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
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
VIEW FROM THE SOUTH – BIRMINGHAM CITY vs WOLVES
Filed under: Blues News, Match reports, Matches, Reports By Bazza
Here is Bazza’s report on our dramatic win yesterday.
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This turned out to be a very sport filled weekend for me; much more than usual that is. I didn’t go to St Andrews much as I wished to, as I valued both my life and everything that I hold dear in the manhood department! I had on Saturday been invited to the England-Wales game at Twickenham with a prolonged and copiously liquid lunch beforehand by a mate of mine who happens to be a Viler! Despite that, Jeremy is a top bloke and I am very grateful to him that he was able to see past my lifelong affliction of being a Blues supporter. I’m delighted to say that England defeated Wales in their encounter in the Six Nations opener and I returned home happy not just because of the alcohol that I had consumed.
Mrs Bazza has become wise to Blues games being on the telly and had pointed this fact out to me in midweek. Her piercing stare told me that me saying that it wasn’t my intention to be away most of Sunday in Birmingham was probably a good and wholly safe answer! In all seriousness, I needed to spend some time at home and I was feeling a little tired and emotional on Sunday morning. I took the dog out for her walk to clear the head and settled down to watch the game.
Blues had the luxury of naming an unchanged line up for the 12th successive Premier League game, but recalled Phillips to the bench following his groin injury.
Blues started brightly and Ronald Zubar’s timely tackle prevented Lee Bowyer from opening the scoring after a couple of minutes before James McFadden’s drive was headed behind. Blues forced a series of corners in the first twenty minutes and Wolves looked in trouble with each delivery into the box. Cameron Jerome’s goal bound header was fortuitously headed clear by Michael Mancienne standing right in the centre of the goal where a defender would probably not have been expected where the keeper would normally be. Wolves rode their luck as they tried to ride out the pressure. Sebastian Larsson hit a rasping volley two yards over after 14 minutes before Hahnemann managed to smother at Jerome’s feet after Benitez’s knockdown.
Wolves began to settle after being under the cosh for the opening quarter of the game and Dave Jones registered their first effort, when his free-kick dipped over goalkeeper Joe Hart’s bar with 23 minutes gone. Doyle was then brought down just outside the area by Hart, who was cautioned, but Jarvis’ free-kick was easily cleared.
Wolves were showing confidence as they got into the game and Zubar should have put them ahead on the half-hour mark from Matt Jarvis’ corner but the defender planted his header wide with the goal gaping. Blues fashioned further good chances as Jerome fired at Hahnemann from an acute angle when he would undoubtedly have preferred to roll the ball square to Lee Bowyer coming in at pace. However, the midfielder wasn’t there having been deliberately tripped by Mancienne who should have been given a yellow card. This was one of the many decisions that Mr Probert and his assistants failed to spot. Scott Dann volleyed inches wide and it was inevitable that the missed chances by Blues would come back to haunt them.
Wolves took the lead three minutes before the break when Jarvis’ cross was deflected against the foot of the near post by Roger Johnson. Doyle was on hand to tap in the rebound from three yards for his sixth goal of the season. The score was against the run of play but Blues had paid for their continued inability to take the chances they keep creating in games. Blues should have had a penalty when Zubar shoved Liam Ridgewell in the back in first-half injury time.
Graham Souness at half time said that the reason the penalty wasn’t given was because the referee bottled it. He was right but I would just put it down to the general ineptitude of the officials who had given goal kicks instead of corners, corners instead of goal kicks, throw-ins the wrong way on too many occasions for so-called top flight professional referees.
Wolves started the second period the brighter buoyed by their score just before the break. It was a far more even contest but Wolves had the edge at this stage now they had a lead to defend. Benitez limped off after a tackle by Hahnemann to be replaced by Phillips as Blues struggled to break Wolves down, but they began to see more of the ball as Wolves began to defend deep. Nevertheless, Foley tested Hart from 18 yards before Adlene Guedioura unleashed a fierce 25-yard effort, which flew inches over with 13 minutes remaining.
