded pace. Benitez when he came on showed nice touches but it was too late by then. Phillips and Gardner were introduced too late to have any impact. McFadden held onto the ball too long when well placed and the final ball from midfield generally especially to the players in wide positions was too often badly weighted or misdirected.
Portsmouth didn’t win this game; Birmingham lost it. They have themselves and themselves only to blame. This is such a shame given the season we have all enjoyed to date. One of the highlights was the win at Everton and although I wasn’t present for that one our first half performance was outstanding by all accounts. That day we went with McFadden and Chucho up front together. This may be an option to consider next week if McCleish is going to insist on playing McFadden as a centre-forward. Jerome was so poor it may be time to rest him. The same goes for Larsson; Gardner must be given his chance although he is better suited to a more central role and I really want to see Michel get some game time.
The needs of the squad were brutally exposed if further evidence was needed; two decent strikers and fast specialist wide players. Then and only then we may start offering a threat and win these big games when they present themselves. It has been 54 years since Birmingham last contested a FA Cup Final; it’s 55 now!
KRO SOTV
Tags: Alex McLeish, Birmingham City, Cameron Jerome, Christian Benitez, FA Cup, James McFadden, Joe Hart, Keith Fahey, Kevin Phillips, Match, Portsmouth, Roger Johnson, Scott Dann, Sebastian Larsson
I received the following e-mail from Sarah Gould today, regarding the forthcoming memorial service for Gil Merrick. I have a story that one of our members told me that I will be passing on. Either contact Helen – or send it to me via our contact page and I will make sure the club receive it.
Anyway, the e-mail:
As you may be aware we are holding a memorial to commemorate the life of Gil Merrick on the 14th March 2010. I am contacting you to ask if you or any of your members have any memories of Gil that would like to featured during the memorial on the 14th March 2010.
See attached story and if your club would like to be mentioned please e-mail my colleague Helen Tims direct at the following e-mail address. helen.tims@bcfc.com
http://www.bcfc.com/page/News/NewsDetail/0,,10412~1981897,00.html
Kind regards
Sarah Gould
One of our forum regulars, “Cliffmann,” is a friend of Martin Taylor. He offered to speak to Martin to gain an interview for Joys and Sorrows.
So over to Cliff:
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Joe Hart, Blues, Match Attacks. That’s probably my 7 year old sons current loves in life in the right order. Match Attacks for those unfamiliar with them are cards of the current premier league teams which give stars based on attack and defence ability.
Alex (my son not Eck!) has changed favourite players like most people change socks, Cameron Jerome, Frank Queudrue and Martin Taylor have all been one time preferences. So this year he was a bit surprised Tiny was not in the match attack pack, so we found a card on the internet of Martin from a previous season. When he saw it he was aghast at the fact Martin only had one star, not the maximum of 5 for either attack or defence.
The reason for telling the story is that we know Martin quite well as a family, so next time Alex saw him he decided he would not call him Martin any more and he would be affectionately known as “one star”. One of the funniest things I have ever seen is seeing this massively tall man struggling to come up with a suitable put down for a 3ft 7 year old.
So when he left the club for Watford in January without the chance to say goodbye to the fans I thought it would be nice for him to say goodbye and also maybe think of a response to his new nickname.
“Love the questions mate, something a bit different to usual. I think whoever decided on my one star status must have been watching one of my poorer performances. I always feel it’s better to be underestimated than overestimated, it gives you the chance to surprise an opponent who may have thought they were gonna get an easy game. That aside it was great banter from Alex!
Just a quick note to the fans to say thank you for all the support I received when I was at the club. It’s probably a standard thing to say for a player who leaves a club but I think I can sincerely say that I received fantastic support especially during a certain difficult period of my career and that loyalty from the blues fans helped my family and I enormously.
