VIEW FROM THE SOUTH – BIRMINGHAM CITY vs WEST BROMWICH ALBION

Like many noses, I had been in a state of euphoria all week. However, it was Saturday again and the little matter of Premier League survival loomed large. I met with Will in Guildford at nine o’clock in order to get going in time for the early kick-off. The evening before, Jonny has suggested that with all the games we had been to recently that perhaps we might consider giving this one a miss and watching the game on the telly. The real reason, as those of you with 21-year-old sons will tell you, is that Jonny is not really a morning person and hates getting up at what he considers the crack of dawn. As fate would have it, Will had called at that precise moment and asked if Jonny was going to accompany us the following morning. It appeared that Rich, a devout Baggies fan and a friend of Chris, wanted to go to the game and if Jonny didn’t wish to go there was no problem in filling his normal seat. Everyone seemed happy and so the journey north to Baginton turned out to be just Will and me.

On the way, we relived some of the moments from last Sunday and both admitted that we had been walking around in a bit of a daze hardly believing that our team, Birmingham City had actually won something of importance at the headquarters of world football! We both expressed our concern that there could well be a hangover effect on the team for the game ahead. Inwardly, I was hoping that this would not be the case and the Blues team, brimming with confidence, would actually turn it on, go after West Bromwich Albion, put them to the sword and secure three points. Will was of a different view and felt that it was highly likely that Birmingham would lose this match. The Cup run had obviously taken it out of the team and a number of key players were going to be missing from the line-up because of injury. I confess to being very worried about the absence of Barry Ferguson and Craig Gardner and there were doubts about Nikola Zigic and Martin Jiranek. The team news that was coming through suggested that Curtis Davies would make his debut.

We arrived at Baginton in good time and noticed, just as we were approaching the pub, the local junior football team training just across the road from The Oak. Will suggested that we should go have a look as Little Jack might be among the children playing. When we got pitch side we were in luck and caught sight of Little Jack going about his defensive duties in a training match of five a side. A good old-fashioned centre half’s hoof downfield from Little Jack fell into the path of team-mate who scored easily. We gave a loud cheer of encouragement and watched for a further 5 minutes or so before moving off waving to Little Jack further encouragement and telling him that we would see him in a short while. We proceeded to the pub and grabbed a cup of coffee and a bacon sandwich. Like most people I consider myself a bit of a connoisseur when it comes to bacon sandwiches and this one was absolutely perfect. The bacon was perfectly cooked, the bread was lovely and soft and white and the sauce was perfectly brown just the way I like it! After our repast we headed onwards to St Andrews. There wasn’t really time for a pre-match pint so we went straight into the ground.

There was definitely a buzz about the place and this was perfectly understandable after the events of last week. Playing on a loop on the big screen were the highlights of our epic victory against Arsenal the previous Sunday. Whilst very nice, I couldn’t help thinking that it would have been better to have left such triumphalism out of proceedings on the immediate eve of such vital match. I thought that we were setting ourselves up for a fall as was to prove the case. The Birmingham team did have a number of enforced changes with Curtis Davies coming in for his debut into the back four in place of Martin Jiranek. The midfield comprised of Bentley who returned on the right having been cup tied last week Lee Bowyer and Keith Fahey occupied the two central berths and Jean Beausejour were selected on the left; Obafemi Martins and Cameron Jerome starting up front. On paper, this didn’t look too bad a line-up in the circumstances that Blues found themselves but it became clear fairly early on that there was little if any creativity in midfield.

The signs that this was going to be a difficult afternoon came as early as five minutes when a cross into the Birmingham City box resulted in a header from Morison which fortunately was easily collected by Ben Foster. The first half action was cagey and pretty lacklustre to be honest and it took until about 22nd minute before Blues finally produced a worthwhile chance on goal. David Bentley whipped in a fierce free kick which was cleared for Keith Fahey to volley over from just outside the area. On about half hour Jerome seized upon a sloppy pass by Paul Scharner 30 yards out. The striker was unlucky to see his early shot pass less than a yard wide. Blues appeared to be gaining the upper hand after a shaky start but Albion had their best opportunity about five minutes later when Jerome Thomas caught Blues on the counter. As the move unfolded I felt that we were in serious trouble as it was two against two and a golden opportunity to play in the completely unmarked James Morrison was spurned and the pass instead went the other way to Chris Brunt who snatched at the chance to send the ball high into the Tilton Road End. Blues were very lucky to escape from this opportunity for Albion. Blues went up the other end and Beausejour chipped in a great ball to Jerome, who headed what was to prove to be Birmingham’s best chance of the half narrowly wide. The half ended on a subdued note but overall I was fairly pleased that the action have been fairly even and there was hope that with an improved performance in the second period that Birmingham could go on and win.