It was difficult to see where a goal was coming from with only ten minutes to go when Barry Ferguson tossed a ball to the far post, which Craig Gardner who had come on for the jaded looking Larsson headed down for Phillips to tuck in at the near post. St Andrews and my living room were in raptures as the momentum swung in Blues favour.
One sensed that Blues could go on and win the game now and so it was to prove as Super Kev grabbed the winner five minutes from time when Stephen Carr was allowed to run from deep to tee up Phillips, who found the corner with a neat volley following an exquisite touch off his chest with six defenders around him. This was a truly class finish from the little maestro and Chucho would do well to learn from him as this was a salient lesson in how it should be done.
Blues were not at their best for this one but still showed enough resilience to pull off the win. Wolves did look the better side for twenty minutes or so of the second half but then wilted. Blues despite being under par deserved their victory.
Kevin Phillips stole the man of the match accolade in only half an hour and must be a candidate to start next week. Fergusson was once again the pick of the midfield. The defence was solid and a little unfortunate in the manner of conceding the goal.
As for Wolves, Doyle was by far their best player and troubled Johnson all afternoon. Jarvis was quick and presented a threat on the left and his cross for the goal was excellent which led to the telling deflection. Zubar had a good match going forward and was their most effective defender although he was fortunate not to concede a penalty when he blatantly pushed Ridgewell in the back.
Ward was truly awful and I can see why the Wolves fans think he is Mick McCarthy’s love child. He was arguably at fault for both our goals. Mancienne, I don’t rate and never have. He has played over one hundred games at senior level for QPR and Wolves on loan from Chelsea. He is supposedly a central defender who has latterly been used as a defensive midfielder. I have watched him in both positions and frankly he isn’t good enough at this level which is why I doubt we will see him breaking into the Chelsea side any time soon.
Apart from Doyle, Jarvis and Stearman when fit, Wolves have too many Championship players and that is why they are struggling for survival. I nevertheless hope that they do for the sake of Midlands’ football.
Blues: Hart 7 Carr 7 Johnson. R 6 Dann 7 Ridgewell 7 Larsson 5 Bowyer 6 Ferguson 8 McFadden 6 Benitez 5 Jerome 6
Subs: Fahey 7 Gardener 7 Phillips 9
Wolves: Hahnemann 5 Zubar 7 Craddock 6 Berra 5 Ward 4 Mancienne 4 Foley 6 Henry 6 Jones 5 Jarvis 7 Doyle 8
Subs: Guedioura 7 Surman n/a Ebanks-Blake n/a
Referee: Lee Probert 5
Chelsea v Birmingham – View from the Bridge
For tonight’s game we have teamed up with Russell from the Chelsea blog Bridge Views.
His answers to our questions are below, the answers I gave him can be found here.
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How do you think we are doing this season? Why?
Without wishing to seem patronising – much better than I would have expected. The run of fifteen or so games without defeat is pretty impressive – most teams in the league would be very happy with that and I guess that has to come down to a combination of a well-balanced squad and a good manager.
Everything seems to have gelled, but I wonder if it’s any coincidence that results have really improved since Karen Brady and co. left the club. Perhaps it’s been a happier camp since they’ve gone…
Who would you see as our player(s) to watch for on Wednesday?
Overall I think it’s been team performances that have made your season so far. If I was to pick out particular players though, Bowyer seems to have been pretty immense up until now, and McFadden is pretty solid. I’ll be looking to Ballack and whoever’s playing at the base of Ancelotti’s diamond to prevent them – particularly McFadden – from linking up with your front line.
The defensive discipline Birmingham showed against us on Boxing Day was immense (although we played into your hands a little), and I suspect it’s there that Birmingham’s main strength lies. If Johnson, Dann and Joe Hart have good games we won’t be carving out too many dangerous chances.
Realistically what do you think we should aim for, and where will we finish?