I’ve always enjoyed speaking to fans that I bump into around and about, they’ve always got good footballing opinions of what’s happening at the club. All in all it’s been a pleasure to play for Birmingham City. Thank you”
1. How did the move to the club originally come about?
It was a few years ago now, Jan 2004 to be precise but Blackburn were going through a bit of a transition. We’d had a good season the year before but some new faces were brought in and I found it more difficult to hold down a place. Sometimes as a professional you get the feeling that your time at a club has passed and you need to move on to further your career. Birmingham showed a lot of interest and were doing very well at that time. I spoke to a couple of lads who were at the club already and it sounded like an excellent opportunity to come to a club that was on the up. It took a couple of weeks to sort out but just before the window closed I found myself 100 miles down the M6 playing at the blues.
2. What was Bruce like as a manager?
I enjoyed my time working with Steve Bruce as a manager, he had wealth of knowledge of the game that he liked to pass on to his players. There were periods when I was at the club that I would have preferred to play more games under him but I always felt that he believed in me as a player who could do a job for him. He had a good team working with him, I thought Erik Black in particular was a very good coach
3. When the new owners came in did you as a player notice a changed atmosphere or is it a press myth?
There was actually a change in atmosphere around the place when the new owners came in. I would agree that sometimes a football club could have a change of ownership and the players would see no differences, however Carson Yeung’s arrival did bring a new feeling. The owners were very direct in their contact to the players showing us what they were planning for the club and the positive changes that they would bring. The previous owners did a great job when you compare the club from when they bought it to when they sold it but the new owners have their own ideas of how to make Birmingham City competitive further up the premier league. They know that for it to be successfully marketable the club and its facilities need to be comparable with the top premier league clubs and these are the differences that the players are now experiencing.
4. So in terms of Blues teams, were the Robbie Savage era better than the current team do you think?
I’ll sit on the fence on this one and say that it’s difficult to compare teams from different eras as they had different styles with their own positives. Both the team when I first joined and the team this season have done exceptionally well to stay in the top half of the premier league. If the current squad can maintain that position for a few seasons then that consistency would be the only separating factor of the two eras.
Martin "Tiny" Taylor
5. When you signed for the club, Steve Bruce said you were versatile and could play left back, right and centre, was he serious? Surely you are 100% centre half?
I actually played all over the pitch at Blackburn and was quite versatile when I was a younger player, if you can imagine! I actually made my debut as an emergency centre forward and played there a few times after that. I also found myself in midfield a few times. It’s often the case that centre half’s play full back when they first progress to the first team and that was what happened to me being used at both right and left. I quite enjoyed it being able to attack for a change and had probably my most successful season at Blackburn when we finished sixth playing a good portion of it at full back, mind, it helped having Damien Duff in his prime helping out in front. My body shape has changed as a player as I have got older into more of a centre half’s, gone are the days of overlapping the winger to get a cross in, I’m happy to just hold fort now.
6. Highlight of being at the club and your best performance?
Highlights would have to be getting promoted twice, especially the first time when we beat Sheffield Wednesday at home to put ourselves on the brink of an immediate return to the premier league. Even though we hadn’t quite made it yet, there was a great feeling following that game.
My best performance would have to be Newcastle away in the FA Cup replay (5-1). Not surprisingly I enjoyed every minute of that game.
7. If you search youtube you can be spotted sat on the bench during a blues-villa game. Two questions… See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugcutAxYD7I around the 1.39 mark!
a) What is the Blues-Villa derby like for a player in terms of pressure/preparation?
The game is prepared for like any other, but the big difference is the pressure and tension that you feel when you get out onto the pitch.
As a player you can sense from the crowd that its not just another game and that the result is the only thing that matters. That’s why the best things about derby games tend to be the tackles as everyone is wired up and doesn’t want to be the one to miss a tackle or make a mistake that could lose the game. Skill and flare tends to be forgotten for an afternoon.
b) What happened to that awful “curtains” hairstyle?
I was very proud of my ‘curtains’ hairstyle thank you very much and I would love to be able to grow it back if a. I could, and b. it came back into fashion.
8. How do you cope with not being in the team, do you get all moody or are you quite relaxed about it?
I would love to tell you that I accept it really well and it doesn’t bother me but in reality I probably get a bit moody.
