VIEW FROM THE SOUTH – PORTSMOUTH v BIRMINGHAM CITY
Filed under: Blues News, Match reports, Matches, Players, Reports By Bazza
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
Martin Taylor Speaks to Joys and Sorrows
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
VIEW FROM THE SOUTH – BIRMINGHAM CITY v WIGAN ATHLETIC
Bazza’s latest match report.
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Will and I were joined for this one by my eldest son, home from University for a few days. We had a pretty clear journey punctuated by the occasional manic exhortation of “TWO!” referring to magpies that I saw on the roadside and in trees. I am ridiculously superstitious when it comes to those bloody birds which have now become so commonplace that you cannot help but see one especially on a Saturday morning. One for sorrow, two for joy and I kept seeing them in pairs all the way up to the Midlands although Will did point out on one of the occasions that a third one was present; three for a girl and as his wife is expecting that may be an omen.
We called in as usual at Will’s brother, Chris’ pub, The Oak at Baginton for a pint before going on to the game. It turns out, whilst touching on the subject of fertility; spring being just round the corner and all that, that Chris’ Border Collie, Jasper (named after Jasper Carrott; he has another Beau named after another well known dog) has been doing what comes naturally and much excitement was in the air as the possibility of a litter from another pedigree Border bitch was in the offing.
Jasper is apparently descended from a winner of Crufts a few generations back so his seed is much sought after! Gail, Chris’ wife assured me that she had personally witnessed the deed being done and I was anxious to establish that the full mating ritual had taken place. For those of you that don’t know when the dog initially mounts that is really only foreplay and he has to turn away from the bitch so that the two animals are facing away from each other. Gail said that this indeed had occurred and the dogs were locked together for at least ten minutes; beats thirty seconds I suppose. Anyway, Gail was off to the vets with the other owner for a doggie scan to confirm or refute the presence of the forthcoming patter of tiny paws.
On to less exciting things such as the game; we arrived near the ground and whilst walking up Arthur Street, Will told me I had to go back as I had trod on three pavement covers in a row and that was unlucky and I had to do it again. You see readers with me it’s magpies, with Will it’s paving slabs or covers. So back I went, trod on two and avoided the last. The relief on Will’s face was that of the dying man in the films when the victim is released into paradise to meet his maker. I couldn’t in all conscience let Will be tortured for the whole match worrying that we were going to lose because I’d stepped on three paving covers now could I?
OK that’s enough preambles what about the game? Well on the way home…………….. No seriously, the reason I’m telling you all this was that the game was non-descript to say the least. Some said it was absolutely abysmal but I don’t subscribe to that view; I thought it was simply dreadful! To be honest it was a game of two halves with Blues easily the better side in the first. Actually they played some pretty decent stuff in the first period and should have been comfortably ahead at the break. Scott Dann crashed a header against the bar from an excellent inswinging free kick from Larsson and missed the target with two other headers that he really should have done better with. Ridgewell, who had one of his best games this season, supplied Jerome with a glorious opportunity having got in behind the Wigan defence but the striker tried to take a touch and we all know how that was going to end; a first time side foot would surely have been the better option but the chance was gone.
Chris Kirkland made a brilliant point-blank save from McFadden from another Ridgewell delivery and it looked as if Wigan were going to hold out until half time. With seconds of the half remaining a cross from Fahey was only cleared back to him in the corner of the box. Mario Melchiot stabbed out a foot at the ball which was no longer there as it had been toe poked away by the midfielder who promptly hit the deck. I have to say that the excellent referee, Anthony Taylor gave the penalty immediately and it looked a sound decision from where I was. However, the replay on MotD showed virtually no contact and if there was, there certainly wasn’t enough to ground the player. I cannot condone this and for any Latics fans reading this; this is not that way I want my team to win football matches but sadly your team have been harshly done to on this occasion. Mind you, it was not as bad as ‘le plongeur extraordinaire,’ David Ngog at Liverpool who did a double pike twisting somersault with tuck to win his spot kick. McFadden dispatched the kick into the bottom corner sending Kirkland the wrong way. The lead was deserved most definitely however, the manner of it was not.
The second half was truly dire as Blues went off the boil and allowed Wigan the majority of the play although most of the time they played in front of our customarily well marshalled defence. Hugo Rodallega provided the only scares to be thwarted by a great save from Hart midway through the half and near the end shot two inches wide of the post with Hart beaten when well set up by Victor Moses. Stephen Carr tweaked a hamstring late on and had to be replaced by Gardner at full back instead of coming on for the disappointing Larsson. Kevin Phillips came on for McFadden and missed Blues best and only chance of the second half in the final seconds when having nicked the ball out wide and cut in past two desperately retreating defenders took the shot on when a square ball would surely have sealed the argument once and for all. The only other action of note was a scything tackle by Ridgewell on McCarthy which took out the Wigan player, the corner flag and the assistant referee who was lucky not to be blinded by the flag pole which pierced his forehead. The challenge looked far worse than it actually was and I’m glad to say that the referee who was excellent all afternoon did not overreact. Steve Bennett, the fourth official on this occasion ran the line for the final few minutes.
This was not a game for the connoisseurs of the beautiful game but it moves Blues onto the magical 40 points; a fantastic achievement with the squad we have. Well done to the players and Big Eck and his management and coaching staff. They have a real chance to achieve their best finish in the top flight since 1956. As for Wigan, I am afraid to say they are the poorest team I have seen at St Andrews this season but that is not to say they are necessarily that bad. They have a real struggle on their hands but I suspect that there are another two teams in this league worse that Wigan who along with Portsmouth will be playing their football in the Championship in August. Wigan should have enough firepower with Rodallega, Scotland and Moses at the DW to ensure their safety.
