A Fruitful Easter

Taking four points out of a maximum of six over Easter weekend sees Birmingham in a healthy position, but you can’t help but think it could have been more had they just managed to hold onto the lead at West Ham yesterday evening.

Saturday saw Crystal Palace visit St. Andrew’s and become the next victims of Chris Hughton’s terrific attacking side. After a disjointed start the home side finally got a hold on the game and it took them just twenty-one minutes to break the deadlock. Picking up the ball outside the area, Chris Burke cut inside and produced a fine shot that curled into the net. The front runner for player of the season also has a handful of goal of the season contenders too, after adding this fine effort against Palace to his tally of impressive long range goals.

Just over a minute from the restart and Blues were two goals to the good; Burke was involved again, this time provider for Keith Fahey whose superb looping shot left Julian Speroni helpless as the ball smacked the post before crashing into the back of the net. On fire Blues looked to be going on to score more, with the Palace defence unable to cope with the attacking display being put on by the St. Andrew’s outfit.

And there wasn’t long to wait before Blues found the back of the net again as just ten minutes after Fahey’s goal they were at it again; this time David Murphy the scorer, who found the back of the net for the third time in as many games to put his side three goals to the good.

Palace then scored an impressive goal of their own just before the break, with Owen Garvan reducing the deficit for the Eagles just before the half time whistle was blown.

After what was arguably the best first half performance we have witnessed from Blues this season, the second half started with the visitors having the upper hand, with Blues taking their foot off the gas momentarily with an important game away to West Ham on Monday in mind.

Jordon Mutch came close to putting the Blues out of sight when his free kick was chested over the bar by Speroni, but the score stayed at 3-1 for the third game in a row and put a nice cushion between Blues and the play-off contenders below them.

No time to rest as Blues headed to the Boleyn Ground for an all-important game against West Ham, in which the home side realistically needed to win if they were to keep up their push for automatic promotion. As such it was the Hammers who began the game with impetus, leaving the visitors no choice but to defend for their lives, barely able to get out their own half in the opening stages of the game.

Yet it was Blues who took a surprise lead just before the half hour mark. After coping resiliently with the Hammers pressure, the visitors mounted an attack with culminated in a fine long range effort to add to their increasing tally of impressive goals. Jordon Mutch found the ball at his feet 25 yards out and managed to fire the ball past Robert Green who didn’t even move.

A shock to the system for the home side and a real boost for Blues who have been so clinical of late. Just three minutes later, Marlon King found himself one on one with Green and doubled Blues’ advantage, sending the Blues players wild and the travelling Bluenoses at the other end of the pitch into delirium.

There was time for West Ham to get back into the game though, with Ricardo Vaz Te scoring a header from a corner just before half time. But just as they did in their last game away from St. Andrew’s, Blues responded just moments later by increasing their goal cushion once again; as Chris Burke’s scuffed shot from a corner managed to find its way into the back of the net to send Blues in at half time with a 3-1 lead.

The second half pressure from West Ham was expected, and it was only a matter of time before they got back into the game. Carlon Cole, after an impressive second half performance, took advantage of the space given to him inside the area and was able to control and pick his spot before duly slotting past Boaz Myhill.

In search for an equaliser West Ham pulled out all the stops and, agonizingly for Blues, they got their reward on the 89^th minute. Goal scorer Burke handled the ball inside the area and Vaz Te stepped up to salvage a point for the Hammers, smashing his penalty home. Deserved for the home side it may be, but Blues should feel disappointed dropping two points so late on in the game after leading for so long. Nevertheless, with results going their way yesterday Blues have an even healthier cushion as they sit pretty in fourth place with just four games to go.

Three points in an all important home fixture against Bristol City on Saturday should all but seal a play-off place depending on results elsewhere, with an away trip to Ipswich following the home fixture, and tough games against Brighton and Reading to follow.

Image: BCFC.com

Mixed Emotions

After a midweek stumble going down 3-1 at the hands of Leicester, Birmingham got their promotion push back on track with a comfortable and deserved 3-0 home victory against fellow play-off contenders Middlesbrough, who they then leapfrogged into fourth place.

