A curse or a blessing?

If I could pin-point the moment where my life took a dramatic turn for the worst, it would be just hours after my birth.

We still have the photograph somewhere. Me in the hospital in a cot beside my mother. A Birmingham City scarf draped around me.

A lot of the time we don’t have a choice in life and this was one of the moments I had no control over. First born and landed with the curse of supporting the Blues; there was no way I was ever going to get out of this one, not if my dad had anything to do with it.

But over twenty years on and, despite the tears I’ve shed, the copious amounts of money I’ve spent and the times I’ve been let down, again and again, the curse has, in my eyes, become more of a blessing.

Sometimes you wonder, when you’re in places like Burnley and Leeds and you’re watching your team being played off the park and being taught a good little footballing lesson, why you do it.

But then you look around you to your friends beside you. The ones who were born into the same tradition as you, the ones who you share the same experiences with every week, and the ones who make the losses that little bit more bearable.

And it’s not been all gloom and doom either. There have been happier times. The wins over the top teams, the battling performances where you’re left feeling as proud as you ever could be of those eleven players on the pitch, the promotions, the Premier League survival, playing in Europe, even winning a trophy.

Even yesterday, as I saw my team get beat by Brighton in a somewhat frustrating match, I thoroughly enjoyed my day. I spent it with some brilliant people, had a laugh and watched some football. I wouldn’t want to spend my Saturdays, or often my Tuesdays, doing anything different.

Because as much as I joke about Blues having a negative impact on my life – and probably my health too – I wouldn’t be without them.

As much as I berate my dad for passing down the curse, I thank him for it too.

As much as I complain as a trudge out yet another ground after yet another loss, I smile at the same time.

Because Birmingham City, despite all its faults, has given me some of the best days of my life, allowed me to meet some fantastic people, and taken me to places I never would have gone to were it not for football.

So in a sense I suppose while in those first hours of my life I was condemned to a lifetime of supporting a mediocre football team who will seldom achieve anything special; it’s opened my eyes to making the most out of bad situations and laughing in the face of adversity.

It’s not that I can’t find a way out of this; it’s that I just don’t want to.

The Football Bug

I’ll be the first person to admit that last season I somewhat ‘lost’ the football bug.

It was my first year an university, and I didn’t want to miss out on anything, so football unfortunately took a back seat.

That being said, part of me didn’t really want to go either. Disregarding the fact I didn't want to miss nights out and spending time with my new friends, I felt spending my money on watching some of those performances last season, well, just couldn’t be justified.

It was the first time in my life I’d had to fend for myself; meaning food, bills, and all the other important life essentials had to come out of my own money. Football just didn’t really come into it in my first term. And I don’t regret it.

In fact, I’m glad that my first year at university coincided with a pretty awful season for Blues, because it meant I didn’t miss out on nights and days out, nor did I miss out on many memorable games. It was a win, win situation looking back on it.

But this season, with everything a bit more chilled out in second year, it’s made me wonder how I could have missed as many games as I did last season. I suppose you never know how you'll feel until you're in a certain situation, and even though this year I have less money (the real world is not fun) I'm finding myself going to pretty much every game.

Tonight will be the fourth league game I’ve missed so far, and sitting here writing this it’s killing me that I’m not on a train to Birmingham. A culmination of work (which I really should be doing right now instead of this!) and lack of funds mean the game against Doncaster tonight is out of the question. But after my previous record of games I’ve missed so far (Sheffield Wednesday, Millwall and Barnsley – I know…) people will probably be relieved that my bad luck won’t be making an appearance tonight!

I’ve seen us win twice, at Yeovil and Huddersfield, but despite that so far I’ve enjoyed this season so much more than last already – and it’s only the start of December.

As much as I’ve always loved following the Blues win, lose or draw; last season did put a dampener on it. It’s hard to motivate yourself to spend money you don’t have and time you can’t really give up to support your team at every single game when what you’re getting back is abject performances and a close-call with regards to a relegation battle. The first half of last season for me was very much 'pick and choose.'

