Tag: Birmingham City

Neil Diamond’s top twenty hit from 1979 is the title in use this time around. One of several singles that were played a lot on a Dansette when I was a kid, and an early misheard lyric by me, as I thought for years he was singing ‘reverend blue jeans’. Anyway with the top two in the division looking seemingly home and hosed, the opening words from the song (and the start of the chorus refrain) are appropriate for today’s opposition.

After last Saturday’s season in a nutshell defeat to Leyton Orient, I’ve spent the time in between then and today in Lisbon. The closest I got to their two magnificent stadiums (for Benfica and Sporting) was seeing them out of the window of the plane as we took off coming back. But visiting their National Pantheon of revered Portuguese people from history, I was surprised to find Eusebio amongst the tombs. The top scorer at the 1966 World Cup was a legendary player, but you don’t think of football players necessarily being national icons in this way. It made me wonder if there would be any football player included if we had a national pantheon in this country.

Having read Four Four Two in more depth since last weekend, I can’t say I’m impressed with the opinion piece by senior staff writer Chris Flanagan. I do agree with the sentiment of his piece about the cynical time wasting by goalkeepers feigning injury so the manager can gather all the players for impromptu team talks. But it’s clear the example he is using (though he doesn’t mention the teams involved or players) is our game away to Bolton. It’s piss poor journalism to denigrate a player who suffered a season ending injury during the game and was only trying to play on because there was no keeper on the bench to replace him.

Additionally I took a longer look at the top fifty EFL players article. Aside from mentioning Charlie Barker as our ‘close but no cigar’, it was interesting to see Gillingham’s ‘close but no cigar’ was Glenn Morris. Tom Fellows made it into the list proper at number nineteen. And today’s opponents have three players in the top fifty list with Christoph Klarer, Tomoki Iwata, and record League One signing Jay Stansfield.

This week’s rider on the merry go round of goalkeepers is Toby Stewart, who is hopefully no relation of Bar. It is another emergency loan keeper, as it would seem JoJo Wollacott is still injured, and Luke Hutchinson was obviously so traumatised by his spell last week he didn’t want to extend it. This will be our eighth different goalkeeper of the season. I’ve tried seeing if this is some kind of record, but there is nothing definitive. There is a BBC article on Ebbsfleet having used eight keepers in their 2015-16 season, although one of those was an outfield player going in goal after a sending off. And I found a piece on Arsenal using seven goalkeepers way back in the 1899-1900 season. But I haven’t found any mention of eight or more proper keepers in a single season. Anyway, Toby, is twenty, and from Portsmouth, and has only played six senior games himself, for Wealdstone in the National League, so it does beg the question of why the hell don’t we just bite the bullet and use Jaspar Sheik instead of bringing in another keeper who won’t have had time to get up to speed with the ridiculous amount of fannying about we do at the back. You have to feel sorry for anyone coming in at this stage as they are on a hiding to nothing, especially against a team as good as today’s opponents have been most of the season.

My piece after the 1-0 loss to Birmingham City in the home fixture got a few more views and reads than usual. In fact, six times as many as normal as one of the Birmingham City fans posted it on their Small Heath Alliance forum. A brief summary of comments would say I’m a miserable, sad, old, fat, bitter, red spectacle wearing, angry prick, with a shit coat. So, much better feedback than usual, and all good for the stats.

Besides that loss we had only played them once before, back in the League Cup in 2017, when we took a 5-1 tonking.

Having used a couple of examples from the 1976-77 season of Topps cards in that previous piece, I’ve come forward a couple of years and picked Birmingham City stalwart of the seventies – Malcolm Page.

My obsession over football cards is expanded in the piece below.

It’s well known I hate Birmingham as a city, but it is a shame the image they have done so well to throw off is being foisted back on them by the bin situation. It really is rubbish for them. Although the city centre and the walk to the ground is rubbish pile free, apparently, it’s the residential areas which are suffering, and its not being helped by people taking advantage to fly tip stuff that should be off to the tip.