Taking the lead against Leicester midweek through a Wade Elliott penalty, Blues seemed to be along the right lines to gain at least a point from their Midlands rivals. But after having Nikola Zigic’s header hit the bar then Steven Caldwell’s follow-up header being cleared off the line, it seemed to fuel the Leicester side who scored just moments later, with Jermaine Beckford capitalizing on some questionable defending from Blues. Two goals in the second half from Beckford again and then sbustitute Jeffrey Schlupp after more defensive mistakes made sure Blues left the King Power Stadium well and truly dejected, although you’d do well to believe that if you heard the travelling support, who gave their team and manager a tremendous backing throughout.

The midweek loss was just another dampener on Blues’ push for promotion, with their last win coming in February, a response was needed in the home game against Boro, who lost their last game at home to Leeds who played them almost off the park and ran out comfortable 2-0 winners.

And a response was what the fans got. In a professional performance by all involved, it was Nikola Zigic who got his name on the score sheet early on after connecting with Chris Burke’s cross to send a low header past Jason Steele and into the back of the net.

The away side threatened, but their long-range shots were easily coped with by Boaz Myhill and by the back line; with David Murphy back in the defence in place of the injured Jonathan Spector, a welcome return for the ex-Boro boy who helped his side to a clean sheet.

On top throughout, Blues were almost punished for defensive mistakes again but luckily Joe Bennett’s goal was disallowed for offside. Marlon King punished Boro further; the only man wearing a Blue shirt in the box connected with Chris Burke’s cross to finish from close range, beating several Boro players to the ball.

As the last home game proved – two goals just aren’t enough, and Blues were hungry for more to boost their goal difference up after it took a hit during the week. Keith Fahey, man of the match after a superb attacking and defensive display, put the game to bed on the 60th minute, picking up the ball inside his own half and going on a determined run which culminated in a fantastic goal after a superb solo effort by the Irishman on St. Patrick’s Day.

The result pushed Blues back into the play-off places and in great contention of staying there, with a game in hand on many of those around them.

But the results of the weekend all over the country mattered not, as on Saturday evening an event at White Hart Lane overshadowed football, and united the community of the sport in prayer for Bolton’s Fabrice Muamba, who collapsed on the pitch and is currently in a serious condition in hospital. A great servant to Blues, Muamba came to England at a young age as a refugee, not knowing how the speak the language, and came through the ranks at Arsenal before going on loan and then signing for Birmingham. His commitment, lovable personality and his battling nature meant he soon became a crowd favourite at Blues, helping them to promotion in 2007 before making his Premier League debut the follow season. His final performance for Blues saw him score a long-awaited first goal at St. Andrew's - much to the delight of the player himself and the fans in the stands.

But then he's not known for goalscoring. His style of play is to win the ball and to move play along; a real battling midfielder who loves to get stuck in.

Muamba then then moved to Bolton, where he has been since 2008, and cemented a regular place in the team and continued his strong midfield performances.

It’s always the way that the worst things always happen to the great people, and I speak for everyone when I wish Muamba a speedy recovery. It has taken an event as tragic as this to unite football fans; but let’s all pray for Muamba.

Mixed Results

It’s a funny old game, football.

Such is the demand of the forty-six game a season Championship games come thick and fast, and while on Tuesday Blues were celebrating another fantastic victory over Barnsley, Saturday saw a disappointing defeat and the end to an unbeaten run stretching all the way back to December.

What was most apparent in Tuesday’s clash at Oakwell, and something that has been visible for the last few games, is that we are now much more clinical. Where we were once having 5-10 shots with one or two on target – Peterborough away for example – we now have a much better shots to shots on target/goals ratio.

As such, our three excellent finishes – albeit one handsomely deflected – allowed us to appear a much more clinical side and win the game, with the help of some astute defending. Chris Burke’s deflected shot put Blues ahead in under ten minutes, before an unlikely equaliser from David Cotterill, after the defence had a momentary lapse on concentration and were duly punished.

But Blues found themselves ahead again thanks to a 20 yard shot from Keith Fahey. A man who has booed only months previously had his name sung by the travelling 700 Bluenoses, which is a testament to how much the Republic of Ireland midfielder has changed opinions at St. Andrew’s with his strong performances in the centre of the park.

After commendable performances by all, the home side were limited to chances and as such Blues put the game to bed with twelve minutes left on the clock. Substitute Nathan Redmond beat the keeper from the tightest of angels to seal all three points for Blues and keep their unbeaten run going.

The next couple of days saw two loan singings come in; first, Portsmouth’s Erik Huseklepp was added to Chris Hughton’s charges. The pacey forward left the south-coast struggles with a heavy heart, but determined to do well at his new club. Another addition was made shortly after; this time Tottenham Hotspur’s Andros Townsend joined the ranks, having been on loan at fellow Championship side Leeds United up until his move to B9.