But with that being said I’ve never completely lost my love for football, and I know I never will. Last season was definitely a blip, but a blip I will never regret.

Despite some of the performances this season, especially our home form, and those games at Leeds and Burnley, I’m really enjoying following the Blues this season, and that fact makes me happy.

I don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep doing this for, so I’m definitely going to make the most of the fact that my weekends for the foreseeable future are occupied by football once more.

The only thing that’s complaining is my bank balance, but since when has that ever stood in the way of anything?! (An interest free overdraft, by the way, is a dangerous thing when you have a football addiction.)

Roll on Saturday.

Bar 8 Launch

After the Q&A on Thursday night, my ‘behind the scenes’ Blues week continued this weekend as I was one of five media socialites recruited to cover the launch of Bar 8 - the re-vamped Trevor Francis suite at St. Andrew's.

Upon arrival we were treated to a free pint and pork bap as we all took in the new surroundings. For those who were worried about it losing the Trevor Francis vibe, you'll be pleased to know the whole bar is dedicated to the man: it's covered in pictures and stats about the Blues legend, as well as a signed shirt taking pride of place on one wall of the bar.

As the launch event got fully into the swing of things, Tom Ross introduced an abundance of former players who had been invited to the launch, interviewing both Kenny Burns and Bob Hatton, who then went on to cut the ribbon to formally open Bar 8.

The layout of the bar itself is really quite impressive. Blues along with Fosters have done a great job of keeping the tradition of Trevor Francis and combining it with a completely modernised look to make for a great pre and post-match bar – not forgetting half time too!

As for the game itself it was the only damper on what was otherwise a brilliant day! I, along with the other four competition winners and our guests, was treated to a box in the Main Stand; our faces when they asked when we wanted our hot food delivered to our box said it all! It was definitely a different match day experience and one I’ll definitely remember; although the game itself left a lot to be desired with Chris Burke’s goal the only real saving grace of a poor ninety minutes from Blues.

Post-match the bar wasn’t as full as it had been before the game which is something I think Blues will have to work on with incentives to get the bar full after the game. Although granted it was invite only today, so obviously more people should be there for the Sheffield Wednesday game and for the games thereafter.

However, Paul Robinson was in attendance after the match, having a short interview with Michael Johnson before signing autographs and having pictures taken. Although a hard nut on the pitch he was a pleasure to meet, and topped the day off nicely. I think the post-match player appearance is something Blues are planning to do, so it's definitely worth heading the after the match if they decide to make it a permanent fixture at Bar 8.

Bar 8 really was a great match day experience and I will definitely be going there again, and I’d like to thank Blues for the opportunity to cover the launch and for the VIP experience – definitely a day to remember.

Blues v Ipswich Town: Q&A with Hark Now Hear

I was contacted this week by Ipswich Town fan Billy Walker, regarding answering some questions ahead of this weekend’s game against the tractor boys.

I talked about how our team is shaping up, our start to the season and my hopes for where we’ll finish in the table, amongst other things.

You can read my Q&A, as well as an in-depth preview of tomorrow’s game, here: http://harknowhear.wordpress.com/2013/08/30/128/

Following The Blues: Free travel to all BCLFC home fixtures

Free travel will be put on to all remaining Birmingham City Ladies fixtures this season, the club announced earlier this week.

The ladies team will offer a free supporter bus to and from all of their home fixtures which are played at the DCS Stadium, home of Stratford Town.

The buses go from St. Andrew’s to Stratford, and your place can be booked by emailing Jessica.taylor@bcfc.com.

It’s a brilliant initiative that will hopefully encourage more supporters of the ladies team, who ply their trade in the FA Women’s Super League.

Blues Ladies host Doncaster Belles this Sunday 11th August, with a kick-off time of 2pm.

"It's only a game" they said..

It's a depressing, March evening at St. Andrews. We're 6-0 down – soon to be seven – against Liverpool in an FA cup tie. It’s getting heated; already there’s been a fan on the pitch to confront Steve Bruce. My dad turns to me and says we should leave. Turning round to him, I flat out refuse. No. We have to stay till the end.