The recent run means you might be aiming higher, but I still think the main aim for you this season has to be to stay in the league. The Premier League is pretty fickle – one week everything can be going to plan and the next it all goes to pieces. Stay in the league this season – anything more is a bonus – and look to build on it next year, when it looks like there will be more money to invest in the team. All that said, I reckon anywhere between 10th and 15th would be pretty realistic.
And maybe we’ll be playing you again at Wembley in May…
Have you been to St Andrews before, what was your experience?
I actually haven’t been to St. Andrews, but mates who have been say it’s ‘nothing special but ok’. They also suggested Birmingham fans aren’t as intimidating as they used to be – has the atmosphere got a bit more sedate in the last few years?
Is there a priority of the Champions League over the Premier League as some suggest?
We have never won the Champions League before so to lift the trophy in Madrid this year would be pretty special. But, despite that, I think you would be hard-pressed to find a real Chelsea fan who would prioritise it over the league. Being crowned the best team in England is where it’s at.
Who is your biggest competition for the title, United or Arsenal? Why?
Arsenal have embarked on a pretty good run since we beat them 3-0, when it looked like they wouldn’t be able to get back into the title race. They obviously play some great football at times but there are some big flaws in that team that Wenger seems unwilling to solve.
Ever since I’ve started watching football Man Utd have been winning titles – them being up there is just one of those dull, monotonous things you can rely on. People complained that we were dominating English football when we won the league in 2005 and 2006, but how often have Utd picked up the title in the last twenty years?
Without Ronaldo they’re not nearly as threatening going forward, but Rooney is finding some form, they have huge experience and, when they get their defence sorted, they will stop hemorrhaging points. They are more physically and mentally resilient than Arsenal and, if Chelsea win the title, I’d wager it will be with Utd finishing a close second.
Was the 7-2 beating of Sunderland the best Chelsea performance of the season or were Sunderland just really poor?
If you score seven goals, it’s a special performance. Saying that, Sunderland’s defence had clearly taken the day off.
If I was to pick the best performance of the season, it would have to be the three nil win at the Emirates. The media was bigging up Arsenal as potential title challengers, and it felt like most were championing the cause of Wenger’s supposed young footballing geniuses. As it was, the game was a Chelsea masterclass in power, skill and effectiveness from front to back, and Drogba was simply unplayable. A good day.
Who’s been your player of the season so far?
No question really – it would have to be Didier Drogba. He might not have had much of a game up at St. Andrews, but there’s barely been a game this season where he hasn’t been the best player on the pitch. I think in total he’s scored 19 goals and made 7 assists. Overall, before he went off to the African Cup of Nations I think he had single-handedly scored or created 49% of the team’s goals.
Most won’t believe this too, but he’s cleaned up his act a little this season. Aside from Terry and potentially Lampard, there isn’t a player in the squad who takes half as much personal responsibility for getting a result than Drogba.
Prediction for the Birmingham game?
I’d be pretty confident – if it hadn’t been for the game on Boxing Day when we never really looked like getting all three points. But most teams don’t come away from Stamford Bridge with one point, let alone three, so perhaps we’ll steal it. A closely fought one nil.
Everton v Birmingham City 4th Round FA Cup Post Match Thoughts
Well I DIDN’T expect that! Our first half display was awesome. Fahey was bought in for Jerome, who apparently injured himself during the warm up. I thought Fahey did really well too.
Everton looked toothless, and our goals were ABSOLUTE class from Chucho and Ferguson. Both of them built on flowing moves slick passing and good runs.
Everton spent most of the game playing the long ball, which Roger and Scott dealt with easily. They did beat us in the 2nd half when Carr jumped in on Pienaar which provided the space for him to run into. For once we were not well organised at the back and Everton made it 2-1.
After that it was mainly Everton. They bought Osman on for A Russian bloke and pushed Pinaar wide. Hart made a good save and there were a few half chances, however nothing REALLY dangerous. We looked like we could nick something on the break too.
Young Jervis made his first appearance for the club, and looked useful.
So we are in the 5th round draw – can we have a home draw this time, PRETTY PLEASE!
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