The new signings were set to make an impact as up next at home was a relatively straight-forward match against Championship strugglers Nottingham Forest who, on paper, have a team oozing with talent and experience. The likes of George Elokobi, Dexter Blackstock and Chris Gunter to name but a few. And Blues fans and players alike shouldn’t have been so quick to dismiss this, as they were on the wrong end of a 2-1 score line, bringing not only their unbeaten home run to an end, but their fifteen match unbeaten run to a close as well.

Dexter Blackstock produced the goods for the away side in both halves, whilst sandwiched in the middle was another impressive Chris Burke strike which seemed to offer hope of a victory, before it being snatched away with just under half an hour to go by the team who, ultimately, wanted it more on the day.

Despite the unfortunate defeat, Blues still sit in the play-off places with an extremely favourable goal difference. The FA Cup reply next week may provide a distraction, but it certainly isn’t unwanted. After all, a year ago today was the greatest day in Birmingham City’s history, and another trip to Wembley certainly wouldn’t be a bad thing.

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly... and the three points!

After a series of defeats a much-welcomed home game, although needed, put pressure upon a team who really needed to start picking up points again. As it usually is in these type of ‘must win’ situations, the game grinded out a result rather than producing a performance full of goals and free-flowing football. But with that being said, points on the board are all that matter and that’s exactly what Blues ended up with, although in true Birmingham style; they left it late.

It was all about getting the right result and to do that we needed goals. Of late we’ve not been hitting the back of the net, and although chances have been created the final touch has been missing. But we were again left ruing our missed chances when a quick counter attack saw Doncaster take the lead, further frustrating Chris Hughton and the fans after we had more than enough chances to go ahead before Marc-Antoine Fortune put Rovers in front.

Yet, credit where it is most certainly due, Blues kept on at it and the equalising goal was testament to their dogged attitude and never say die spirit. The chasing down and harrying of Carl Ikeme and Habib Beye by Chris Burke and Marlon King allowed the former to dispossess the on-loan Villa man, passing straight to King who duly slotted home.

Advantage Blues, and after pushing for a winner they finally reaped the rewards of their hard work just two minutes from time. A superb move saw Burke again set up King who coolly slid the ball through Ikeme’s legs as St. Andrews breathed a sigh of relief and picked up three points which Blues’ performances deserved. The good, the bad, the ugly; the only way Blues know how.

And finally...

The Good
Two goals from a striker, two assists by Chris Burke and a glimpse of that fighting spirit we’ve been missing for a couple of games. Guirane N’Daw especially impressed on his first league start; a real fighting midfielder who doesn’t take any flack.

The Bad
We really need to learn to take our opportunities. Unlike last season, we are now seeing some brilliant build up play – thanks to more attacking-minded wingers – but we just don’t seem to know how to finish the chances. Target practice is a must!

The Ugly
People booing one of our own players. Or player, should I say. I never agree with booing, no matter how bad they as a team or as individuals have played. So people booing Keith Fahey when he came on as a substitute made me disappointed of a section of our fans. I like Fahey. He’s not world class but I’ll defend him because I honestly think he is a good player; he’s neat, he’s tidy and he’ll even get stuck in. Granted you don’t have to get behind every single player but booing someone when they’ve not even kicked a ball is definitely uncalled for and took a bit of a shine off what was otherwise a positive second half. You support the whole team; don’t make someone an exception just because you don’t think he’s not as good as the rest. There’s a reason why first McLeish and now Hughton put him in the starting eleven more often than not.

King Power

Money talks in football, and Leicester have a considerable amount of cash at their disposal meaning their Summer spending list is something to boast about. The addition of Kasper Schmeichel, Matt Mills and Neill Danns amongst others means Leicester are one of the favourites for promotion this season. Compare the East Midlands outfit to ‘Bosman Blues,’ only spending money on two players in the transfer window, we’re talking Manchester City versus Wigan, but in smaller, different terms, of course. But you gather the jist of the comparison: financially, very far apart. In terms of the team sheet, Leicester’s squad has a list of recognisable names and talent. But money cannot always buy you success.