It’s very frustrating as a player when you work hard all week with the rest of the players but end up not involved in the game on the Saturday. It’s vital to maintain a good condition when not playing as you could be called on at short notice but its a much more enjoyable job when you are playing regularly and experiencing the highs and lows in the team.
9. What career would you have done if football had not worked out?
I think about this occasionally but still don’t know. I think a lot of people don’t really work out their vocation until a few years after leaving school, when they’ve tried a few things or realised they’ve chosen the wrong subject at university.
I would probably have been like this, my favourite subjects at school were maths and geography but I probably would have ended up doing something completely unrelated to these.
10. You won a league cup medal with Blackburn, is it a treasured possession or lost somewhere in the loft?
It’s actually quite treasured with my other medals, three championship runners up gongs.
When I played the final at Cardiff, one of the older lads in the squad said I should treasure playing in a final because not many professionals get the chance in their career.
I’ve been fortunate to have had that chance and would love it again. It’s also a great thing to hold onto to show the grand kids in a few years who won’t believe that granddad was able to run never mind play football.
11. Who were the biggest jokers at the club and were there any stand out pranks played?
In the time that I was there a few jokers have passed through the changing rooms. Dunny was always one for a prank, as well as Sav. I can’t think of a particular one but there was always some good banter flying around. Ian Bennett was great fun to have around the training ground, he had the lads in stitches on a daily basis.
Martin "Tiny" Taylor
12. What’s it like being so tall?
I often don’t think of myself as being particularly tall, I suppose I’ve got used to it now. The only time it is ever a problem is when I hit my head on doorways or low hanging signs, or have cramped legs on transport. I think I’m still above the anthropometric/economic trade off of seating as many people comfortably in a specific area.
There are however advantages to being tall, such as at concerts or in highly stacked supermarkets, oh and not forgetting jumping for headers with Duncan Ferguson!
13. How is Watford different in terms of set-up, ambition and treatment of you as a player?
The set up at Watford is excellent from the facilities to the staff at the training ground to the help I received when I first joined. I found the transition between clubs quite comfortable as many of the training methods were very similar to the ones I was used to at Birmingham. They are a very community friendly club and I have been welcomed very well by everyone at Watford. Like any team in the championship they have ambition of getting promoted to the premier league and being as successful as possible.
14. Have you met Elton John yet, and did he have those great star shaped glasses on?
Unfortunately I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Elton John yet. Hopefully one day in the future.
15. You have already scored for your new club, are you settled in already?
I am pleased with how the first month has gone. To get on the score sheet is a bonus, but I am happy with how I’ve settled in and we’ve had some decent results in that time. As a team we’ve been dominant in all the games I’ve been here which is not easy in the championship as all teams are very competitive.
16. What are your personal ambitions now and do you have plans in place for life after football?
My ambitions are now to play as many games as possible with Watford and to try and get promoted. I think we have as good a chance as most of being in and around the top positions in the championship and if it didn’t happen this season then we would just try for next.
I don’t have any concrete plans for what to do after football. It’s difficult to plan as I don’t know when that will be, hopefully not for another few years. Unfortunately there will be time when I come to retire, something as a young professional looks a lifetime off but creeps up on you all too quickly. The best thing is to prepare that it could happen at any time and not be surprised or disappointed when it does, just be ready to move on to the next chapter.
17. Pressure time now! With a chance to annoy your friends and colleagues what would be your best 11 during your time at the club?
1. Goalkeeper – Maik Taylor
2. Right Back – Stephen Kelly
3. Left Back – Jamie Clapham
4. Central Midfield – Damien Johnson
5. Centre Half – Kenny Cunningham
6. Centre Half – Raidi Jaidi
7. Right Midfield – Sebastian Larsson
8. Centre Midfield – Stephen Clemence
9. Centre Forward – Mikael Forssell
10 Centre Forward – Nicklas Bendtner
11 Left Midfield – Gary McSheffrey
Martin, I think I speak for everyone who supports the blues in saying we hope you do really well at Watford and things go well…
Good luck One Star!
