No bragging rights this time

This time last year if you offered me a point against the Villa I would have say ta very much and bit your hand off for it. As it's been this season, in the two league games we've played we've taken a point from each of them and I want more. Just like in the reverse fixture back in October; today, we could have won. 1-1 was probably a fair result in what was a hard fought contest in a game that was brilliant for the neutrals to watch, but Blues fans couldn't help coming out of that game feeling a little angry that we didn't get more than a point.

After his mistake midweek against West Ham you'd forgiven Ben Foster for being a bit cautious, but my life he started shakey. Trying to skill the Villa players instead of clearing it isn't the way to go Ben! In fact, the whole team started pretty shakily, and the first five minutes of the match felt like a lifetime.

We soon got over that start though and began to get into the game, but not quite on top. Villa hit the bar four or five times and we were lucky to get away with some slack defending. We did have chances of our own however, and the link-up play between Hleb and Bentley was brilliant at times, and Bentley's running down the wing with Carr was excellent.


Derbyshire had to run the line himself due to Jerome's absence through injury, and nearly made it 1-0 after Gardner's persistence allowed him to cross the ball, only for Derbyshire to miss kick, and the ball ran past him. This was the best chance of the half for Blues.

It was an end to end game and it was quite an open affair, but it took until the second half for the deadlock to be broken. Bentley's free kick was passed out to Gardner who had a shot on goal, which deflected around the box for a while until the outstretched leg of Roger Johnson fired it home for Blues, for the defender's first ever goal at St. Andrews (for the home side, anyway!)


The place erupted into song and Blues continued to keep possession and have chances on goal. It could have very nearly been two nil soon after when Derbyshire ran into the box but his shot was palmed just off the line by Friedel and there was no one in a Blues shirt in the box to pick up the ball for what would have been the easiest tap in ever.

Blues were later made to rue their missed chances with just 20 minutes left. Albrighton's cross into the box was cleared only as far as James Collins who had the easy task of firing it home for Villa, with a deflection off Ridgewell along the way. Blues lack of clinical finishing punished them, and after looking at picking up a vital three points, they had to do it all over again as the away side were back on level terms.

Both teams had chances to win it at the death. Delfouneso's rocket shot was saved by Foster and then hit the bar, and Zigic's header went through the hands of Friedel but then out of play - must to the relief of the travelling Villa supporters.

And that was that. Honours even in the third second city derby of the season, and a relegation battle still on hand for both teams. There's a long way to go yet.

Full Time: Birmingham City 1-1 Aston Villa

Half time

It could have been worse. I mean it really, really could have been worse. It could have been all over in the first half with the amount of possession and chances West Ham had, and considering how poor we played and how little we created, we were lucky to go in at half time only 1-0 down.

It wasn't a tragic first half performance, not at all, but not one you'd expect in the first leg of a Carling Cup semi-final. We played 4-5-1 which was frustrating but understandable. McLeish likes to contain and then go for it, which I do understand but then again on the flip side of things maybe we should have just gone for it and went 4-4-2 with Jerome and Derbyshire starting; with Jerome's pace and Derbyshire's knack for finding the back of the net, surely we couldn't have gone wrong?

In the past our defence has been rock solid. Last season a lot of teams struggled to get past out back five, but this season it's not been as good. The first goal we conceded highlighted this. The ball should have been cleared, Ridgewell probably should have been alert, and maybe Foster shouldn't have been beaten at his near post.


But there's no use dwelling on what could have been. In the second half Blues gave us the performance we'd all paid our money to travel down to London to see. God only knows what Alex said to them in the dressing room at half time but it certainly worked; we came out a different team and really took it to West Ham.

Blues started the half incredibly brightly and Larsson, who seems to be staying at Blues now, had a great game down the right with Carr and they both ran West Ham ragged. Hleb also had a good game, dancing through the defence whenever he pleased but my only criticism of him is that sometimes he tries to do too much. Other than that, he honestly is a joy to watch.

With free kicks, corners and crosses and most of all possession all in favour of Blues, it really was only a matter of time before the equaliser came. I cannot tell you how much relief and elation was felt amongst the travelling Blues fans at that header from Ridgewell all but broke the back of the net, and for the next 15 minutes the noise coming from the away end was terrific. It was brilliant to be part of it.


We really should have clinched a winner, especially after Obinna was sent off, but yet again our lack of clinical finishing was what let us down. That, and poor defending - which was what led to both the goals... and of course that blunder by Foster which we don't want to mention.

In a perfect world we would have grabbed an equaliser with the amount of chances we had after West Ham, pretty undeservedly, went ahead again. But it wasn't to be, and now we have to win at St. Andrews to stand a chance of getting to Wembley. It can be done, of course it can: we have a brilliant home record and West Ham have a pretty shambolic away record. It won't be easy, but then again, when is it ever easy supporting Blues?

Full Time: West Ham 2-1 Birmingham City

We're on our way

With the team still high on a rare win away on Tuesday, they were looking to pick up another in the FA Cup at Millwall today - and they did just that! Changes were made with Foster given a well deserved rest, Scott Dann made captain and the rest of the defence being dropped to make way for Parnaby, Murphy and Jiranek. The midfield was attacking with Gardner, Mutch, Beausejour and Hleb starting, and Derbyshire partnering Zigic in attack.

The players in the team all had a point to prove, but it was the home side who started better, but they weren't able to convert the chances they had. They paid for their lack of clinical finishing when Blues went on a counter attack in the 17th minute with Beausejour sliding the ball through to Derbyshire who calmly chiped the ball into the net from a wide angel - a top finish from a striker who deserved his chance.