Getting to the game by train was interesting. Traditionally when travelling up from Crawley, it is a straightforward train to Victoria, tube to Euston, train to New Street (or train to St Pancras, walk to Euston), but possibly with it being an engineering works Easter weekend, none of the journeys online wanted to do that. The three routes they kept giving were up to Victoria, tube to Marylebone, train to Moor Street; train to Peterborough, then to New Street; or train to St Pancras, change for one to Leicester, then one to New Street. I ended up with the latter one for the journey up, and doing the first one for the journey back as they are the quickest routes either way. And speaking of travel issues, the supporters coaches had to forgo their services stop as BCFC only informed them yesterday that the roads around the stadium are closed from 1:30 and they have to be there before then.

With Birmingham City promoted and us looking increasingly nailed on for relegation it does seem as if we are those opposite ends of a Newton’s Cradle, dropped at the same time to hit the other balls (teams) in the middle and bounce back to where we came from.

Birmingham are still on course to break the single season records for points, but they suffered a set back in the Vertu trophy final last Sunday (when the fuck did it change its name again, it was still the Bristol Street Motors Trophy when we were going out in the group stage), losing to Peterborough United as they became the first team to successfully defend the trophy under whatever name it is called now.

With them having secured winning the league last weekend we will be giving the guard of honour for them. And with it being their first home game since clinching the title they will be wanting to put on a show for their fans. So if trying to get a result at fortress St Andrews wasn’t hard enough (Birmingham are undefeated at home this season), that will just make it harder with them being the bear that has been poked. Not great.

Going into the game we are six points from safety, but in reality, seven, as Burton Albion’s goal difference is so superior to ours. They are the team we are chasing down as it is so unlikely to be able to win all four of our remaining games which we would need to do to be able to catch any of the other teams above them on 47 points. And make that eight as Burton managed a draw in the early kick off.

Randomly there were a couple of blokes from Crawley on the St Pancras to Leicester train, one was a Crawley fan, but he wasn’t going to Birmingham, he had been persuaded to do a double header with mates and was off to Derby for their early kick off against Luton, and then up to Sheffield for United against Cardiff in the evening kick off. Not a bad way to spend a Good Friday I suppose but not a visceral as going to see Crawley.

The wander down/up to the ground from the centre of the city is full of regeneration and street art. Apparently speaking to someone on the way down some of the grand old red brick Victorian buildings are due to be demolished as the regeneration continues, which sounds a shame. Along the way there are plenty of stalls selling what I’m sure is ‘official’ League One champions gear. The club superstore has a queue and a half, and watching the queue move slowly the security checks of bodies and pat downs is a lot more thorough than the one I got going into the away end.

I picked up a programme along the way, and it is one of the better ones of the season. Definitely more content than adverts, and seven pages on CTFC, with four on the current squad and position (but randomly including a picture of Joy Mukena – remember him?), two pages on our back-to-back promotions from the Conference to League One, and a quiz page.

There are a few changes with Ben Radcliffe (who was announced before the game as William – twice) and Jack Roles starting, and Benjamin Tanimu, Tola Showunmi, and Antony Papadopoulos making rare ventures onto the bench. The game is at St Andrews, but with our position we’d have been better off with the saint being Jude Thaddeus instead.

Birmingham City are in blue shirts and socks and white shorts, whereas we are in the away white/grey kit. They are on the front foot from the outset and a ball over the top beats Radcliffe and their striker is through and Toby Stewart makes a good save. Then Radcliffe is done on the right, and a cross comes in and the shot from Birmingham hits the foot of the post and is cleared. A left-wing cross finds a Birmingham player free in the box, but their header is glanced wide.

Only six minutes in and there is a stoppage. Not sure what was going on, but the ref was over on the sideline with the fourth official. Not sure if they swapped places or not. The large contingent of travelling fans are in good voice and there is decent banter back and forth with the home fans. I’m known for having a gallows sense of humour, but I’m not sure some of the chants from us are necessarily helping our players.

Birmingham get a corner, the headed clearance is miscued, and they get another one. That is played deep and a header at the back post is only inches over the bar. There is another random stoppage. This time because the shit Sky Bet advertising banner behind the right of the goal has escaped its tethers and made its way onto the pitch. It is unceremoniously dumped behind the hoardings, only for it to reappear a few minutes later, which is a shame as fuck betting advertising.

