<div style="text-align: center"><a href="http://view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/news/alexander-hleb-birmingham/image/9851363?term=birmingham+city" target="_blank"><div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" src="http://view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/image/9851363/alexander-hleb-birmingham/alexander-hleb-birmingham.jpg?size=500&amp;imageId=9851363" border="0" alt="Birmingham City/Wigan Athletic Premiership 25.09.10 Photo: Tim Parker Fotosports International Alexander Hleb Birmingham &amp; James McCarthy Wigan Photo via Newscom" width="500" height="513"></figure></div></a></div>
<p>Being unbeaten at home for one of the smaller Premiership sides is something that should always be celebrated but at Birmingham City, things are never that simple. They have now equaled the clubs longest unbeaten home record of 18 games, it hides another story entirely. Now, 6 games in, the club have 7 points and sit mid-table but once again, the crowd was just over 2/3rds of the capacity.Fingers could be pointed towards the Wigan fans, not known for their travelling exploits yet that doesn’t cover it every other week.</p>
<p>City have had something of a stand off with the previous owners, when prices were kept at Premiership prices following relegation. A perceived lack of entertainment added to the fans frustration and despite a return to the top tier and the club being sold to Carson Yeung, attendances still leave the ground looking bare in certain areas. Despite the 18 game unbeaten home run, Birmingham have only won 2 of their last 12 Premiership matches.</p>
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<p>Fans frustration can often be judged on what we call the George Graham formula. An often repeated mantra by fans who stop going is the lack of real football being played. This attitude is then criticised by others, who will often use George Graham’s period at Arsenal as proof of success over entertainment. The feeling is that if you win matches, then fans will come to see the team but as Birmingham City’s fans have proved over the last few seasons, it’s not necessarily true.</p>
<p>Of course, playing wide open attacking football gets the fans off their feet but it does leave you open to counter attacks. Against the better Premiership sides, this is akin to soccer suicide, offering the opportunity for the Chelsea’s and Manchester United’s to run riot. Crucially for promoted sides, keeping it tight, especially away from home can be all the difference. Yet, as Derby County showed under both Billy Davies and Paul Jewell, using those tactics doesn’t necessarily negate better sides.</p>
<p>After Liverpool had dismantled a Derby County side 6-0 who were playing what seemed to be a 5-5-0 formation, rather than the 4-5-1 it was supposed to be, fans were harsh towards the tactics. The feeling that by playing for a draw, they’d invited defeat left a bitter taste in the mouth. They were getting hammered and Davies kept to a tactical plan that clearly wasn’t working.</p>
<p>Birmingham yesterday entertained Wigan Athletic and played Cameron Jerome up front as a lone striker for an hour. I appreciate that using Hleb and Bowyer to bomb on as support helps but everyone seems to be playing 4-3-3 with just one striker and no wingers. Safety first at home against Wigan Athletic? Come on Alex Mcleish, show the fans some credit.</p>
<p>Birmingham City fans would be right in feeling that playing at home against anyone apart from the top 6, the side should at least show a little more attacking invention. No-one is expecting a side to go gung ho, but really, games like this are what keeps sides up in the Premiership, not what they achieve against the big clubs. The fans, as they did yesterday at St. Andrews, have a right to make their frustrations known.</p>
<p>If the fans begin to chant a formation or simply don’t bother turning up should tell you all you need to know. Alex Mcleish has been around football long enough to appreciate the fans concerns but yesteray had 3 strikers on the bench. For me, Birmingham’s best results in the last couple of seasons have been when they’ve gone with at least two strikers up front, rather than looking to negate the opposition.</p>
<p>The World Cup was full of sides playing a 4-3-3 system that employed wingers and strikers that could drop back when defending. Unfortunately, the new season has seen plenty of sides simply revert to a 4-5-1 and no option for width and balance. By replacing the attacking options with the safety first choice, the fans vote with their feet and their voices and no amount of unbeaten games will change that.</p>
<p>The frustration is born from playing so negatively against sides they consider at best, equals that they stop attending. When you’re only charging a top price of £34 for an adult ticket, cheap by comparison to some in the Premiership, you’d look to be selling out every home game. With almost 8,000 empty seats, that clearly isn’t the case. It may be value for money, but for some it certainly doesn’t represent entertainment value for the Birmingham fans.</p>