Yesterday, other than witnessing a very uneventful first half, I saw a team with masses of talent and potential produce, well, not much at all. I was impressed with Blues’ second half performance, but moreover I was disappointed with the Leicester display. They created little and when presented with chances they seemed not to know how to finish them. With players like Mills, the captain, losing his cool so easily, and their lack of invention, you can see why they aren’t leading the chase for promotion just yet.

But that’s not a complaint from me. It allowed Blues to flourish, and as such, win somewhat comfortably. The penalty, albeit a soft decision on reflection, was the starting point and the catalyst for Leicester’s downfall: they lost their heads, and didn’t pull themselves together afterwards. Marlon King duly slotted away the resulting penalty how, I believe, penalties should always be taken. No nonsense.

Kicking on from there we had a number of brilliant chances to kill the game off (although Matt Mills’ sending off pretty much confirmed that anyway) with the most prominent being Chris Wood’s one on one which he agonizingly shot straight at Schmeichel in the Leicester net. However minutes from the end of the game he made up for the miss in a really enjoyable move. The move began with Keith Fahey, who had an encouraging game alongside Morgaro Gomis, and he picked out King who and played a brilliant ball into the path of Wood, making up for his earlier miss by taking it round to keeper to secure victory and to keep his goal scoring tally way ahead of that of his team mates.

On reflection that win was important. Firstly we maintained our home form which, in any league, is paramount especially when [promotion is the primary focus of the season. But it also must have installed confidence into the side, especially ahead of our Europa League tie later this week. To beat a Leicester side with such a wealth of talent and an ex-England manager at the helm is something to be proud of. It was a brilliant day at the office for Blues, with some great individual performances and contributions to boot. It's refreshing to have another game where we can take so positives out of the performance; not to mention the Barcelona-esque passing in the final few minutes. Ole!

As a footnote I'd also like to say how moving the tribute to Harry Moseley was. It really brought a tear to the eye; he was a very imspirational and brave boy who will be missed by so many people. Please add to the 500 million plus he made whilst he was with us and keep his memory alive by purchasing a Help Harry Help Others bracelet or donate by clicking HERE. Thank you.



Full Time: BLUES 2-0 Leicester City
Goal Scorers: King (50), Wood (84)
Star Man: Jean Beausejour. The catalyst of many Blues attacks, but like Chris Hughton said during the week, there is more to come from him. I want to see that too because he's one of our best players as it is. Chris Burke, Pablo Ibanez and Marlon King also put in impressive, tireless performances.
Next Up: Club Brugge KV away - Europa League Group Stage

Back to earth with a bang

A complete and utter come down from the jubilation we felt last weekend; today we were outclassed and outplayed by a determined Baggies team who, quite simply, wanted it more than us.

The only changes made were ones forced upon McLeish - Ferguson, Gardner, Jiranek and Zigic (although named as a substitute) through injury. Blues were welcomed onto the pitch by rapturous applause from the fans inside St. Andrews, with each player getting the reception they deserved as their name was read out.

It was West Brom who started the brighter though but for all the possession they had in the first half, the more clear cut chances came to Blues; with Cameron Jerome first shooting just wide and then looking on to see his header go just past the post.

Playing in Barry Ferguson's position, Keith Fahey made a good start; controlling the midfield like the Scot he replaced. Alongside him, Lee Bowyer was in all the right places, and Jean Beausejour, fresh after a great substitute appearance at Wembley, also played well. However the defence was Blues' downfall in the game as we failed to control that of West Brom's.


As the second half started it was the away side who made the first move, bringing Odemwingie on which subsequently led to the first goal of the derby, Mulumbu - who is from Africa, and apparently "better than Kaka" - took advantage of some clueless Blues defending and slotted the ball home. That didn't get Blues down though, and just a minute later they equalised. Bowyer did some excellent work on the by-line and slid a sharp cross into the box which met the foot of Beausejour, who couldn't miss, and it was all level at St. Andrews.


Bowyer then recieved a questionable yellow card and went missing somewhat in the game from then on. The Blues midfield then failed to gain control of the game, and James Morrison put the Baggies back into the lead with a fierce shot after some more defending that made it seem as if the Birmingham defence had only just met each other.

Try as they might, Blues couldn't get back into the game and a third goal from Paul Scharner killed the game and there was no way back for the Carling Cup Champions.

If there was one player that stood out today it was Stephen Carr, who at times bombed down the right with no support at all and still managed to cross the ball or find a pass. As for the rest, there was a lot to be desired - especially from David Bentley who had an off game today.

