Birmingham City v Everton Brief Post Match Thoughts
Filed under: Blues News, Kev's Ramblings, Match reports, Matches
2-0 down with Everton destroying us, the sleeves are rolled up and the battle commences. A deft Jerome flick pulls it back to 2-1 and early in the second half during sustained pressure – Gardner scores his first goal for the club and a beauty it was too.
I thought this was a really good game of football. At the end of the day, probably the right result although both sides had chances to win it. Actually to be fair to Everton, they could have been out of site if Hart hadn’t pulled off a number of very good saves.
We seemed to be asleep for the 1st 20 minutes, however made up for it in the 2nd half with some excellent approach play.
Barry Ferguson was superb today and my man of the match by a long way – despite Jerome being awarded it by some people.
This result should be seen as a positive, we came back from 2-0 down against a VERY good Everton side, and the fact we COULD have pinched it, shows the character we have in the side.
Well played Blues, actually well played both Blues. An entertaining game of football.
Birmingham City v Everton Preview
After the win in midweek at crisis club Portsmouth – we return to St Andrews to face an Everton side who appear to be improving week by week.
With key players like Arteta returning, Everton have gone on a decent run. Landon Donovan has been another player who has made a big impact. He is on loan from David Beckham’s previous USA club – LA Galaxy. Galaxy have insisted that his loan won’t be extended and so he is due to return to the States after our game. David Moyes has said he would like the player to stay, and there is a slight chance, as the American players are threatening strike action meaning Donovan could stay.
The Blues once again have pretty much a full strength side available with Parnaby and Phillips the only non long term injured to be doubtful.
On the forum we have been saying the last few games that Benitez needed to start, and there is no doubt that Jerome looks a better player alongside Chucho, so after our confident win in midweek, I’m hopeful that McLeish will start with the same forward line. Bowyer and Larsson are also available again.
This of course will be the 3rd time we have played the Blues from Liverpool this season. Earlier in the season we ran away giggling like school kids from Goodison Park, when we had one shot on goal and stole a point from Everton.
Our next visit however was more convincing. We knocked them out of the FA cup with a 1st half performance that was probably one of our best of the season.
As I have said, since then Everton have improved and are now only two points behind us. They have won 7 of their last 10 PL games. However, we have only lost 3 in our last 19 PL matches and are unbeaten in 10 home games.
I think it is fair to say that Everton are a stronger side, and will be confident after their thrashing of Hull last week, however I think this contest will be a tight one but I do think that Everton will shade it. I just think they have the momentum and although we have won the last two league games, we will be narrowly beaten by the other Blues.
Prediction Blues 1 v 2 Blues
Mr. Wayne Rooney
Here is Dale’s latest article.
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Growing up in the mean streets of Croxteth, is it no surprise that Wayne Rooney has always had a sharp edge to his character. As a youngster is was football that dragged him away from the avenues of crime and mischief and provided him with a passion. A true passion that now, 76,000 people can bear witness to on a Saturday afternoon. Like many young lads before him, Rooney aspired to “make it”. Growing up watching the big, bustling and sometimes belligerent Duncan Ferguson, he found a childhood hero to aspire to be. Joining his boyhood club Everton at the age of ten, Rooney started to turn heads in Liverpool and many branded him as the “next big thing”. Then, a goal that would propel the prospect to unprecedented heights. Reigning champions Arsenal were the visitors at Goodison and on the back of a 30 match unbeaten run. A hard fought 1-1 draw beckoned as the clock ticked onto the 90th minute. Then off the bench stepped up 16 year old Wayne Rooney. A spectacular 30 yard strike cannoning off the underside of the bar made Rooney the youngest goal scorer in Premier league history and ending the gunner’s fantastic run.