Birmingham City Are Tough To Love

Birmingham City Are Tough To Love - World Soccer Talk

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<p>With just over 15 weeks left until the 19th World Cup begins in South Africa and one player is making a real case to force his way in to the starting line up. Joe Hart could have been put out by Manchester City signing Shay Given last January, a smack in the face for his aspirations to make himself City’s number one. Thankfully for Hart, Alex McLeish rode to the rescue in the summer taking the young stopper to Birmingham City on a season long loan and what an inspired piece of business it has turned out to be.</p>
<p>Of course, at the beginning of the season, Hart seemed a little unsure of his surroundings and his place at St. Andrews but over the last few months, he has been head and shoulders above every other English goalkeeper in the Premiership. Week by week, Hart’s performances have left his club manager purring and now Fabio Capello has re-affirmed the praise for the shot stopper by announcing he’ll start the friendly match against Egypt next week.</p>
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<p>Capello’s reign has been pointed in the fact that he has been careful not to build his players up too much, but saw fit to break from that tradition last week. FAbio stated that <strong><em>“Hart has been fantastic this season and</em> </strong><em><strong>before he made mistakes but he makes fewer now because he plays regularly and has more confidence”.</strong> </em>That is a ringing endorsement of the likable Shropshire lad and he now has a chance to make the Number One jersey his own.</p>
<p>With David James embroiled in the daily hell that is Portsmouth’s season, Ben Foster unable to make it on Manchester United’s bench most weeks, though he started tonight’s match against West Ham United and Paul Robinson still seemingly out of favour, Hart has a real chance of taking his place in the starting line up. Of his other rivals for the shirt, Robert Green still shows massive inconsistency on a regular basis, Chris Kirkland’s injury problems still linger in the background and Scott Carson is still making errors in the Championship.</p>
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<p>Since he forced his way in to Shrewsbury’s first team back in 2005, ending the season as the Second Division Goalkeeper of the year, Hart has long been expected to eventually force his way in to being an England regular. A consistent performer for England Under 21’s, who showed the strength of his nerves by saving and then scoring a penalty against Sweden in last summers Under-21 European Championships, Hart has now brought that consistency to his league form.</p>
<p>The majority of England’s first team picks itself, but it’s in defence where Capello will beginning to have real concerns about the strength, confidence and fitness. Ashley Cole faces a race to be fit and his wife has left him today, Glen Johnson has also suffered from injury this season, Ferdinand still seems to be struggling with his back and the less said about John Terry the better. Would it be too much to expect Joe Hart to be able to cope with such a fragile looking backline in front of him.</p>
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<p>Of course, 15 weeks is a long time in football and all the concerns that currently hang over the English defence may have evaporated by then and Joe Hart will be walking out with the England team for the match against the U.S.A. on June 12th in Rustenberg. I for one would have no fear for the young lad representing us at the World Cup as our starting goalkeeper and I look forward to him starting against Egypt next Wednesday night.</p>

Can Joe Hart Become England&#039;s Number One?

Can Joe Hart Become England&#039;s Number One? - World Soccer Talk

Can Joe Hart Become England's Number One?