But, onwards and upwards. It was a kick up the backside after the highs of last Sunday, and as the relegation trap door is looming; the game midweek against Everton seems even more crucial now.

Full Time: Birmingham City 1-3 West Bromwich Albion

We seem to like the cups...

So we're 90 minutes from Wembley again after the comfortable victory against Sheffield Wednesday earlier this afternoon. 3-0 in the end but really it could and should have been more. Easy this cup lark, isn't it?!

An early break to kill the game almost instantly was just what a needed against a Sheffield Wednesday side that has been poor of late and not won since way back in December. Capitalising on this was Jean Beausejour who scored his first goal in a Blues shirt after just five minutes of the match, side-footing the ball expertly into the net.

It was clear soon after that we were the team in control. Early goals are always vital to a teams performance as we witnessed earlier on in the week, on Tuesday against Newcastle. Fahey and Hleb created a good partnership and understanding in midfield together; both staking a claim for inclusion in the Wembley squad next Sunday.


The second goal of the afternoon came curtsy of a brilliant through ball by the man I just mentioned Hleb, who passed the ball to Martins on the left. He ran like a train through the defence and slid the ball into the back of the net with only eleven minutes off the game gone. The famous back flips were unveiled and Blues were now in cruise control to sail onto victory and through to the quarter finals.

Hleb really was showing his Premier League quality, as were the rest of the team, but it was especially unfortunate to see Alexander unfairly tackled and taken off through injury after only 20 minutes of play. Bentley came on as a substitute for him, which is a big indication of how far we have come if we can take Hleb off and bring Bentley on in an F.A Cup fifth round tie against Sheffield Wednesday! Albeit that both of them are on loan...

Blues had a handful of chances in the rest of the half, with Fahey's excellent free kick being palmed away, and the most clear cut chance being when Bowyer picked up the ball on the left and drove in a shot which seemed to him Cameron Jerome, who was unable to get control of the ball before it bounced passed the post. And Blues went in at half time with a comfortable two goal lead in a game they were dominating.


The second half started like the first, and Blues made a substitution which saw Phillips come on in place of Jerome. The game was all but over just 10 minutes later. A corner from Fahey was driven into the box almost on the goal line, where Bowyer seemed to come behind the keeper - much to the surprise of the Wednesday players! - and guide the ball into the path of David Murphy who fired in from close range.

Obafemi Martins almost got a brace after a smart Bentley run and a great cross clipped Martins on his heal and somehow managed to go just over the bar! But Blues were already in the driving seat and the miss wasn't too costly.


Although the away side piled on a late spell of pressure, they never really threatened Colin Doyle who seemed comfortable and assured all game and did everything that was asked of him. In fact, all the players played really well today and it was a great game to watch. Stephen Carr hardly ran all game but he didn't need to; Parnaby and Johnson were a solid partnership in defence and Murphy also had a good game with a goal to his name too. The midfield of Bowyer, Bentley, Fahey and Beausejour controlled the game with Fahey again playing a great central role as he did in the previous round against Coventry City.

Roger Johnson was substituted for Jordon Mutch near the end of the game, much to the disappointment of the centre half (we all know what he's like!) It's great to see a player so determined not to be substituted, but he's a player we need for the final and a silly injury or a stupid sending off was not something we wanted.

So, it was a comfortable win against quite a poor Sheffield Wednesday side. We didn't pick up too many threatening injuries and hopefully Hleb will be fit for the bench for the final next Sunday. All that's left to say now is well done today Blues, and I'll see you all at Wembley!

Full Time: Birmingham City 3-0 Sheffield Wednesday

What a comeba... almost

It's the 'summarising-points-because-it's-tuesday-night-and-i'm-tired-(and weary)-blog-post' ...

1. Up until we came back - again - we were very poor indeed. We were simply not good enough. We weren't at the races. We were playing at 10 miles per hour and Stoke at 90. It was too similar to Saturday in that we let the opposition come on to us way too much. Last season we showed how well we play when we take control of the game and get a hold of the ball. We need to do that again.

2. We only get the belief when we go 2-0 down. Why?! Two goals down, especially away from home, is a mountain to climb! We may as well start to game two goals down the way were going - it started off as a light hearted joke last season against Everton when we got it back to 2-2. But then we did it again, and the more we do it, the less 'good' the comeback feels and the more serious the problem becomes.