Cliff
Images used with kind permission from Birmingham City FC
Tags: Aston Villa, Birmingham City, Blackburn, Carson Yeung, Championship, Martin Taylor, Match, Newcastle, Players, Premier League, Sheffield Wednesday, Steve Bruce, Watford
I am aware that many of you were very fond of Gil, so I thought I would advertise this.
The club have announced a memorial service for the late great Blues Legend. Taken from the Blues site:
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GIL MERRICK MEMORIAL
To commemorate the life of Gil Merrick, Birmingham City Football Club are holding a memorial service for the fans at St. Andrew’s on Sunday March 14.
The seating will be limited to the Gil Merrick Stand Lower and fans can obtain tickets from Monday March 1 via telephone by calling Helen Tims on 0844 557 1457 or the ticket office front counter. Tickets will be available on a first come, first served basis and will be free to all supporters. Tickets will not be available on the day of the event so please book in advance.
The approximate order of service will be as follows:
11.00am: Arrival
11.10am: Introduction by Tom Ross (Chairman of the Former Players’ Association)
11.20am: Minister’s service and minute’s silence
11.25am: Tributes and readings from fans and former team mates
11.45am: Eulogy by club historian Ivan Barnsley
11.55am: Tribute footage on the big screen
12.05pm: Tribute by Gil’s daughter, Jill Hay
12.10pm: Keep Right On played over the tannoy on exit and there will be books of condolence left in the concourse of the Gil Merrick Stand for fans to write their own tributes to Gil.
Please note entrance to the Gil Merrick Stand will be via the Visitors Car Park and the away turnstiles and car parking will be available on the Kop Car Park and Visitors Car Park.
A collection for the family’s chosen charity will also take place on the day of the memorial.
Get hold of your tickets in advance through the above methods and come along and join us for a celebration of the life of one of Birmingham City’s greatest ever players, who went onto guide the club to its only major silverware as manager.
Original page at BCFC.com
We continue our interviews with ex-Blues players, and this time I spoke to Paul Devlin. This interview is sponsored by Zulumag!
Obviously a you’re a Brummie Lad, where were you bought up Paul?
I was born in Brookvale Village and I was bought up in Erdington not far from Villa Park. My Dad is from Glasgow and we were all big Celtic fans, but my Uncle was a big Bluenose and started taking me down to St Andrews.
What was your first game?
I can’t remember for definite, but I’m pretty sure it was Ipswich. That great side of Wark, Brazil and Mariner etc. I remember Frank Worthington was playing for us.
What took you into professional football?
Well at school I never really wanted to be a footballer, I actually wanted to be a chef. When I left I trained at a hotel, went day release to college and got my catering qualifications. I got into football through Sunday football and non-league, and I got spotted that way.
Notts County was your first club wasn’t it? How did it go there?
Yeah I signed for Notts County from Stafford Rangers. It went really well. I’d had trials at a few clubs including Liverpool. I was up there for 6 weeks on and off.
Then Leeds came in for me. I went to Leeds for a week and played in a reserve game. When I got back I decided that would sign for Notts County and Neil Warnock. On the Monday, Howard Wilkinson phoned me up and gave me a rollocking for not signing for Leeds. Leeds ended up winning the league and County got relegated!
Having said that, I had four great years at Notts County.
What was it like working for Mr Warnock?
I’ve known Neil a long time, and I’ll always be grateful to him for giving me my big break. I played for him at Sheffield United too.
So when did the Blues start featuring?
I’d renewed my contract at County, although I know things were difficult financially there. One of my best friends in football was Michael Johnson and we’d kept in contact and as Blues were my club, I said to him if he could get me there that would be great.
One day they rang up to say that Baz was keen on me and would I come. I said I I’d jump at the chance. They signed Andy Legg in the same deal so Stafford Rangers got a smaller percentage apparently. However, it was great to get an opportunity to play there.
So you were one of Bazza’s last 432 signings?
Yeeaah, that’s right. (Laughs!). Baz was great.
I have to say I thought Baz was brilliant, got nothing but praise for thebloke – and I’d say most Blues fans would think of him fondly.