Two years later, Rooney’s performances caught the eye of Sir Alex Ferguson and after seeing off Newcastle in a bidding war for the young starlet, the Evertonian was to join Manchester United for £25.6 million pounds. Rooney marked his debut against Fenerbahce with a hat-trick in a 6-2 win against in the champion’s league. He went on to bag 11 goals in his opening season and received the PFA Young Player of the Year Award for 04/05. However Rooney’s aggressive nature also provided some of the more forgettable instances during his career. Sarcastically clapping the referee for booking him earned him a sending off coupled with another dismissal for an alleged elbow on now Real Madrid defender Pepe during the Amsterdam tournament of 2006. That same year many national newspapers blamed Rooney for England’s departure from the 2006 world cup, after stamping on Ricardo Carvalho in the quarter-final tie earning a red card from referee.
However it was the arrival of Christiano Ronaldo that somewhat overshadowed Rooney’s performances and although the Englishman was still a prized asset to United, it was Ronaldo that began to run the show. His 12 goals during the 07/08 season was by no means an underachievement but the 31 goals and string of world class performances by Ronaldo issued a new star of the Stretford End.
Ronaldo parted company with United, opting for Real Madrid as his preferred destination for the fee of £80 million. This sparked doubts in many critics’ columns as to who would fill a void of goals and assists that Ronaldo previously acclaimed. Many believed United would falter without the Portuguese superstar but there was no need for Alex Ferguson to spend some of the money made available on a striker. As the remedy was right under their noses, like a big ginger chunk of vapour rub, in Wayne Rooney. Rooney currently occupies a more central role at United in every sense of the word. Playing down the spine of the team, the United striker has evolved into one of the most accomplished, classy and gifted players to grace English football. His grit and determination to get the ball from the opposition has made him a fans favourite and coupled with his improved goal scoring record, Rooney has become the ultimate player.
England travel to South Africa this summer in their quest for World Cup Glory. Spearheading their attack is non-other than the new and improved Wayne Rooney. Undoubtedly a more mature, professional and prolific player that previously put on the three lions shirt in a major competition. If the form of this transformed and rejuvenated striker continues, England may just have a chance of doing the unthinkable. Rooney brings something to a team that no other player can. Not only has he immense talent, quality and skill but he has the bite, the determination and the grit that sets him apart. He can produce moments of quality but unlike his Bulgarian team mate Berbatov he will work tirelessly for the team. As an Englishman, I hope and pray that Wayne Rooney can transfer his performances for his club onto an international scale and fire England to world cup glory in South Africa this summer.
Ladies and Gentlemen I give you, Mr. Wayne Rooney.
Post Chelsea: where do we go from here?
Nat, one of our forum regulars, has written this article post Wednesday!
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Looking back, I can still barely believe it. Birmingham City going fifteen games unbeaten whilst in the top-flight, a team that less than a year ago huffed and puffed like the Big Bad Wolf in getting out of the Championship. A team at that point that did well to string fifteen passes together, never mind results. It has to be written down to be believed, draws in the league at home to United, Citeh and Chelsea, and then more draws in the league at Anfield and Goodison. Smash and grab raids at Wigan and Stoke, and to top it all, a place in the FA Cup fifth round for the first time in four years, as a result of our first win at Goodison since Ken was born.
But it’s over. We barely even had time to raise the white flag before Malouda bagged the first. Lampard effectively ended the contest and our unbeaten streak before half-time. You can try and point to different reasons for the collapse but I think the reason for our comprehensive defeat is the same reason Chelsea are top of the league. We were playing against a top quality side, who would blow away most teams if they play to anywhere near their best.
It gives us a right bump to earth though. I think even the most optimistic Bluenose realises that, deep down, the European tour we sing about remains nothing more than a pipeline dream in terms of qualifying via the Premier League. Wednesday served as a reminder that we are still a bazillion light-years from regularly being able to go toe-to-toe with the elite of the elite. Finishing in a comfortable mid-table position would still count as a great season for us, anywhere higher than that and Alex McLeish gets the keys to the city.