Charlie Barker has swapped sides with Radcliffe and picks up the first booking of the game for a blatant shirt pull on the halfway line. Birmingham attack with pace again through the middle, play it out to the right and a shot comes in which is saved. We break with some decent passing and a Rushian Hepburn-Murphy cross is put behind for a corner. We play it short, but the whistle has gone for an infringement in the box.

There is a bit of back pass related danger from us for a change. Steward miskicks the ball straight to a Birmingham player on the edge of the box, their shot is blocked and the follow up sees them just run the ball out of play. We have a break and Panutche Camara is taken out on halfway. The free kick is taken long diagonally and goes straight out near the corner flag for a goal kick. Camara is fouled again on the edge of the centre circle, and the free kick is wasted again.

We have some decent possession and work it down the right, RHM plays it back to Barker and he crosses deep and finds Jeremy Kelly all by himself at the back of the area, but it bounces too high for him to get it down to get a shot, but it is worked back in and RHM wins a header at the back post but it goes well wide.

You can see how Birmingham have won the league, there is that constant underlying threat that it will suddenly click for them and that that final ball will go right rather than not quite working. (Although how many times have I said that about us this season?) We have a counterattack down the right and the cross is deflected for a corner, which goes straight out for a goal kick.

And we break again from defence, a ball to Camara in midfield and he slots it to the right and RHM and he has a shot which is saved and goes for a corner. Which is season long traditional style we waste, and it goes for a goal kick.

There are three added minutes at the end of the half and Birmingham have possession for most of it. It is almost as if they are trying to walk the ball into the net. A lot of very neat, quick, close, incisive passing cutting straight through our defence, but the final shot is a bit weak and easily saved. The half time whistle goes, and we are level 0-0.

Not wanting to tempt fate but Camara is having his best game of the season for us so far. TAFKAL is only three rows in front of me, but we are a long way away from both the linesmen, and from anyone taking throw ins so he has been remarkably quiet. Speak to Rick and Grant at half time, they are sat on the lower levels.

The second half starts, and it doesn’t take us long to try and commit defensive Hari kari with a back pass which Steward does well to smuggle out for a throw. It is taken long, and Birmingham get a shot which goes wide. They are attacking more again and win a corner, it is flicked to the back of the box, and crossed back it, which is defended well and goes for a throw. We give away a free kick just outside the right corner of the penalty area. It is taken deep and headed back across goal and the header from that goes just wide.

Birmingham are claiming a penalty after a coming together in the box and one of their players goes down, but it isn’t given and we break and sweep it forward to RHM just in his own half he runs through to the box and tries to cut inside and goes down and as seconds before at the other end, claims for a penalty are waved away.

Then the Birmingham keeper has a CTFC style aberration and plays the ball straight to RHM on the edge of his area, RHM takes one pace forward and shoots. Badly, it is well over the bar, and that may be our best chance gone. It is substitution time and Kamari Doyle goes off to be replaced by Gavan Holohan.

We have a break and there is a blatant stop the break foul in midfield, but the ref plays advantage, but when the ball does go out of play for some reason the deserved yellow card is not forthcoming. (Just as blatant as the foul Barker got one for in the first half.)

Birmingham look really dangerous every time they go down the left-hand side, their winger ha the pace to get past the back line every time. They win yet another corner, but it is too deep for a change and goes harmlessly out for a goal kick.

Another substitution, Camara is going off, as he must be fucking knackered with the shift he has put in today. Max Alexander comes on to replace him. We are on the attack and Bradley Ibrahim loses the ball in the box and is claiming a foul. Birmingham break and go down the left again and Barker manages to shepherd the ball out for a goal kick and is pushed off the pitch. Ibrahim sprints sixty yards to get involved and pushes a Birmingham player, there is a bit of a melee, and Ibrahim picks up a booking. For fucks sake, sometimes he is a moron, why run sixty yards just to get another fucking booking. That makes fifteen for the season and a three-game ban, which means this will be his last appearance for us.

We have a throw on the right in the attacking third, Barker takes it long and it is headed behind for a corner. The cross is half cleared and falls to Kelly just outside the box, his shot gets to about the penalty spot before it is blocked and cleared. We break again and its played out to RHM on the left, he cuts inside but his cross is blocked. And again he gets the ball on the left and passes it across to Holohan only for his shot to be easily saved. Whilst this is going on a steward (not our keeper) has gone down to have a word with Grant and tell him to put his camera away.