I've never lost that, which is probably one of the only ways in which I consider myself stubborn; I'm not one for giving up. That, and years of watching Blues has probably made me begin to lose my mind. I think it helps to be a little bit gone in the head, that and drinking lots of alcohol.

I'm also a great optimist. I love that quality in people and see it as something to admire. When it comes to Blues, you'd think it'd waver, but for me it just gets stronger (no, I don’t get it either!)

You see, I love that club to death. It's a love hate relationship at the best of times, but when it comes down to it, there's nowhere I'd rather be on a Saturday, a Tuesday, or even the odd Wednesday, than watching them play.

Don't get me wrong. I'll call a spade a spade; when we aren't doing well, when something's going wrong I'll voice my opinion, and criticise whoever deserves blame – which I did last season.

But for me, whatever is going on at the club; the financial uncertainty, the corrupt ownership, even not agreeing entirely with the appointed manager, I’ll never stop going to watch them.

In Bruges - one of the most memorable couple of days in my lifetime

I've always been one to back the team as a whole, the manager, and the players as individuals. I've never booed a player or a manager and I can't see myself ever doing so. It's just how I'm built. I don't profess myself to be Lee Clark's biggest fan, but I also think the guy deserves a break. He's put together a good squad with the (severely limited) tools he has at his disposal.

But I also get why people do get on his back and the backs of the players too. It's a way to vent your frustrations, your anger, at them not trying hard enough or being good enough despite you paying all that money. Just like I get the stay away fans, who have boycotted for whatever reason (the manager, the financial problems). I don’t agree with it, but if you’re way of making a point is by doing this then fair play to you. It’s just not in my nature to do it myself.

And if I can see the other side, surely it’s not too much to ask that people should be able see my point of view as well. After yesterday's game we saw a marked change in the side. They looked much improved on last season, and one game into the new season that's really all you can ask for, considering the circumstances.

Of course, there are more improvements yet to be made. The quality in the final third is lacking, but I'm optimistic they will get there. And if they don't? That's when I'll come out and criticise the team, because for me, one game into the season, getting on their backs isn't productive.

I live by the mantra that negative thoughts produce negative outcomes. If you drill it into yourself that the team are useless, you won't enjoy going to watch it, even when we do perform well because you'll still pick out the negatives instead of focusing on the positives.

I like to be positive, and take it one game at a time. I enjoyed watching an improved performance yesterday, seeing my friends, having a laugh, singing my heart out for my team. And next week I'll be doing the same. You can moan all you like, but I can’t see that as an ideal way of life. Surely it just gets a bit depressing?

Being optimistic doesn't making you unrealistic either, like I said even the most positive amongst us like myself isn't afraid to call a spade a spade and dig into the players and manager when they get it wrong, such as my two previous blogs mentioning the 352 formation and its faults, and some of our lacklustre performances in pre-season.

But jumping the gun so early on, for me, is counterproductive.

Yesterday every single one of those players showed pride in wearing the shirt, which was reciprocated by ardent support from the fans and one of the loudest renditions of KRO I've heard in a while. And if they continue to do that I'll continue to support them; in the one game they've played this season they've given me nothing to be angry or completely negative about. Of course goals win games, but performances win over fans, and the good performances have to be there in the first place to produce the goods in the shape of scoring goals and winning games.

Promotions, relegations.. it's part and parcel of football

It's hard to find many optimistic Blues fans given our current situation, but what Lee Clark has put together on no budget at all is working for me, and I look forward to seeing what this bunch of young and hungry players can do for my club.

As the song goes, there'll be joys and sorrows too; we've had to endure worse but we've also had some great days out along the way, more than I imagined anyway (my dad’s idea of introducing me to Blues as a child was “you have to get used to the fact that we’ll never win anything...”)

And as long as there's a club to support, I’ll be with them every step of the way. Even if I do completely soft in the head.

Pre Season Report

Today marked a positive end to pre-season for Birmingham City, with a much improved performance from previous games to take forward to next weekend when the 2013/14 Championship season kicks off.