Yeah he was fantastic, he helped to bring the Blues back to life again to be honest along with the Gold and Sullivan who had saved the club.
Paul Devlin
I seemed to remember that there was a real team spirit.
Definitely. He was a larger than life character, but people liked him. I had 15 years as a pro and no one had a bad word for the man.
Do you have a Bazza story?
I remember when we were playing Grimsby away. During the night we were woken up by someone running down the corridor screaming and banging on the doors. We used to get that happen occasionally by opposing fans trying to keep us awake. When gone down to breakfast and the lads were a bit bleary eyed. Anyway, Baz comes in looking like he’d been to a nightclub the night before!
We all said, we shouldn’t stay here again gaffer, some nut case has been banging on the doors trying to keep us awake. Barry replied, “yeah that was me.” He’d been to a wedding or something and had got drunk.
Anyway it worked, because we beat Grimsby easily that day!
Eventually Barry was sacked and Trevor took over, what was that like for you being as Trevor was a totally different personality and character?
You said it, he was a totally different personality and character, in fact I wouldn’t say Trevor had either! He wasn’t my cup of tea. Out of my15 years as a pro, he was the one I didn’t get on with. I know that might upset some Blues fans.
I scored goals under Barry and then the following season was top scorer and player of the season, but that still wasn’t good enough for Trevor.
He bought in some big signings like paul Furlong, Mike Newell, Steve Bruce – and I don’t know if it was the fact that I was one of Barry’s signings – but we just clashed basically.
I didn’t think much of him as a manager and he didn’t think much of me as a player. He was always going to win that one. He sold me an to be fair I had four great years at Sheffield United, but I didn’t want to leave the Blues – I’d have happily stayed all my career.
It was just a shame that I was doing well when I left, and there was a lot of ill feeling too with the crowd getting on my back with Trevor being able to say his part and me not being able to give my side.
Still it was all water under the bridge in the end. It was nice to get back. To be truthful, the way I left the Blues was probably my lowest point in football.
Trevor didn’t want to offer me a new contract, I’d asked for parity with Furze and I’ll sign it immediately, (I got on well with Furze by the way), but Trevor didn’t want to give me that. He said that we’d paid several million for Paul and he’d come from Chelsea and that was that.
At the end of the day, he didn’t like me and I didn’t like him it was as simple as that. I thought he was a poor manager to be honest, which was a shame because to 99% of Bluenoses – he was a god. I wish it had never happened, but you can’t turn the clock back.
Have you seen him since?
I wouldn’t go out of my way to speak to him to be honest. I did see him at Selhurst Park once, but it was strained with just brief “hellos” from both of us.
You when to Sheffield United for a few years, and Steve came in for you on loan. What was happening there? Did you need a new challenge?
No far from it, I was player of the year and and runner up the following year and I’d just signed a four year contract, I was having a good time.
I got a call from Steve when he was at Palace and asked if I wanted to go there. Obviously I’d played with Steve at Blues and he was manager at Sheffield United for a spell while I was there, we were quite close friends.
Then the gardening leave thing happened, but he said when things got sorted he wanted me there. I was probably the main man at Sheffield United, and then Steve got the Blues job. Nothing happened for a few months so I got Johnno to ask him what was happening. Anyway apparently by the time Steve had looked at the present squad, he’d realised that there quite a few lads who were around 30 / 30+ it might not be the right time to bring me in as I’d just turned 30 at the time.
That left me in a bit of an awkward situation at Sheffield United but fair play to Neil Warnock, when it looked like the deal was dead – he put me back into the team. We played Norwich away. This was despite me being out of the team for a while. Anyway by the following Monday I was back at Blues!
You played 13 times that season and scored 1 goal and that was against Wolves when we drew 2-2. I felt that was a real turning point for the side as we put together a great run to get into the play-offs. What do you remember about it?
It was my last game on loan and it was on the television too, also being a local derby. I scored the 2nd goal Martin Grainger crossed it. It definitely gave us a new impetus to kick on. The following week the deal was done to bring me back permanently.