RHM is taken out on the halfway line on a break and finally one of these challenges sees a booking for a Birmingham player. Another break comes down the right and Holohan is fouled. Kelly puts it in the box low down and it is cleared for a corner, which is taken low again and cleared and Birmingham are off down the left wing again and get a cross in which we manage to clear, but it is played back into the box and it looks like a striker may be on the end of it but Steward is down low to it and gets there first.

We give away a free kick on the left wing, but it taken deep and goes for a goal kick. There are four added minutes at the end of the game. Birmingham are attacking again and a cross just about misses everyone in the box and sneaks out for a goal kick. We make a substitution with Jack Roles going off and Antony Papadopoulos finally getting some game time, albeit three miserly minutes.

A strong back pass is mis-controlled by Steward and is goes out for a corner. We clear but give it away again it is crossed back in and goes for a goal kick. The four minutes seem like ten before the final whistle goes and we have escaped from St Andrews with a point in a 0-0 draw. The five bar gate on the Birmingham shirts was a bit optimistic.

Elsewhere Bristol Rovers picked up a point at Wrexham, and Cambridge United managed to win away at Huddersfield, and so even with a point we have now dropped to twenty-third in the league and are still six points (seven with goal difference) from safety.

Next up on Easter Monday is the home game against Exeter City. As many of our games have been recently another must win fixture.

The crowd was announced as being 27,325, but no mention of how many of those were away fans, but word was yesterday that there had been over 700 tickets sold. And it seems the title of the piece may have jinxed Wrexham who are now no longer in the automatic promotion places.

Come on you reds.

I was going to go for Abba’s 1976 number three hit ‘Money, Money, Money’ as the title for today’s report, but then thought of this 1988 Harry Enfield number four hit as it sampled Abba’s song, to refer to our opponent’s financial state. And once it came to mind it has stayed there all week. So much so that I ended up writing a separate piece just on that song.

After the rollercoaster, amazing, but ultimately disappointing defensively error prone 4-3 loss away at Peterborough United last weekend, we play nine days later on Monday night football against the real moneybags of League One – Birmingham City, in what is a clash of the biggest budget in League One against the smallest budget – us.

With it being Christmas in less than twenty-five hours (by the time I publish this anyway) it would be nice if the moneybags could afford to give us a generous Christmas present. Three points preferably.

Growing up in Leicester in a family who didn’t own a car, a lot of trips to anywhere involved changing trains at Birmingham New Street station. Which is where the demons of the underworld will break through to our plain when the world comes to an end. Specifically, on platform nine of the stinking cess pit of a station.

You might be able to tell, I’m not a fan of Birmingham. On anything from there. The city, the station, their teams, or their really stupid sounding accent. A housemate from my time in Manchester accused me of having a Brummie accent. I have never been as insulted in my life. (And there have been a shit load of insults thrown in my direction over the years.)

For some reason Topps cards loved Birmingham City in the mid to late seventies, over the five years of them issuing the standard size trading cards, they only issued more cards for Liverpool, Manchester United, and Leeds United. And for the 1977-78 season they had the most cards of any team. That was the first season I really bought cards when they were first out. And they used to share colour schemes across two or three teams, and it seemed every pack I bought had a Birmingham City card in it, you’d have a brief hope it might be a Manchester United or Millwall player when you saw the colour, but no, it was Birmingham City, and a ridiculous amount of times it was John Connolly.  But I’ve gone back to my favoured 1976-77 series for a couple of cards, Howard Kendall, and the team leader one they did that year.

We are playing at 8pm on a Monday night because, as we haven’t already got enough games crammed together in the holiday period, fuck Sky Sports have chosen this game to move two days later than originally scheduled so that the games are even more crammed in for us, and with the Boxing Day game having been moved forward a couple of hours to a 1pm kick off they have royally screwed us over.

Birmingham have sold over 1900 tickets for the game in what promises to be a packed away end, and block B in the east marquee sold out suspiciously quickly as well, with the game being a sell out more than two days before the kick off.