Of course, I am discounting our Cup run. A juicy (and VERY winnable) tie at Derby leaves us, not within touching distance, but relatively close to Wembley. We’re only two games from the Semi-final and what would be my first visit to our National Stadium. If (and it’s a huge IF) we could even get to the Semi-final, or dare I dream, the Final, it would probably top off what is turning into an incredible season, the pride I’d feel watching Blues at Wembley for the first time would surpass seeing us play twice at the Millenium Stadium, what a great end to a fantastic season it would be. Still, we’ve got to get past Derby first. I once saw us lose a Fifth-round tie against a second-tier Sunderland when we we’re in the top-half of the Premier League under Steve Bruce, so I’m taking nothing for granted.
To get anywhere quickly though, there was a clear need for reinforcements. Our backline is well covered, and the two (in my opinion) shrewd signings of Michel from Sporting Gee-hon and Craig Gardner from the Sty gives us a boost in the middle. But as everyone knows, we need strikers. It’s not as if Chucho and Cameron are particularly bad players, they’ve done relatively well together, but behind them we have Kevin Phillips (I’d be quite surprised to see him start another game for Blues), Gary O’Connor (I’d be very surprised to see him start another game for Blues) and, returning from a glorious loan spell at ‘Boro, Marcus Bent (I would be in two minds as whether to leave a match if I ever saw him play for Blues again).
Quite simply, we need an extra option. At the time of writing, a deal to bring Aruna Dindane to Blues is apparently all but agreed for £4million. I’m not particularly enamoured with the prospect of him coming in, especially at the price. He just seems to be all tricks but no delivery, ala Quincy perhaps. But I suppose we could do worst than him for back up. The more exciting prospect is the on-off deal to bring Roman Pavlyuchenko to Blues. The lad has strength, height, skill and an eye for goal, four things that when rolled into one make him a class act. Colin Tattum says the deal could be on between us and Spurs, and the lad wants to come, which would be great. I genuinely seem him as a cornerstone of turning Blues from also-rans into genuine challengers in the top half of the League.
Still even if we don’t nab him, I won’t be too perturbed. We’re in a League position which means we aren’t desperate for points. We aren’t in a need to sign whoever we can get. We’re comfortable. Our pre-season objective has pretty much been achieved already, we can pick and choose who we sign. If the right player comes along at a reasonable price, then sign him. But if that player is unavailable then not to worry, there will be more available in the Summer and beyond.
Portsmouth and West Ham in the past few months have shown us the consequences of spending money willy-nilly. They are in a total mess right now. We need to maintain that our house remains in order, whilst still having the ambition to progress continually. And then there’s the fact that mad signings could upset the applecart in the dressing room. The players we have, just by looking at our do or die performances recently, have a strong bond and a fluency that comes from playing with each other week-in week-out. Why upset that now? Bring in players who could provide alternatives to the players we have if need be, but only bring in ingredients that would garnish the recipe, not alter it.
Still I’m looking too far ahead, as Big ‘Eck would preach, take things one step at a time. We’ve got two big home games coming up. Spurs at home tomorrow will be tricky, but aren‘t an insurmountable challenge. They play good football under Twitch, and are pretty much impregnable at White Hart Lane, but for me never seem to be the same grizzly monster outside their own cage. Our last home defeat came towards the end of September, and who’s going to whole heartedly bet against us tomorrow?
Then next week the Dingles come to town. A tough game in a different regard. Whereas Spurs offer a multitude of talent, Wolves are probably the most untalented footballing team I’ve seen in the Premier League this season, with the possible exception of Blackburn. But Mick McCarthy seems to have rallied them to the point where they have half a chance of survival. They don’t score many goals, and aren’t totally competent in their own penalty box, but Wolves always give 110% every game. In a local derby where they will be kicking and scrapping for every point they can muster in what for them, in my opinion, will be a desperate battle for survival for the, they present themselves as tough opponents.
Two tough games, but both winnable. Two wins and six points would mean we are sitting thirty-nine points at the start of February. And then we’re laughing, right?
Keep Right On (hopefully to Wembley!)
VIEW FROM THE SOUTH – CHELSEA vs BIRMINGHAM CITY
Here is Bazza’s match report from last night’s game.