After the setback, Millwall continued to press, but the Blues defence coped reasonably well with what was thrown at them, and again Millwall were made to rue their missed chances when Blues got their second of the game: Beausejour again helped in the making, as Derbyshire was brought down on his run towards goal after a neat ball through from the Chilean. Murphy stepped up and beautifully looped the ball over the wall and into the net to give the away side a comfortable lead.

Blues were playing with a aura of confidence now and more chances came their way. A Gardner free-kick was parried away and Derbyshire almost got onto the loose ball before it was blocked by a Millwall defender. The shape of the Blues midfield was causing the Lions the most problems; Hleb went wherever he pleased and kept the ball moving, Gardner's surging runs forward gave a real threat to the Blues attack, Mutch's distribution and eye for space was key, and Beausejour had one of his best games in a Blues shirt, always going forward and tracking back when needed.

Milwall got back into the game as the half wore on, and looking for a response got a couple of corners and a handful of chances; with James Henry's shot from far out nearly getting his team back into the game, and an offside goal as well - deemed the correct decision after replays were shown.


But Blues punished the home side again just before half time. Matt Derbyshire was in the right place at the right time once again to finish calmly after a 1 on 1 from a piercing through ball from Gardner. The away side finished the half 3 goals to the good and oozing with confidence.

With Millwall not only looking for a response but now desperately needing one, they came out the blocks quick and had a succession of chances. A penalty was awarded to the home team which was labelled by commentators as "very soft", but maybe luck was on our side as the penalty as struck poorly and Maik Taylor was able to save it, and it was cleared for a corner, which prompted a goal-mouth frenzy, with shots galore and the ball finally being cleared off the line and away to safety. Clearly, it was just not Millwall's day.

With Beausjour searing for the goal that he deserved,it was clear that the fourth goal was not very far away at all. But much to the Chilean's disappointment, it wasn't him that scored it. Fahey, who was substituted of in place of Hleb, put in a brilliant cross on his wrong foot and Jerome who had just came on for Zigic headed the ball home; a brilliant day at the office for Blues. It didn't stop Millwall trying though, and as fans headed for the exits, they got a deserved consolation from Schofield in extra time.

This will do our confidence the world of good going into Tuesday's important Carling Cup semi-final first leg: two away wins on the bounce, we couldn't possibly make it three, could we?

Full Time: Millwall 1-4 Birmingham City

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

The Road to Wembley...

There seems to be some kind of unwritten rule when it comes to the Carling Cup, that Premier League teams must beat lower league opposition. They have to. Or it will be considered a total travesty and an embarrassment. But considering most Premier League teams play most of their reserve players in these Cup ties, I don’t see how losing against teams in a lower division is seen as something that just shouldn’t happen. If it’s not your team; we all find it brilliant when teams like Barsnley beat Liverpool, etc. But if it is your team; it’s like the end of the world.

Of corse that doesn’t matter; as Blues won 3-2 against Rochdale so this doesn’t have to come into the equation. But I just thought I’d throw that out there...

The match, which got better as it went on, started off quite dully. And although Blues attacked in force; they were quite predictable and not exactly full of ideas. The ball across the park to Murphy which was tried six times before we realised it was going to get cut off before it reached him is an example of this especially because that’s how Rochdale’s first goal came about. Murphy couldn’t get back in time and that left Jones to tap in the rebound after his first shot was saved by Maik Taylor, to the frustration of the small Blues crowd inside St. Andrews.

Blues were level though just three minutes later: Matt Derbyshire, making his first start for Blues, was brought down in the penalty area, and a couple of angry Rochdale players and a confused linesman later, the penalty was awarded and McFadden stepped up to slot it away expertly (Villa players, take note) and Blues were back on level terms.

McFadden showed his class in the first half, skipping past players, making a few great passes. Something you realise when you actually have time to concentrate on just one player, is how much they actually do. Moan all you like about James McFadden, use his as a scapegoat for pretty much everything; but that man is a class player, and there is no doubt about it. There’s been rumours about him being linked with a move away from the club, and if we were to lose him, it would be a big loss.

The second half saw Seb Larsson come on for McFadden, and Blues started very bright; attacking from the off. Seb was instantly involved as his corner found the head of Roger Johnson, which was tapped into the net to put Blues ahead, just a couple of minutes into the second half.

Blues looked much to dominant team then, and although Rochdale did have their chances, you could see the divide between the two. Matt Derbyshire had already showed how much of a handful he will be this season, and he was in the right place at the right time for his first Blues goal, after a Larsson shot was fumbled by the Rochdale ‘keeper, and bundled just about over the line by Derbyshire.

So, 3-1 and the game was pretty much over already. Blues had ample chances to extend their lead, with that man Derbyshire again coming close numerous times. He then made way for Nikola Zigic, who instantly set up O’Connor whose shot fired wide. But, with Blues seemingly comfortable, they were put back into panik-mode by Jones again as the Rochdale captain scored to make the last ten or so minutes slightly nervy for the home side.

Youngster Nathan Redmond made his first appearance for Blues and you could see why McLeish had put him on the bench a couple of times last season; he is not shot of confidence and is willing to take men on and get a shot off - coming close several times. It was refreshing to see that young talent can still break through , and hopefully we won’t let him slip through the net.

Blues hung on to win 3-2, when really it could’ve been more, to get their place in the next round of the cup. And although the game was an exciting encounter, I don’t think it’ll live very long in the memory of the 6,000 or so fans that were there!

Full Time: Birmingham City 3-2 Rochdale