Little did any of us realise just how badly Birmingham were going to defend in the second half. I don’t know what it is about West Bromwich Albion this season but it would appear that we have a benevolence towards our near neighbours that is unfathomable. Just as in the game at the Hawthorns we proceeded to gift wrap goals for the visitors that would be considered completely uncharacteristic for any side representing us. We found themselves behind within two minutes of the restart after some shocking defensive play. Foster miskicked a routine clearance and the ball ping-ponged around the edge of the area. There were at least two further chances to clear the ball but our defenders failed in their primary duty to clear their lines. One of the ricochets found its way behind our back four straight into the path of Youssuf Mulumbu who free ten yards out, made no mistake as he dinked the ball over Foster. It was a truly appalling piece of defending which the Baggies fans gleefully celebrated. They did not have time to taunt us because with less than a minute more gone, Blues found themselves right back in it through Beausejour. Virtually from the kick-off, Stephen Carr broke down the right and his pass found Bowyer near the by-line. He sent the ball across the Albion six yard box where Beausejour was on hand to stab it home from close range. Nice finish to an excellent flowing move but that was about as good as it got.

This was an opportunity to start the half again and this time do it properly. Blues were now on the front foot but it was to be short lived about the only time they were in the ascendancy. Bowyer received a harsh yellow card for his challenge on Mulumbu and then Ridgewell and Scharner wrestled on the ground, to earn them both a caution. The Albion midfielder, who was instrumental in their eventual victory should have already been cautioned as early as the fifth minute of the game when he clattered into the back of Jean Beausejour but escaped with just a talking to. It seemed somewhat incongruous that he was not booked when Lee Bowyer received his card for very little. The tussle with Ridgewell would of course have been his second and he would therefore not have been on the pitch for the part he played later in securing Albion’s victory. Having gained a fortuitous reprieve and a real chance to turn the game around in their favour, Blues again shot themselves in the foot on 58 minutes.

Abysmal marking combined with a cracking finish saw James Morrison give the Baggies the lead once more. Steven Reid’s ball found Morrison on the edge of the Blues penalty area, virtually in the D. Morrison had time to take a touch to his left, take the ball away from Curtis Davies who was not tight enough, pick his spot and crash a great shot into the roof of the net from 18 yards. This piece of defending was even worse than the first effort because at least the first time around Albion did have a fortuitous ricochet go their way. However, there can be no excuse for allowing good players at this level this amount of time and space to steady themselves and shoot. This laxity got what it deserved and the writing was now very firmly on the wall as Albion deservedly continued to outplay a poorly performing Birmingham team. Despite this Blues almost equalised again within a minute or two of the restart. This time Carson did well to palm away David Bentley’s powerful effort that he was fortunate that the knock down ended up at the feet of one his defenders rather than the in rushing Blues attackers.

Blues did have a little flurry as they sought parity but Albion were clearly more effective in the central midfield area so it was somewhat baffling when on 67 minutes, Kevin Phillips came on for Jean Beausejour, who to my mind was Birmingham’s most effective midfielder. Fans are asked to text their choice of man of the match every week and even if the whole team plays like donkeys, a Birmingham player is selected for this accolade. Of course, even with a poor performance there will always be at least one player who will catch the eye, and come out of the match with credit. The choices from this game in my opinion would have been Stephen Carr, Jean Beausejour and Obafemi Martins. The last person I would selected would have been Keith Fahey whom I felt was easily our most ineffective midfield player as he failed to break up play, failed to put in a single memorable tackle and when he got the ball proceeded to pass it either square or backwards. Why he was not substituted is something only Alex McLeish can know. Inevitably, with three attackers on but with no service or creativity, Roy Hodgson’s side went on to win this match at a canter.