And despite some lacklustre performances, overall pre-season for Blues has thrown up more positives than it has negatives.

Consecutive wins in our first two fixtures against Alfreton Town (3-1) and Shamrock Rovers (4-0) respectively, was followed by a behind-closed-doors match against MK Dons in Dublin where we suffered a 4-1 loss.

A 3-0 win back on English soil against Swindon, a 1-1 draw at the Kassam Stadium, home of Oxford United, and an unfortunate 4-2 loss against Shrewsbury concluded the away fixtures, before a 2-1 win against Hull City back at St. Andrew’s to round off the pre-season fixtures quite nicely.

But as anyone will tell you, pre-season isn’t about results, it is about the two Fs: formation and fitness, and in today’s 2-1 win against Premier League Hull we looked a much more polished team than a few days previously in the loss to Shrewsbury.

3-5-2 seems to be Lee Clark’s preferred formation and even though we looked somewhat unstable in games prior to today, the formation worked well against Hull: a side that were promoted using the same system last season.

The only real problem with this however is the defence getting caught out, with both Paul Robinson and Dan Burn not being blessed with pace – Burn getting caught out against Oxford last weekend frequently and subsequently giving away fouls. Thankfully today we looked much more solid, with the wing-backs tracking back as and when to give that much needed cover.


An overall positive pre-season. Image: BCFC.com

As for the fitness side, you could tell we were a couple of weeks ahead of Hull; we looked confident and composed both on and off the ball and chased them down into making several mistakes. We also passed the ball about impressively, which should give the team more confidence ahead of a tough opening fixture next Saturday.

In terms of the players themselves, it’s been all change since last season. A revolving door would have been useful (if we could afford it) with a host of players leaving the club as well as, thus far, eleven new faces arriving at St. Andrew’s in the form of either loans or free transfers.

Clark seems to have done some good business, however, on what can’t even be labeled as a shoe string budget. Andrew Shinnie has looked particularly impressive and is my stand out player of pre-season, but the likes of Matt Green, Neal Eardley and Scott Allan have all looked impressive too, and getting Shane Ferguson back on loan is a terrific move by Clark.

As for the state of the ownership of the club, I think anyone would be lying if they said it’s not affected what’s going on on the pitch: the Marlon King situation being a clear example of this, with both him and Peter Lovenkrands being forced to train and play with the reserves. Yet having being given squad numbers, I for one hope this means they will be involved in the team, especially King. No one is going to buy them, even on a free, so involving them in the team can only be a positive for us; we have to pay them the same wages, so we might as well be getting something in return.

Overall, as pre-seasons go it’s not been disastrous. It should be taken with a pinch of salt, as it’s not a great indication of how the real season will pan out; the constant chopping and changing of the players to make sure everyone gets enough minutes clearly brings about instability, however I expect the starting XI today to be more or less who starts against Watford.

Granted it could have been more inspiring on the whole, but today’s game was encouraging, and the real talking will be done next Saturday when the season begins, hopefully with more positives to talk about and most importantly a win.

Green scores in the 2-1 victory against Hull. Image: BCFC.com

Revamp

Since I started this blog up in 2009 all I've wrote about is football, and that's fine because anyone that knows me will know that's my thing, and as I've got an opinion on it I like to share it.

But after writing a blog post yesterday it got me thinking. Obviously there are more things to life than football (I know, it's tragic) and I have more interests/things I do than just the one thing - believe it or not.

So, I decided to change things around a bit. I wanted to keep the name so I just added 'and beyond' to it, as primarily I'll still be blogging about football and Birmingham City.

But I also want to write about the other passion in my life; music. I love bands, gigs, finding new music, and I hope to write about all of that on here, which hopefully will mean I blog a bit more than I have been doing lately.

After finishing my first year at university it's made me want to branch out a bit. I'm happy to move out of my comfort zone now and write about more subjects, and hopefully you'll enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them.

Unpredictable

Last minute goals, victories for the underdog, ridiculous circumstances no one thought would happen. The thing I love most about football is its unpredictability.