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<p>A week after Manchester United’s shock FA Cup exit, Sir Alex Ferguson fielded a side with immense respect for Birmingham City’s Alex McCleish at St. Andrews. A match that was 1 of only 2 to survive the inclement weather on Saturday saw a 4-5-1 with Wayne Rooney in a lone striker role supported by Ji-sung Park and Antonio Valencia on the wings. Ferguson’s five man midfield attempted to dominate the flow of play and supply Rooney up front. With the fantastic form Birmingham City has been on as of late, McCleish’s squad seem to pick themselves. Cameron Jerome and Christian Benitez led a subdued attack for Birmingham City.</p>
<p>Joe Hart was again superb in goal for the Blues, he denied Rooney the break through after 24 minutes when Rooney latched on to a Valencia cross, the two Englishmen found themselves <em>mano-a-mano</em> with Hart winning out.</p>
<p>It took some time for the match to get going as both sides attempted to dominate the play in midfield with only Manchester United creating the odd chance on goal. Birmingham City defended well but showed little in attack in the first half. McCleish’s game plan was obvious: keep it tight and close in the first half, counter when applicable. It worked.</p>
<p>The breakthrough came against the run of play when Cameron Jerome tapped in from a few yards out. Manchester United were unable to clear a corner from James McFadden and when the ball ping-ponged off Johnny Evans, Jerome took his chance. The Blues had their lead albeit, based on the balance of play, undeserved. There wasn’t enough up front for United in the first half to create viable and consistent chances. Ferguson would have to partner someone up front to support Rooney in the second half if the champions were to win. With Dimitar Berbatov not even on the bench, Michael Owen or Ryan Giggs would be the obvious choice.</p>
<p>United’s defense looked shaky in the opening moments of the second half, the champions would have conceded a second had it not been for a fine save from Tomasz Kuszczak who was superb in goal all day for United. Birmingham City looked happy to sit back on their one goal lead and keep the play compact and organized.</p>
<p>In a moment of controversy, United drew level when Birmingham City defender Scott Dann bundled the ball into his own goal. After replays, it looks like Rooney was in an offside position but to no matter. Because a Manchester United player didn’t touch the ball, the goal stood. Referee Mark Clattenburg discussed with his linesman and got the call correct.</p>
<p>After Ji-sung Park made way for Ryan Giggs, the sparky Christian Benitez challenged Kuszczak in goal only to be denied by another fine save from the Polish keeper. Birmingham City were looking increasingly dangerous on the counter. The match looked set for a winner in the last 15 minutes, only question is, from who?</p>
<p>Paul Scholes came close with a trademark blast before making way for United debutant Mame Biram Diouf, who United have high hopes for. Soon after, Darren Fletcher who had yet again been solid for United saw his second yellow, a cheap leg out on goal scorer Jerome, and United were down to 10 men. In all honesty, Birmingham City were the side most likely to claim a winner, they fought hard and created chances while United’s attack continued to not impress. After 6 minutes of added time, Birmingham remained undefeated in 12 Premier League games, while United claimed their first away draw of the season.</p>
<p>Manchester United will lament not being able to take advantage of Arsenal’s draw earlier in the day and if Chelsea win their next match, they’ll have the chance to go 4 points clear of the current champions. Overall it was a hard fought game and deserved to finish equal.</p>


Manchester United 1-1 Birmingham City: Champions Fail To Capitalize On Arsenal Draw

Manchester United 1-1 Birmingham City: Champions Fail To Capitalize On Arsenal Draw - World Soccer Talk