3. Criticise Keith Fahey all you like, but when he came on he changed the game. He came on, sporting a nice little moustache, and was assertive, quick, and passed the ball around well. He got into great positions and his goal was as perfect as you like. The way he controlled it to the way he finished it was sublime - great way to score his first Premier League goal, too bad he couldn't celebrate it like he deserved to! Now give the guy a break.

4. Dave (aka Beausejour) was ineffective tonight. After what we've seen of him so far he does look promising, but he was off the pace tonight and needs to learn he doesn't have as much time on the ball in the Premier League. He will be a great player, I think most can see that, we just need to teach him how to be a great Premier League player.

5. We seem to have a knack of rounding off good goalkeepers and making them into great ones. Ben Foster was on top form tonight - and he needed to be - he puts his heart on his sleeve and gets stuck in there, much like the defence in front of him. He shows no fear in going to collect the ball, and although some of his kicks tonight and one time where he made the wrong decision and Fuller nearly scored, he was brilliant, and kept us in the game first half and at the start of the second half as well.


6. Craig Gardner. Where do I start with him? He had some brilliant shots tonight, namely the free-kick and the shot that was tipped over the bar just after we had got it back to 2-2. He shows something in the centre of midfield that Hleb doesn't show, and that's a real fight. It's all well and good Hleb doing the little flicks and tricks and the 'perfect passes' but when it comes down to it, sometimes you need someone who will just get their head down and drive forward on his own, and like Hleb, he can also pull off moments of magic where you just stand and stare in admiration. Thank you Aston Villa.

7. Credit has to go to Ricardo Fuller and his 100th goal in British football. It was a lovely solo run and a brilliant strike to finish it off. He is a well-rounded striker and a brilliant shooter of the ball, and you could do nothing but admire the goal he scored today. I almost applauded it but then I remembered he had just scored it against my team.


8. Pulis got what he wanted, then. I'd say Clattenburg had a decent game, but when Stoke called it, they got it. I'll say not much more on the matter other than managers do effect referees decisions, it's just normally the Wengers and Fergusons of this world that are the ones affecting them.

9. You can dress it up which ever way you like, but we certainly are in a relegation battle this season. No unbeaten runs, no 'invincibles', and unlike last season, no dead certs to g down. There are more than a handful of teams that could face the drop this season, and unfortunately it looks like we're one of them; but that doesn't mean we haven't got enough to beat the drop.

10. Well Blues, you did it again, although this time it didn't quite work. The next few games are extremely tough, but nothing is impossible in football. Nothing.

Full Time: Stoke City 3-2 Birmingham City

That's more like it

A much more spirited Blues performance and a much better crowd saw Birmingham come out winners today against a lively Blackpool side – scoring two and even keeping a clean sheet, setting the players up nicely for their next league game: the derby with those up the road.

Playing Blackpool, you know what to expect: a team that will come at you; a team full of little battlers; and a manager with his heart on his sleeve. But, you don't know how they're going to play. That's the thing. It's like us last season – no one knew our style of play, so it took teams a while to figure us out, and figure out how to beat us. It's like that this season with Blackpool, and combine that with the amount of passion and drive Ian Holloway forces upon his players, they have been a tough test for many teams already this season – just asked Liverpool.

As it was, Blues played brilliantly today. Every single one of them. Ben Foster is improving every game, much like Joe Hart did under goalkeeping coach Dave Watson. The back four were as solid as... a very solid thing. As always. How Roger Johnson, at 27, is still yet to be called up to England is a mystery. Liam Ridgewell played great again as well, with a goal on the score sheet and a great performance to his name too. Him and Stephen Carr, well, I've not seen them play so far up the pitch all season.

It wasn't so much 4-4-2, well, that was the intentional formation. But the tactics we played meant that Ferguson – who had his best game so far this season for Blues – played just behind the midfield and did his brilliant job of sweeping the loose balls up. Fahey played a more central role, and had a good few chances and a much better game than his previous few. Seb Larsson and Alex Hleb also had good games, with Hleb, like Fahey, having one of his better games in a Blues shirt – until he went off injured, that is.

Moan about him as much as you like, but one thing you cannot fault Garry O'Connor for is his work rate. Call him fat, call him whatever, but he will run for you all day long; he will win headers all day long; he will make runs and chase down the ball. All. Day. Long. And he had a good game today, I was willing him to score Blues' third just to shut the haters and the moaners up.