This weekend we watched two unpredictable ends to two important games. Wigan scoring in the 90th minute to beat top dogs Manchester City, winning the FA Cup for the first time in their history, followed the next day by the play-off semi-final second leg involving Watford and Leicester. A penalty and the follow-up saved at one end, and ten seconds later the ball in the net at the other end all in the dying seconds of the game.


Last gasp winners. Images: Sky News / Getty Images

It was fascinating to watch particularly the latter unfold. I don’t have any real affiliation to either Leicester or Watford, but I watched the events unfolding before my eyes with the hairs standing up on my arms, because this is what football is all about.

Watching both games made me remember, not for the first time, why I and millions of others are so engrossed in this sport. We go every week for moments like this. The underdogs beating a top team, not only in a competition as big as the FA Cup, but in the last minute to win the trophy like Wigan did is something special.

Being a Birmingham City fan I’ve experienced that moment with my own team; I could never forget Obafemi Martins scoring in the 89th minute to win us the League Cup against Arsenal, nor my first ever European away game against Brugge with Chris Wood scoring the winning goal in added time. And who could forget Stern John in the last minute at Villa Park?

Wembley Winners. Image: The Guardian

These instances don’t happen every week in football. Often you have to wait for wonderful, completely unscripted moments like last minute goals and unpredictable wins, but it’s worth the wait. The tough and grueling games you have to sit through to get there, the losses you suffer, the relegations you go through. The great moments make it all so worth it.

And when you're on the other end of it? I'm sure if you speak to any Leicester fan this week they'll tell you how much it hurts going from jubilation to complete despair. We've all been there, but it's the great moments, when you're the ones celebrating at the end, that make up for the heart break.

Although there will always be the Manchester Uniteds and the Arsenals of this world going for titles and Europe, and the same crop of teams battling relegation every season up and down the leagues, moments like this weekend just show that football is never completely predictable.

There will always be moments of magic, teams who take the script, rip it up and write a completely new one.

And the best thing? It happens in every league, in every competition. Wigan in the 90th minute to win the FA Cup, Didier Drogba equalising in the last minute to take the Champions League final to extra time, Brentford missing a penalty and Doncaster scoring at the other end to send them up as Champions, Martins to win the League Cup, Chris Wood to seal an away victory in Europe, Sergio Aguero to win the league.

Here’s to the teams who do the unthinkable, who threaten the top teams, who ruin bets, break hearts, make dreams come true. This is what makes football the greatest sport on earth.

"I swear you'll never see anything like this ever again"

Why Football?

In my group of friends, I’ve got six real girly girls who couldn't tell a rugby ball from a football, a fair-weather Manchester City fan and an avid Aston Villa fan, and then there’s me, a Birmingham City fan. So it's only right that I get asked by the six that don't see the interest in the whole thing: why football? What is it that attracts you to twenty-two players (although they probably don't know there’s twenty-two players..) running around on a pitch for ninety plus minutes? And it's only now, after years of being asked, that I’ve stopped to question it myself. Why football?

I could say “because it’s the first sport/activity I ever did” but I’d be lying. I started with dance when I was about three.. and stopped when i was around five due to my lack of coordination. It was then when I adopted football. With a Blues mad father and a Man City supporting mother, I was always going to be roped into football some time or another. I think with me being the first child, my father had the casting vote, as men do, on which team I supported, as I was christened a bluenose and went to my first game at the age of five. Somewhat regrettably, I didn't go to many matches as a young child, and my dad has also expressed his regret in not taking me to more. I started to go to more games when i was about eleven and the amount of games since then has increased, as has my love for football. A deciding factor in not going to many games was that I actually played football up until the age of thirteen when I had to choose what I wanted more; to play football or to watch it. I loved playing football, and I think that's what made me love it more, but I just enjoyed watching it more than I did playing it. There was just something about it.