The following season you pulled on the shirt in the Premier League for 30 games, tell us about that.
Yeah, Steve was true to his word about giving us the opportunity in the Premier League. It was fantastic to play in the top flight with the club for the first time for a long time and also to get international recognition was also brilliant.
I also got my first Premier League goal in the First Home Premier League game at St Andrews, which was also the Blues first ever home Premier League goal, against Leeds United which was fantastic. Especially as at the time that was a really good Leeds side.
Paul Devlin After Another Goal!
What was your highlight of being at the club?
I think it has to be the play-off final in Cardiff. It was a great day and a great atmosphere and to score one of the penalties and see the club promoted to the top flight was fantastic, especially for the fans.
Whenever I see the shoot out, it still causes the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up.
Yeah, I have to say though, that I was always confident going into penalties. We’d practiced them religiously in the weeks before the game.
We had some good penalty takers. I wasn’t sure it would go to penalties at one point – but when it did I was pretty confident we were going to go through.
Were they pre organised?
Yeah everyone knew what they were doing, it was all organised before the game.
You got picked for Scotland, tell us a bit about that.
I’d been told several times, when I was at the Blues the first time and then at Sheffield United, that I’d get a call up – but it never materialised. The big deciding factor was me getting to play in the Premier League, and playing pretty well in the Premier League.
My Dad was at the Newcastle game at St Andrews and was sat just next to Archie Knox. He’d heard Archie say nice things about me, anyway on the Monday I got the call from Berti Vogts to say I’d been called up. At 30 / 31 it was a fantastic opportunity, however I don’t think I was playing any better than previous seasons, it was simply that I was playing in the top flight.
How many caps and goals did you get?
I got ten caps, but unfortunately I never scored.
What about your disciplinary record?
(Paul laughs!). Yeah well, I think the first half of my career was appalling to be honest. I think I did get better as I got older. Neil Warnock gives me a mention in his book, that he didn’t realise when he signed me from non-league that I had 49 disciplinary points I was sent off 7 ot 8 times! I was a bit firey when I was younger and the red mist used to descend.
What are you doing now and what are your ambitions?
I’ve been involved in a building company for four or five years that I’m a partner in but I’ve just finished my personal training qualification and I’m looking to do something with Steve Froggatt. We’ve set up a company called XPROTRAINING to become a course provider for people to become a personal trainer or a gym instructor.
The fitness side of things always interested me more than coaching. I’ve been asked before about why didn’t I stay in the game to coach or a manager, but the fitness and nutrition side of things has always interested me more.
So what do you think about what’s happening at the Blues now?
Yeah I was at St Andrews in the Frank Worthington hospitality suite for the Chelsea game. The atmosphere was fantastic. A real change to things from a few weeks before.
Joe Hart made a few good saves, but Blues gave as good as they got that day. There’s a good vibe about the place which is good to see.
Do you agree that Alex has turned the doubters into believers!?
Yeah I think so. last year when we got promoted, there were people who were critical of the style of the football we were playing and that we were boring. But he has changed the formation and with the Chinese taking over, it is like a totally different club down there now.
The time under the old board had run it’ course and it was time for change. I know a lot of people are critical of them, however they did save the club and they did breathe new life into the club then. But with Carson coming in now, it is another new era and it couldn’t be much better at the moment.
If we get there would you go to Wembley?
I’d love to. One or two of the old players would be on the scrounge for tickets! It would be terrific.
If you have a spare ticket Paul, you know where I am!
I bet that won’t be the only phone call or request I might get Kev!
Well thank you very much for your time Paul, it’s great to speak to a player who as a Brummie knows what it means to us. Keep us informed with your new venture and we’ll do an update here.
It’s a pleasure Kev.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Mr Paul Devlin!
Images used with kind permission from Birmingham City FC.
Tags: Barry Fry, Birmingham City, Championship, Neil Warnock, Notts County, Paul Devlin, Players, Premier League, Scotland, Sheffield United, St Andrews, Steve Bruce, Trevor Francis
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