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All successful runs in sport come to an end sooner or later and the smart money was on Chelsea to put Birmingham in their place and so it was to prove on a cold January night in West London. Blues had been receiving plaudits rightly for the high standard of their defending over the season so far but this was evidently lacking after only six minutes of this encounter when Joe Cole who normally marauds down the left for Chelsea and England was switched to the right to exploit the obvious deficiency that we have in the left back berth. This is not meant to be a criticism of Liam Ridgewell personally but a statement of fact. He is not, and never will be, a left full back and he lacks the pace to deal with truly top class wide men coming at him especially as James McFadden cannot be relied upon to add much in the way of defensive help. Cole aided and abetted by Ivanovic got behind us far too easily and this was to be a long evening for our much vaunted defence as a result. Cole had all the time in the world to dink over a simple cross to the waiting Malouda who had a completely unchallenged and therefore free header right in the middle of our six yard box. Where the rest of the defence were is a matter for debate but the outcome of such diabolical defending could only result in the game virtually being over with most of it yet to come.
Chelsea proceeded to strut their funky stuff for the rest of the half with the outstanding Frank Lampard the pick of the Chelsea midfield whose collective pace, power and movement made a mockery of Birmingham’s recent reputation for being tough to beat. Blues did manage to settle after the early setback but were under the cosh for most of the time offering no threat going forward. Apart from a couple of easy catches Cech in the Chelsea goal had more chance of perishing from hypothermia than conceding a score. Blues looked tired and listless and spent their time chasing shadows. However, they stuck to the task and kept their illustrious hosts at bay until the 32nd minute when Lampard, 25 yards out was not closed down and anyone who has been watching Premier League football over the last few years will know how dangerous the England internationals shooting can be. It is easy to be critical of one’s own team for not going to the ball in this situation but Lampard still had a lot to do from where he was. His shot skimmed across the turf like a bullet to caress the netting attached to the far post. I cannot describe how good this strike was. Two or three inches nearer to the diving Joe Hart who had another impressive game and the keeper would have saved it. The tiny gap that Lampard found was the only place he could have selected to score and he needed the necessary pace on the ball to convert the chance; a truly beautiful goal and a pleasure to watch.
Blues were better in the second period and showed a little more going forward but even so Chelsea remained by far the better side. Fahey came on for Jerome after 56 minutes and McFadden was pushed up front with Benitez. The latter created a glorious chance for McFadden with twenty minutes to go but the Scot’s right footed effort across the keeper was so wide it was never threatening Cech who calmly watched the ball skid by. Our only other worthwhile attempt was from Fahey who once again fed by Benitez, toe poked the ball goalwards. The shot destined for the top corner was well saved by Cech and that as they say was that. Blues tried manfully to give the travelling faithful something to cheer and did have a go at Chelsea towards the end and it was to cause their downfall for the remaining goal. Caught up field, Chelsea broke with pace and Malouda put Lampard in for an easy finish for 3 – 0 in the final minute. Some might feel that this was a little harsh on a brave but outclassed Birmingham side but the simple fact of the matter is that Blues were comprehensively beaten by a better team who to my mind are the champions elect. The depth of their squad and the talent they have to return from Africa should deliver the title come May.
It is not all doom and gloom where Birmingham are concerned. Chelsea were terrific last night and played beautifully. They came very close to scoring on a number of other occasions and in one case, I counted no less than 18 passes without a Blues player getting anywhere near the ball despite their best efforts which were considerable and could not be faulted. It was just that last night, Chelsea were just too good and even at 3 – 0 there was no disgrace in defeat. The lads have been fantastic during the run which I will remember for the rest of my time on this earth. I have been privileged to have witnessed all the games except the Wigan and Everton matches. We do need to bounce back from this however and not rest on the laurels of a great run and look to set off on another one. On another positive note, Michel came on for his debut for the last twenty minutes or so and from this little cameo the signs look good. He is a much bigger man than I’d expected but he is comfortable on the ball has good touch, gets his head up and obviously likes to pick a pass. Hopefully a new striker will arrive before the deadline but we desperately need a top quality left back soon – Gareth Bale? Should get a look at him one way or another on Saturday eh?
KRO SOTV
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