Albion should have been further ahead on 69 minutes when once again poor defending and closing down allowed Chris Brunt a free shot that slammed off the base of the far post. The ball rebounded straight into the path of Odemwingie who blasted the ball high over the empty net from less than ten yards. The reprieve was to be short lived as Phase 3 of the self-destruction for Blues occurred on 72 minutes when Paul Scharner headed Albion into a 3-1 lead. A corner to the visitors was taken short with the Birmingham defenders sleeping. Morrison crossed the ball to the far post. From an acute angle Scharner headed the ball goalwards and Foster’s parried attempt at a save could only divert the ball just over the line. The assistant referee rightly gave the goal. It was game, set and match and Blues were deservedly vanquished.

This was very much a case of ‘after the Lord Mayor’s show’ for Birmingham. We were never really in this match and Roy Hodgson got his tactics absolutely spot-on and exploited our physical and mental tiredness after the overwhelming events of Wembley. West Bromwich Albion were the better side in every single department the game throughout the vast majority of this game and Blues have no excuse for such a feeble performance. It was always going to be very difficult to raise the level of performance after the draining efforts of last week but at the very least at any level of football teams simply have to defend properly and this Birmingham failed to do and conceded three of the softest goals that they will let in all season. This has left the club in a precarious position back in the bottom three when two or three weeks ago it appeared that we might be pulling clear. The two games in hand that we have over our rivals equate to Everton and Chelsea; both away from home. The prospects of a high yield points from these two games look remote at this stage and one can only hope that Everton put in the sort of inconsistent performance that they have been prone to the season on Tuesday night at Goodison Park. I have no wish to suggest that we should start to panic but of all the 11 games that are left in our season, only four of them are at home against Bolton, Sunderland, Fulham and Wolves. We have to travel to Chelsea, Liverpool, Newcastle, Tottenham, Blackburn and Wigan in addition to Everton. Some points will have to be gleaned from difficult places like this if we are to survive. It would be a complete disaster to qualify for Europe as we have done only to find that we are playing at domestic football in the Championship.

We returned to Baginton after the match and after a couple of pints I felt a little better although I feel beer always tastes better when you’ve won. There was a wedding reception taking place in the pub and let us just say there was an eclectic mix of guests present! A little people watching of this event cheered up what had otherwise been a rather desolate afternoon. The bride in her dress of white was a sight for very sore eyes and I shudder to think how much that dress must’ve cost in sheer quantity of material alone! I would have loved to have stayed longer as the entertainment value of the various social interactions was well worth a watch! (A darn sight better than the game as it happens! 😀 )

The Good: Watching Little Jack play football and a bacon sandwich at the oak.

The Bad: The overall performance of the Birmingham team particularly the defending.

The Ugly: The wedding party and you should have seen some of the guests!

Birmingham City: Ben Foster 6, Stephen Carr 7, Lee Bowyer 7, Roger Johnson 6, Liam Ridgewell 5 (David Murphy, 80, N/A), Cameron Jerome 6, David Bentley 5, Obafemi Martins 7, Keith Fahey 4, Jean Beausejour 7 (Kevin Phillips, 67, 5) Curtis Davies 4.

Subs not used: Colin Doyle, Seb Larsson, Nikola Zigic, Stuart Parnaby, Jordon Mutch.

Bookings: Bowyer (51), Ridgewell (52), Fahey (88).

Goals: Jean Beausejour (48)

West Bromich Albion: Scott Carson 7, Jonas Olsson 7, James Morrison 8 (Gabriel Tamas, 77, 6), Chris Brunt 8, Steven Reid 8, Jerome Thomas 7 (Gonzalo Jara, 67, 6), Nicky Shorey 7, Youssuf Mulumbu 8, Abdoulaye Meite 7, Marc-Antoine Fortune 6 (Peter Odemwingie, 45, 7), Paul Scharner 8.

Subs not used: Boaz Myhill, Somen Tchoyi, Carlos Vela, Simon Cox.

Bookings: Scharner (52)

Goals: Mulumbu (47), Morrison (58), Scharner (72)

Referee: Michael Jones (Cheshire) 7: Reasonable performance but had he booked Scharner as he should have done early on it may have changed things had he subsequently been sent off for a second offence later.

Attendance: 27, 013 (3,153 away)