That brings me onto why I love football so much. After contemplating it, I could name 101 and more reasons why I love it. But the main reasons for me are why I truly love this sport, and why I’ll never lose my love for it:

It makes me feel part of something. It’s like a family; all of you feel the same, you’re all going through the same things - whatever team you support, but especially with the team you support. You know, after a hard loss say to your rivals, that the sadness and hurt you're feeling is being felt in thousands of other people, or when you win an important game or play out of your skins you know that the incredibly happiness and pride you're feeling is being felt in every other fan of your team. It just brings people together, and that links in with

Friends. I’ve met so many amazing people through football that I would’ve met if I hadn't of got into it. Some of these people have become my best friends, and they’ve changed my life for the better. And not just people from the team I support, with football you get to interact with people that you never would’ve known existed if it were not for you liking the same sport that you do. You’ve instantly got something in common with millions of people; football. And that's brilliant when you think about it, isn't it? Knowing all these people, having connections that stretch across the whole on the country. For me, that makes football special. And what makes it even more special?

The fact that it is an escape from everything. If I've had a bad week, say school has been rubbish or I've had a fall out with my friends, for ninety minutes on a Saturday (or a Sunday, thumbs up to sky for this one) I can just get away from it all. Because in that ninety minutes nothing else matters but football, and what my team does. It's brilliant. Of course, you can't escape too much from it when you've lost if you, like me, go to a school full on Aston Villa supporters. But nevertheless, It's still an escape, and a much welcomed one at that. This in turn ties in with

The emotions. This is everything in football. There's not many other things that let you experience pretty much every emotion there is. Football is a roller-coaster of emotions that you can never get off once you've got on. From the happiness you feel when your team wins to the crushing feeling you get inside when the full time whistle goes and you've lost; the nervousness before an important game and the relief felt when it's over; the expectation weeks before a big game; the adrenaline rush when you score; the elation of scoring a last minute goal - even thinking about some of these emotions now, these incredible feelings you only get with football, just makes me realise how lucky I was to be born into a footballing family. And it's not just the fans that experience the emotions; brining me onto

The players. Those talented enough to be playing the beautiful game at a professional level. The people we as fans look up to for inspiration, the players we put on a pedestal and idolize. Especially those that play for your team; it's great to watch them play, watch them show passion for a team that isn't even theirs, a team that they don't support at first maybe, but grow to support during the time they spend at your club. It's brilliant to watch the young ones grown into roles, watch the strong captains and older, most experienced players lead your team onto victory. And I don’t know how it is at every club, but at my club I can interact with the players; actually have conversations with them knowing that they genuinely want to speak to me. It's brilliant. So, i think it's time for the last reason why I love football...

It makes me, me. "Can you come out at the weekend everyone? I know Nat can't, she's got football." - nearly every week during the football season we have this conversation. They all know what I'm doing. Ever since they met me they've all got used to the fact that my Saturdays are pre-booked from august till may. I suppose this gives me a uniqueness within my friends, as there’s only two of us, including me, that go to football games. I feel that it defines me. Everyone knows that I'm football mad, and that I don't fit into the category of the stereotypical girl that doesn't know anything about football, as I get along well with boys because I can join in their conversations about football without asking "Who's Lionel Messi?" Football separates me from many of my friends, and that's why I feel like it gives me a difference in personality. It gives me something to separate myself from a lot of people I know, To reiterate: it makes me, me.

So, why football? Not only does it give me everything I’ve just mentioned, but it also, quite simply, gives me something to do. Without football, I’d be bored at the weekends; i'd have a pretty simple life and nothing that i could do as a hobby, because apart from music, football is the only thing that really interests me. Without football, I’d have a lot less friends; a lot of people i have met through social networking sites, mainly supports of my own team, i've met up with them and one of them is now one of my best friends. And without football, I’d have a lot more money! But to be honest, that wouldn't be enough to drive me away from this sport. Nothing ever will.

