Here is an article by John Baker who runs Blues Muse. John is a regular on the forum, and is a friend of mine. John provided the image we use as our backdrop. He has given me permission to re-publish this which he first published on his own site here.
We have the League Cup, McLeish has gone, and we now have attack-minded Chris Hughton in charge.
Cast your meat pies on my summer perspectives regarding current events at St. Andrews . . .
RELEGATION
Huh, what?! How could that happen with the squad we had? How come we couldn’t muster just one more point in any of the last six games of the season? How come we’ve not been able to score goals for the last couple of seasons? Where did our attacking threat go? Oh, hang on, we haven’t really had an attacking threat for much longer than that now have we?
In my opinion most of those questions can be answered with two words . . . . Alex McLeish.
ALEX McLEISH
Talking of Alex McLeish, I ask ya’, what is it with this defensive-mindedness stuff?
When Alex came to us many thought he could do what Ferguson has done for Manchester United, and so did I. However, have you ever seen a Manchester United team that defends from the outset? Nope, I didn’t think so as they are always on the front foot taking the game to their opponents. Why do you think that is? Perhaps it’s because goals win games regardless of whether you have the money to buy the world’s best players. Yep siree Bobby, erm Alex, goals win games!
Now here’s something to ponder . . . if we hadn’t have been relegated Alex would still be our manager. Oh dear. So from my perspective, I’ll take the League Cup and the shake-up that relegation has brought on and look forward to see what Chris Hughton can do for us, especially as his Newcastle United team always started on the front foot . . . echo, echo, echo.
Anyway, want to know what Alex’s true record in management is? Sure, Rangers were successful, but anyone over 25 should be able to get Rangers into at least 2nd place in the Scottish Prem. Anyway, a Villa fan breaks down Alex’s record here. Great isn’t it, eh?! Villa have a manager that relegated us twice, and played dire footy except when we were passing it around at the back.
So, life is good, and agent McLeish is ready to put smiles on the Blues fan’s faces next season. It’s inevitable.The League Cup win? Hang on, I’ll come back to that.
CHRIS HUGHTON
A great appointment in my opinion. No nonsense, direct, and even if the opposition eleven are better than our eleven on occasion this coming season, they’ll know they’ve been in a game.
THE CRAIG GARDNER ‘ISSUE’
In Craig’s case the club would have to have paid Premiership wages to a Championship player, but that aside, why would Craig, a “Blues fan” by all accounts, want to ask for a raise, as was reported, after contributing to our relegation season?!
Sure, Craig wanted premiership football, so all he had to do was play by the rules versus Wolves and stay on both feet instead of looking for an undeserved free kick. He tried it again versus Tottenham on the last day of the season, but the point is Craig, ya’ stay on the field and we might have got all 3 points versus Wolves. Duh!
If I were Craig and a genuine Blues fan I would have stayed to fight for the Blues cause in the Championship; looked forward to playing in Europe which are the spoils of the League Cup win; and ultimately a triumphant return to the Premiership next May with the team he apparently loves. However, all the poor bugger has now is the equally negative Steve Bruce to look forward to, and what I anticipate to be Sunderland’s relegation in either of the next two seasons. Sunderland in Europe? You’re having a larff Craig my son.
To rub salt in the wounds I also predict that Blues will have no problems in dispatching Sunderland next time they meet . . . . perhaps this coming season in one of the two domestic trophy competitions? We’ll see.
By the way, go here to read what Craig’s feelings were about the Villa back in 2007. Check out the seventh paragraph, LOL.
PLAYERS LEAVING, PLUS THE INCOMING BUNCH
In regards to the other players wanting to leave, I just hope that once they meet and see Chris Hughton at work they’ll see that attacking football will take Birmingham City places. Some players will have to go to get their huge Premiership wages off the Championship club’s expense sheet, but I trust that Chris Hughton will bring in some fresh young talent and make a serious challenge for one of the top two spots. He’s been there and done that already.
Burke and Gomis were astute finds by McLeish in my opinion. King knows where the net is, and if he behaves we can ask no more of him. Rooney too looks like a good acquisition, but like any free-scoring forward they’re going to need service from midfield.
It’s unlikely, but perhaps Michel can be persuaded to return, and play for a ‘proper’ team?
THE OWNER, CARSON YEUNG
There is a lot of press speculation going around in regard to Carson’s ability to keep Birmingham City on a steady financial keel, but rather than join the doom and gloom crowd lined up on Clifton Suspension bridge, I prefer to wait and see what transpires. Besides, have you seen the Avon at low tide? It’s nothing but soddin’ mud mate!
THE LEAGUE CUP WIN
So how did a team that can’t score goals and was relegated, manage to get to Wembley and then beat the mighty Arsenal in the final?