Back at The Oak, I understand that the scan was inconclusive and another examination is therefore required. It seems we don’t have to call Jasper, ‘Jaffa’ just yet! 
KRO SOTV
Birmingham City v Wigan Preview
Tomorrow sees us face Wigan at St Andrews in the Premier League. I am going to be at this one as it also the latest fans forum at the club – more on that next week!
After a couple of disappointing results in the league, we will be looking to win and secure the 40 point mark – just to MAKE SURE that we are safe! 
After the fantastic run came to an end at Chelsea, we have struggled a bit. It is interesting that the squad has had a few changes too because of injuries. According to the news I have at the moment, we are back to full strength. It looks like Barry Ferguson is available again, of course he may not go straight into the side.
The other player who has missed a couple of games is Chucho. I didn’t see last Sunday’s game, but I gather that McFadden did pretty well up front with Jerome. Despite this, I think I would bring Chucho back in. This is the sort of game that he could get his first St Andrews goal. I get the impression, that he could go on a scoring run then.
As far as Wigan, they are going through a difficult time at the moment. They have only won one Premier League game since the end of November, a 2-0 away victory at Wolves. During that time was our 3-2 victory at their place, a mauling by Manchester United and they have failed to beat a number of clubs who are in the relegation fight.
Titus Bramble and James McCarthy are likely to miss the game due to injuries, but as far as I can tell, they don’t have any other problems with players.
With the greatest respect to Wigan, this is the sort of game we should be winning as we look to cement ourselves as a mid-table Premier League side. I hope that Alex McLeish gets us to go on the offensive and look to get the crowd going with an early goal.
It would be nice to see us win comfortably, however I would take a 1-0!
As long as we return to our the defensive organisation that we were getting credit for during the unbeaten run, we should win.
I’m going for a 2-0 to Blues as a confidence boost before we face Portsmouth twice in a week in the cup and the league.
McLeish Left Craven for a Win in the Capital
Filed under: Articles by Dale Moon, Blues News, Match reports, Matches
Here is Dale’s take on yesterday.
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As the heat is turned up at the business end of the championship, many of the premier league hopefuls should take note of the fine margins between victory and defeat that make the country’s top division such an unforgiving place. A trip to Craven Cottage was always going to be a tough ask for a blues side that haven’t recorded a point away at any of the London teams this year. Fulham were in form and off the back of an impressive win against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Europa League. The game was a real battle and to many pundits surprise, somewhat more entertaining than predicted.
And when after 3 minutes Chris Baird planted a textbook header past the helpless Mark Schwartzer and into his own net, Blues had something to hold onto and as we have seen throughout the season, they certainly have the capacity to have done so. Fulham huffed and puffed and pulled off a point blank save from Joe Hart after Simon Davies crept in behind the blues backline. Bobby Zamora looked threatening throughout and had transformed into what looked like a player full of confidence and ability overnight. It was not so long ago that the banks of the river Thames were mocking the striker who seems to have proved his critics wrong. That said, Danns and Johnson dealt with most things fairly well and confined Fulham to a few half chances from Davies and Zamora. Having got to half time with a slender lead, McLeish would have been encouraged by his team’s performances, resolute rather than remarkable.
Then on the hour mark Damien Duff rolled back the years to produce a goal out of nothing. He received the ball just inside the blues half in a wide right position and after going on a mazy run he cut inside onto his favoured left foot and unleashed a precise strike off the inside of the post and into the back of the net. Being critical you could have questioned whether any of the line of players Duff seemed to evade should have took responsibility and make a challenge rather than pass him on to the next man but take nothing away from the finish from the ex-Chelsea winger. Blues to their credit rallied and if it was not for the slightest of touches off Mark Scwartzer, McFadden’s 25 yard rocket would have put blues ahead for a second time in the game. Instead, the underside of the bar diverted the ball onto the line and spun out. The game opened up and as you would expect from the home team Fulham pushed for the winner.
90 Minutes were on the clock and the ball had bounced on the edge of the box when the usually Mr. Reliable Stephen Carr came rushing across and body checked Zoltan Gera. It was one of those moments you see coming but couldn’t stop as the right back committed to the challenge and gave away a dangerous free kick on the edge of the box. To me, it was obvious that the free kick was too close to the goal for the Beckham-esque curler over the wall and so Joe Hart should have occupied his side knowing there was a real possibility that the free kick taker would strike the ball that side of the goal. Bobby Zamora stepped up and crashed a shot that Hart could only get fingertips to as it nestled in the top corner of the blues goal. And with that the game was over. Questions over Joe Hart’s positioning but again a great strike after a silly free kick from a Blues perspective.
On Reflection, a point would have been a fairer result and Blues played their part in a highly contested game. But yet again we come away from the capital with no points and add Fulham to the list of West Ham, Tottenham, Arsenal and Chelsea for away losses. Lessons to be learnt? Well nobody can deny Duff’s strike but Stephen Carr’s rush of blood to the head cost us dearly, the wise Irishman will know himself that on another day would have used his experience to see out the game. Blues now welcome Wigan to St.Andrews and will look to take all 3 points from the strugglers but Blues being the Blues I know, never make it that simple.
Dale Moon
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