Football is a very addictive sport. It's like a drug; once you've started, you can't stop, and I think the one thing that's made me become more addicted to it is that I go to watch my team a lot. For me, football isn't as good if you don't go and watch it. That's why, living in Birmingham, i could never support Manchester United, Liverpool etc. because going to the games makes me feel like I'm part of it all. It makes me feel like more of a fan. I have to utmost respect for every football fan who supports a team that aren’t that close to where they live, or who doesn't go to see them that often: because I honestly don’t know how you do it. Without going to the games, I feel like I'm missing out big time on something that's happened at the match. When I'm on holiday and I can't go to home games I feel sad that I'm missing out on what could be a brilliant game, or something iconic could happen in that game that shapes the season; and I want to be there to witness it. Football is something that I couldn't be without, so I guess you could add that to the list of reasons why I love football - it completes me. You have your other hobbies; your rugby, your cricket, your shopping your whatever; and I have my football. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

my first post..

..on here, was about how i probably wouldnt use this much, but i really enjoy doing blogs on here :) it kind of helps me cause i wanna be a sports journalist, or something like that, when im older - i love writing and i love sports, so pretty good career i think :P but i know its hard to get into and get a break, so im doing match blogs on here just to practice really.

i want to say thank you for the positive comments ive received about my blogs :) its nice to know people actually read what i write haha. my first match blog was a few games ago and it was really short, but now i cant seem to stop writing! i wish id started them from the start of the season but i didnt know about this website then, but i'll continue to do them for the few remaining games and then for next season aswell :)
--

i just want to say congratulations, again, to super kevin phillips for getting the 250th goal of his career yesterday against arsenal - well done kev :)

they are only human

the words of alex mcleish. "they are only human these guys" - its something all of us need to remember, before we criticise blues after what has happened over the last few games.


i suppose, like myself, you've lambasted blues for conceding goal/s in the first few minutes, which effectivinly meant the game was over before it had begun. we have a right to complain about it. as does alex mcleish. but its not the only reason were not playing as well as we did in the incredible unbeaten run a few months ago.


the simple fact of the matter is that those players are running out of steam. we all know they over-achieved, something which we greatly appreciate, but we knew it could come to an end some time, and now our form seems to be petering out towards the end of the season. which is a shame, but after what these guys have done this season; can we really hold it against them?


the answer to that is no, of corse we can't. no one believed we'd be able to do this. we didn't believe it ourselves. everyone wrote us off, us and the team were preparing for a relegation dog fight, with mcleish saying "were aiming for 17th or above!" and blues proved every one of us wrong - and in some style too, i must say.


sure, it's not nice to look at our last three results and see that weve only picked up one point. but in hindsight, those games have been at home against a very much in-form everton side, which was arguably the most entertaining game witnessed at st.andrews for a good couple of years. the next was against another in-form team in sunderland, which is always a tricky place to go to. and blackburn, who have only lost 2 games at home all season (that sound familiar to you?)


so really, although we complain, moan and criticise blues for this, did anyone think we'd get anything out of these three fixtures when we looked at them at the start of the season? the truth is, we've become so accustomed to blues getting the results for us, that now we expect them to get the results, rather than stepping back and looking at the bigger picture and realising what great teams were playing and what mountains we want these players to climb, after what they've already done for us. it is in a sense, asking too much of them.


we can't do it all in one season. i mean, coming up from the championship to then get to an FA cup final, qualify for europe, beating countless numbers of teams by big margins and out-playing the giants of this league that are manchester united, chelsea, arsenal and liverpool. it would be nice to, but it's just too much. one step at a time is how you build on something, and the step this season has been bigger than we expected; we've not just stayed up, we've (touch wood) finished in the top half. that is a massive step in the right direction. so, not getting to wembley this season or getting close to or qualifying for europe is disappointing after what we've managed to achieve this season, but it's been progress, and that's what you need to establish yourself as a fully-fledged premier league team: progress.


im merely trying to put things into perspective: we've had a great season, the best season in the clubs history in fact, and just because we're fizzling out abit now, and maybe gone into holiday mode abit because we were safe this early on in the season, that shouldn't dent what has been an incredible season for us, and one that no blues fan will forget in a hurry, nor want to forget, ever.

Hello

i've decided to start blogging, match reports mainly, because in the future i would quite like to be a sports journalist. this will give me practice in following this career, so i'm not saying you have to read everything i write; but it'd be nice if you read some of it and gave me feedback - it'd be much appreciated! thanks.