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<p>They seemed as if they’d thrown it all away, but they pulled themselves together on the last match of the season to gain automatic promotion. Birmingham City always seem to do things the hard way and they just about squeezed over the line. The fact of the matter is that they should have never been relegated from the Premiership, but the board have continually refused to accept the blame for the Carson Yeung fiasco.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/2319202/Carson-Yeung-warms-to-Birmingham.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yeung hilariously rolled in to Birmingham</a> in the summer of 2007 claiming to have the financial muscle to make them one of the top teams in the world. “Next year Birmingham will be the most popular team in China,” he said. “The whole of China and Hong Kong know very well about Birmingham City, and want this club to be successful.”</p>
<p>Of course it never happened and the main ramification of this dalliance was that Steve Bruce left to join Wigan Athletic. Alex McLeish came in to replace him, but Birmingham couldn’t hold on to their Premiership status and were relegated. Last season, they were expected, quite rightly with the squad they had, to run away with the league but it never materialized.</p>
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<p>I saw plenty of Birmingham City last year and they never blew me away football wise. On paper, they had a fantastic team that simply never got going throughout the season, they spluttered and stuttered. They only scored more than two goals in a game on five occasions in the league and for a team that boasts the firepower they have, that simply wasn’t good enough.&nbsp; Kevin Phillips was the only player to hit double figures in the league, with 14.</p>
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<p>The Blues have looked to bolster the attack by signing Ecuadorian Christian Bentitez, breaking their transfer record to do so, but it’s a hell of a risk.Fair enough, the lad is 23, scored 10 goals for his country and hit 31 league goals in the last two years in the Mexican League but doubts persist over his fitness and his build. With Birmingham struggling to kill sides off in Championship, can they honestly hope to score goals in Premiership?</p>
<p>Yet, maybe I’m being too negative, but when your top scorer left West Bromwich Albion when they got promoted citing that he didn’t want to be in a relegation struggle, it makes you question why he feels Birmingham City will be in a better situation. If anything, Phillips would have had a hatful of chances for the Baggies and would have possibly been the difference for them last season. Are the Blues such a superior team? With 3 International strikers at his disposal in Benitez, O’Connor and McFadden, McLeish now has to get them scoring more goals.</p>
<p>Or will he finally release Cameron Jerome and give him a real run of games. There is no doubting the boys pace, he is fast, and he has had a taste of Premiership football before with Birmingham, netting 7 goals. He now needs to respond to signing a new 5 year contract with consistency and increasing his goal tally.</p>
<p><div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" class="alignleft" src="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/uploads/cache.daylife.com/imageserve/04eLdPzdudegk/340x.jpg" alt="" width="313" height="380"></figure></div>The rest of the side has Premiership experience running all the way through it, from the two Lee’s, Carsley and Bowyer, to the back line with Franck Queudrue, Stephen Carr and Martin Taylor. Of McLeish’s new signings, only Bowyer is a midfielder, but that concerns me. Carsley and Bowyer are players that are not afraid to put it about a bit, so having the quality in reserve will be paramount to cover for those two when serving the inevitable suspensions.Of course, bringing another quiet soul in Barry Ferguson may be more <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/international/scotland/5099853/Barry-Ferguson-and-Allan-McGregor-banned-for-life-from-playing-for-Scotland.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trouble than it’s worth</a>, but maybe Ferguson can actually try and save his career with this move. It surely can’t get any worse for him can it?</p>
<p>At the back, is probably where Birmingham are at their strongest. The loan signing of <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/mancity/5621697/Joe-Hart-joins-Birmingham-City-from-Manchester-City-on-season-long-loan.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Hart is an inspired piece of business</a>, Hart is easily the best of the young English goalkeepers out there and he can really add a bit more quality for the side. The big changes for the team will be at Centre Half. Liam Ridgewell broke his leg in April so he’s not due back until October at the earliest and Raidhi Jaidi has been released. In for them have come the Cardiff City defender Roger Johnson, who looked impressive for the Bluebirds and another risky international signing, Giovanny Espinoza.</p>
<p>Yet Espinoza has 80 caps for Ecuador, showing he’s no mug and one season in European football already under his belt. A big, uncompromising defender, if he dovetails with Johnson, it could be an inspired signing. The full back positions are full of Premiership experience and shouldn’t need much tinkering with. Carr and Queudrue, once he recovers from a calf strain, have seen it all before and can be relied upon to keep it simple.McLeish has made no secret in his attempts to cover the left back area, so he knows Queudrue has to eased back.</p>
<p>Overall, Birmingham have a sprinkling of experience but need to make sure they score. They have the fan base and financial strength but the biggest task will be scoring more than they concede. That may seem obvious, but the Blues strength will see them hard to beat, so for them to stay up, they have make those draws victories.If they can get one more season out of Phillips, Benitez and Jerome scoring in support and the two Scottish enigma’s, O’Connor and McFadden finally begin to deliver, they’ll be fine.</p>

Premiership Promotion Preview No.2 : Birmingham City

Premiership Promotion Preview No.2 : Birmingham City - World Soccer Talk

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