Zigic seems to have found his feet in the Premier League, and with another goal today it proves he can cut it in this league. He's now playing with confidence, winning balls in the air and picking out good passes. He's not the fastest of players, but he'll get into the right positions for you, and him and O'Connor seem like a good partnership.

The difference between this game and our last home game against Everton, was confidence. The Arsenal game, although we lost, seemed to have given these players a bit of a boost. The 20 yard passes are now being pulled off. The balls across the park are actually reaching the players. The neat one-touch football we played last season is being introduced back into our game. And the crowd can see this too. The atmosphere today was great; the fans got behind every single player,. And it gave the Blues team even more drive and confidence to go on and score more and create more.

Last season we lost to Arsenal in October, won our next home game with Ridgewell being first goalscorer and went on that amazing unbeaten run. This season we lost to Arsenal... in October... won our next home game... with Ridgewell being first on the score sheet. I'm not saying we will replicate what we did last year, but if that's not a coincidence, I don't know what is.

Full Time: Birmingham City 2-0 Blackpool

When we're good we are quite good but when we're bad we're...

...awful.

Sometimes there aren't enough words to sum up performances like the one today (other than a lot of effing and blinding) but somehow I've managed to find some. Ten things that we all learnt today...

Number 1, and probably the most important: 4-5-1 just doesn't work at home. We can't play it at St. Andrews. Cameron Jerome, bless his little heart, runs his legs off to no avail because whenever he gets the ball, he looks up and there's... no one there. We scored goals playing 4-4-2 at the start of the season; we change formation and we score none. Maths isn't needed - but 4-4-2 is. (Although, it doesn't help that the fans are chanting it at Alex: he's a clever man, he's worked it out for himself.)

Second point: Keith Fahey is not and never will be a winger. He doesn't have the pace; he doesn't have the ability to stay on the wing for more than five minutes without drifting into the middle. He is a good, Premier League quality, player. But just not on the wing.

Thirdly, blaming Cameron Jerome is foolish. The ball goes out of play... "FOR GODS SAKE JEROME!" He doesn't chase down a ball in the 70th minute after running the line on his own for the whole match... "USELESS! HOW LAZY ARE YOU JEROME?" He runs to get the ball, controls it, looks up and there's no one to pass to... "YOUR'E USELESS JEROME!" The world ends... "FFS CAMMY, IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" - You get the picture. Funny thing is, it isn't his fault. I actually felt sorry for him today; he needs a partner. And from what I've seen, it's not Zigic.

That brings me onto my fourth point: we need to play Matt Derbyshire. We've seen what he brings to the team, albeit through a substitute performance against Blackburn and two cup games against lower league sides, but the runs he makes are superb and he is just who we, and Jerome, need. Jerome to chase down the balls and win the headers; Derbyshire to be there to link up with him. Or visa versa, really.

Number five... pretty straight forward point, as I have to talk about the match at some point: Everton deserved that today. In one sense, I'm happy for them... in another I just want to cry and shout and stamp my feet. But we deserved nothing, and nothing is what we got. Credit to Everton.

My sixth point is Roger Johnson. Of late, I don't think he's been playing well. Today, he finally broke his St. Andrews duck... in the wrong end. I felt so sorry for him, really I did. But then I thought, hold on, Roger is one player in the team that won't be fazed. It was a stupid, stupid own goal to concede, but in true RoJo spirit, he just got back up again and carried on fighting. Thank you Rog.

Man of the match is my seventh point. No one deserved it. The fact Ridgewell got it, was because of his goal line clearance in the first half (which was fantastic, may I add) But other than that, no one performed how they can play. They need a think about things and hopefully this break will do them good.

Number eight; we've been sussed out. We can't play how we used to play, because teams know our little tricks and our style. Beausejour was injured today, but when he is back playing we need him in the team, while McFadden is out at least, for that speed down the wing. Our play right now is so slow, we need something to surprise people and to speed it up a little.

Nine: As well as Everton's second goal, the thing that summed it up for me today was when Zigic and Dann both left the ball for each other... and then five minutes later, they both went for the same ball, and Zigic head butted Scott Dann. It really was unbelievable. Just... words fail me. You had to laugh otherwise you'd cry.

Number ten is just a little thank you, really. Thank you for this incredible run Blues. No one would of believed we could go a year unbeaten at home, but we have. Maybe it's a blessing in disguise that we've lost this run though: now there's no pressure to carry on the run, and maybe now we can go out to win home games, rather than try to just defend our title.

Full Time: Birmingham City 0-2 Everton