What’s going on with Birmingham City?

Sometimes, it is very difficult to watch a big club with high ambitions and solid finances getting itself relegated on account on some misfortunate circumstances and one off season. Last season greatest jinx in Coca Cola Championship were definitely Leicester City, and their alike in the Premiership are surely Birmingham City.

When Birmingham managed to reach direct promotion led by Steve Bruce in 2006/07 season, it happened quite deservedly. Although there was a lot of draught both on and off the pitch, Blues were convincing enough to grab the runners-up seat right behind, at the time untouchable, Sunderland. Fans’ biggest problem at the time was exactly Steve Bruce, the just didn’t like him and it was evident from the beginning. Pressured by club’s co-owner, Carson Young, Steve Bruce left for a place where people would like him better, where he could work without pressure (Wigan Athletic) while the ambitious St Andrews side’s board spent a lot of money in January, 2008 to bring two of possibly most illustrious Scotts: excellent striker who didn’t get the right chance in Everton and national team’s hero, James McFadden, while the team got the new man on the helm and no other than Scottish national team manager, Alex Mcleish.

Still, none of the things I mentioned helped them avoiding relegation, because they were short on time. Still, to stay in the Championship and get prepare for the express return to the elite, they needed to get hold on their best players (James McFadden, Cameron Jerome, Sebastian Larsson) and to bring new, experienced Premier League players (like Kevin Phillips, Marcus Bent, Lee Carsley, Stuart Parnaby,…). After of those things were achieved, Blues were holding pretty fine in the first period of the season, swimming mostly on top.

But then, freefalling commenced, injuries mounted and Blues were on a hell of a downtrend. Since 13th, December, until 1st, March, Blues only won three out of 14 with six draws. Too low for their high ambitions. It all came at the same time with Kevin Phillips’ injury whose absence had an immediate effect on goal-scoring and everything went downhill. Apart from Phillips, other injured players were (or still are) defenders, David Murphy and Stuart Parnaby, strikers, James McFadden, Gary McShefrey and Gary O’Connor, but also Liam Ridgewell and the skipper Damien Johnson. Latest addition to this list is Marcus Bent.

This is why the Janury transfer window was pretty much alive , with players going both ways. Experienced and illustrious Premier League players have arrived, Lee Bowyer, Hameur Bouazza, Djimi Traore, but also young and widely appreciated Scott Sinclair from Chelsea. Later on, the experienced right fielders were brought in: Ecuadorian Ulises de la Cruz and veteran Stephen Carr. McShefrey went to Nottingham Forest.

All in all, completely altered squad, pale performances and lucky results – that is Birmingham City today. Whenever they lost, Wolves and Reading also lost, whenever they drew, their greatest rivals did. They won a lot of times this season after desperate performances, only thanks to the individual qualities of some of the stars in the team, usually at the very end of the game. Nine games out of the total of 19 were won 1-0 and those were not some memorable, outstanding duels.

It really is a miracle they are still holding the runners-up seat, still actively involved into promotion race. We have already wrote they had the greatest chances for the first spot and direct promotion , exactly because they had an off first term, so we really expected to see a big improvement. Still, there is not one in sight. Performances stink, goal-scoring stopped when Phillips got off the field, new players are not capable of handling the pressure and taking responsibility. Blues are too big of a team to miss a chance like this and it appears that the potential failure would be a tragedy which will be followed by a discount sale of the experienced legionnaires. In that case, the board will be forced to bring in the youth forces who are patiently waiting for their chances either on the bench or on the loan waiting to see what the club will do to them…

So, Alex, pull yourself together man, there is not much time left…

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