There was one of those stupid social media rumours saying that Birmingham had agreed a £150k deal to sign Ronan Darcy in the transfer window. But the account leading the rumour is renowned for being a fantasist, and it is likely it’s just a deliberate attempt to unsettle us. (It was something apparently FSS were talking about before the game as well.)

This is our first ever league game against them and we have only played Birmingham City once before, back in the first round of the League Cup in 2017 when we took a bit of a tonking at St Andrews, losing 5-1.

Helen has applied to be a Devil’s Advocate. The link on the website wasn’t working so she sent in an e-mail with a CV attached for it. Only for Ben Levin to e-mail back and apologise that the link wasn’t working, but it was fixed now, and could she use the link to apply now. She has but hasn’t heard back yet.

There were a mixed bag of results on Saturday, with most teams around us not doing too well, but Wrexham managed to allow Bristol Rovers a late equaliser for a point, Barnsley (who I think were the best team we’ve played so far), managed to loss 4-0 to Leyton Orient at home, but Northampton Town did take a 5-0 beating at home to Charlton Athletic, and Cambridge United lost. We therefore go into the game in the relegation places two points off safety, but a win would jump us up two places to nineteenth. However, Birmingham City sit in second in the table, two points off the top with this being one of two games they have in hand over Wycombe Wanderers, and so a win for them would take them top.

Even with it being a later evening start than usual it was still not my usual hour before kick off getting to the ground. We were carrying bags of stuff for the Open House collection, clothing, and toiletries, and although we found one of the lorries to drop them off at, it wasn’t manned, so hopefully they will get the stuff. The TV trucks were taking up lots of room in the car park, and so there wasn’t much room for the away fan coaches, it looked as if they were dropping them off and going to find somewhere else to park. There were long queues to get in half an hour before the scheduled kick off, only for that kick off to be delayed by quarter of an hour due to there being a serious medical incident in the crowd.

There were lots of Santa hats and Christmas jumpers in evidence, but as I’m still in full on grinch mode the only nod to it being a Christmas fixture was wearing the new white coat so that I looked like a bad East 17 tribute act who had gone to seed. Although at least I haven’t run myself over with my own car. Yet.

Birmingham City are in their traditional kit of blue shirt and socks and white shorts, but for some reason their shirt sponsors appear to be a badly drawn five bar gate. Let’s hope they aren’t able to get up to that number today. And we are in our all-red kit.

A minute into the game and JoJo Wollacott hoofs a clearance out over the east marquee, for possibly the earliest ball loss at a game I’ve seen, but it did end up being the only one of the game. From the throw Birmingham win a corner, but we clear it.

There is lots of back and forth in the first ten minutes, but there is one obvious note to make, and that is the continuing absolute lack of anything nearing protection for Tola Showumni. I swear, if someone brought a knife on and stabbed him, there still wouldn’t be a free kick. He makes a challenge, and the ref can’t blow his whistle quick enough to give a foul against him, but continued, sustained pushing, and shirt tugging is just ignored. It is as if the EFL has told the refs at all our games it is open season on him. It’s beyond a fucking joke.

Quarter of an hour in and we win our first corner, which sails across and is easily collected by their keeper.

Am I seeing things, but it appears a free kick has been given for a foul on Showumni. There again it is difficult to ignore something as blatant as a push in the chest, with no attempt to even look where the ball was. It should have been a booking. We are having a bit of pressure, and getting balls into the box, but aren’t quite getting that final ball right to be able to get a shot off.

Only for Birmingham to have a quick break and win a corner. It is headed clear, but only as far as a Birmingham player and their shot is well saved by Wollacott. As we clear it, Ade Adeyemo is down off the ball in our own half and gets treatment. They bring the stretcher on for him, but he just about manages to make it off the pitch under his own steam and is replaced by Ronan Darcy.

Birmingham get a dubious corner with Harry Forster clearly not happy about the decision. They force another save from Wollacott, for another corner. We break down the right, and Will Swan plays the ball into Showumni in the box, and the Birmingham defender is trying to swap shirts with him, that’s how much he is being pulled back. We get a corner, but again, fouls on Showumni obviously don’t count as that should have been a penalty. The corner is taken back up the line and a cross is swung into the box, and headed on, and there is a header which goes wide, only for the flag to go up for offside anyway.

The £20million man gets stroppy at not winning a throw, and has a right old rant at the ref, and when it still doesn’t go his way, punches the ball away. Where the fuck is the booking for that, or does paying £20million for a player mean they are immune from picking up bookings for dissent?

There are five added minutes at the end of the first half. Darcy beats a player on the left wing and is hacked down near the edge of the box, and finally a Birmingham player gets a deserved booking. Which should have been a second one as it is the same tosser who pushed Showumni earlier in the half. The free kick is headed clear, and put back in, headed clear again, and put in for the third time, but the offside flag is up again. And the half time whistle goes with the scores level at 0-0.

The second half starts with us pressing well, keeping Birmingham pinned back, and then they break and get a shot which is only just over the bar. They have a bit of pressure themselves, a free kick on the right is played into the box, there are a couple of scrambles in and around the six-yard box, but they are both cleared.

Obviously tired of being pulled from pillar to post with no reward, Showumni is replaced by Tyreese John-Jules. We do some attacking. Getting crosses into the box three times in quick succession, only for them to be cleared without any shot being made before there is an offside flag up again.

Wollacott is down and receiving treatment for a couple of minutes before continuing. Birmingham win a free kick near the left corner flag, but we head it clear. There is a coming together in midfield with a Birmingham player and Harry Forster down. When they both get up, unsurprisingly, despite the chants of ‘off, off, off’ from the west stand, the free kick goes to Birmingham.

We have some decent, patient possession, a ball is played to Jeremy Kelly in midfield, and he plays a defence splitting pass through to Darcy on the left wing, he cuts into the box, only for his shot to be deflected wide for a corner, which is easily cleared. Another attack follows, and the cross is blocked, and comes back to Panutche Camara, who crosses it again, only for it to go straight out for a goal kick.

It is his last action as he and Max Anderson are subbed, with Bradley Ibrahim and Rushian Hepburn-Murphy coming on to replace them. There is another stoppage as returning captain Dion Conroy is down injured. He is helped off and replaced by Jack Roles, and Forster is replaced by the returning Armando Junior Quitirna.

There is reshuffling being done and Birmingham break down the right, and their playacting winger shows pace to get past Charlie Barker and get a cross into the box where the £20million man heads past Wollacott and we trail 0-1.

TJJ picks up a booking for hacking down their left wing back, who hadn’t been on the pitch long, but was showing to be a pacy bastard down that side. The free kick comes in and is headed out as far as a Birmingham player and their shot is over the bar.

We break and the ball is played to RHM down the left, he cuts into the box and attempts a shot, but it is well wide. There is decent work down the right between AJQ and TJJ and a shot is blocked on the edge of the area and comes out to Barker and his shot from about twenty-five yards is just over the bar.

The board goes up to say there are six added minutes, which still seems a bit light with the number of stoppages, and substitutions. We do get an attack in, down the right, the ball is played long and kept in well at the back post, it is played to Darcy, and his shot just misses the angle and goes wide.

Birmingham play the added time out and the final whistle goes for the game, and it is a disappointing 0-1 loss. It doesn’t see us move at all in the table, we stay in the relegation places, but with the game in hand we had now wiped out. Birmingham, meanwhile, go top of the table with their three points. One of their sarky fans on the way out comes up to me and half shouts ‘thanks for the three points’ and scuttles off towards their coach. Not sure what they expect when they have signed a player for over twenty times the cost of our entire squad. We weren’t outclassed, and with a stronger ref could have had a penalty and been playing against ten men for the second half.

The crowd was announced as being 5,530 with there being 1,476 away fans (not the 1,900 suggested pre-game). Even with it being a sell out, there were still a fair few empty seats around us in the east marquee. I hope the guy who sits a couple of rows back and a few seats across gets those throat lozenges for Christmas as his throat must be red raw from the constant, but amusing, barracking he gives the officials and opposing players.

We don’t have long before our next game, away at Leyton Orient on Boxing Day, less than sixty-two hours as I publish this. Roll on the coach trip.

Come on you reds.