In contrast to the Premiership’s thirty eight games, we only had to get through five rounds to get to Wembley. We scraped through the early rounds somewhat, but rather than McLeish’s attacking nous getting us to Wembley versus the Vile and the ‘Ammers, I believe the Blues players saw that this was their one chance and stepped up their game as needed. Pity they couldn’t muster a bit more in the Premiership.
Anyway, McLeish did get it right tactically in the League Cup final, but I’ve not seen any comments whatsoever about the ‘construction’ of our first goal by Zigic. By that I believe that it was an intentional tactic to put the ball on Roger’s head on the edge of the box, and from there any kind of flick-on by Zigic would test the Arsenal defence. And so it did!
OUR CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON
On August the 6th at 3 pm, it all starts again at Derby. McLeish has gone to replaced by a better manager, but will Chris suffer the same disease contracted by Alex from Steve Bruce’s office chair? Let’s hope not.
The League Cup win left us all in a euphoric state, but then the ‘unexpected’ relegation was yet another boot in the ribs . . . and why the one line of ‘Keep Right On’ should be officially changed to ‘There will be a joy, and sorrows too’.
That said, and because McLeish has gone, the spring in my step is back and I happily look forward to another season. Bring on the blue joy.
John Baker, Blues Muse
Really well written! I have felt quite good since the appointment of Chris Hughton and Carson Yeung is the only fool who wanted us when mr Gold and Sullivan put us on the market, so I always thought that we must be tool for laundering money.
Agent McCleish will do ok at at the Vile if he can reproduce some of the stuff he did a blues and will deserve the keys to the city if he can get them relegated.
Mr Gardner your distribution and tackling is awful but you do score some pretty good goals but realistically you are only a good championship player which is where you will end up probably with some Mackems.
There’s no loyalty in football, gone are the days of players staying with their local club forever, there won’t be another Paul Tait scenario. I think Gardner suffers from foot in mouth disease, he tries to say the right things to get fans on his side yet manages to alienate those that he’s leaving behind. He can still be a Blue Nose (debatable if he really is) without playing for us and I do think his leaving was a mutual decision as he had no relegation clause. However if we’re having to sell players because £20k a week is too much for us then we might have more problems than initially thought.
I’m in a pessamistic mood this week, so I’ll be putting a £5 on us to be promoted, a £5 on us to be relegated and another £5 on us to be in administration before the end of the season. Hughton did stupendously well at Newcastle, but then he had a squad that couldn’t be sold as no one wanted to pay £60k a week for a relegated player, he had an eventual £35m striker at his disposal and an ownder who, despite appearing not to like Newcastle very much, actually had some money and wasn’t subject to constant media reports about the lack of cash ending in an arrest for alleged money laundering!
Gut feeling right now thinks we’ll do well to end up above 19th.
Feel enlightened by the McLeish expose, brilliant pep talk. Hughton seems to have done his apprenticeship, but this is really the first time his judgement and coaching skills will be tested. At Newcastle he inherited a very good team, they could have been promoted if I were in charge. However, I’m heartened when I read of some of the managers he has seconded and they are all up there, it has to rub off on him. So all in all I think he is a very good appointment but the buzz at the moment is we may not get promoted this season, either way he should have more than one season to prove himself
“At Newcastle he inherited a very good team, they could have been promoted if I were in charge”
That really doesn’t do CH justice, he did well. He did lose players and also had big personalties in the dressing room to manage. Either way, Blues is where CH will show he can do it with a little less resource.
Hopefully, we won’t get another kick in the teeth in the next few weeks and it’s all uphill from here.
Excellent. One feels even better when you read the Vile fans breakdown of his career in the link in the article ( plus their comments!! ). Lets hope McJudas continues his policy of all out, attacking football without any thought of defence that has characterised his career for our good pals down the road. At least their expectation levels have been drastically reduced.
Gardner is one thing: as long as we don’t find out that Stephen Carr is a lifetime admirer of the Holte End then there is still some one we can place trust in! It is ironic that should we play Sunderland Seb Larsson who wanted to get out for the last two years yet still gave 100% will get a far better reception that the lifelong fan Gardner.
It’s a well written article, with some reasonable points. However, in terms of top two in the championship this coming season? Cloud Cuckoo Land! The Newcastle squad was far far superior to ours at present, and that’s before anymore players leave. We have to stop believing that just because we have fallen, quite unfortunately, out of the EPL, we have a god given right to return there. We most certainly have not. I think it would have been difficult enough, though possible, if we had kept the complete squad intact. With what we will have left and the cast offs that we will have accumulated, I foresee an entertaining but fruitless campaign. And to all those who believe that we will get promoted this coming season? What if we don’t? Will you all then be criticizing CH for failing? Demanding his sacking? Or will the dawn of realization creep in that we haven’t got a good enough team to get promoted? Whilst we are selling our players and drafting in free-be’s, Liecester have spent £5m on someone from Reading! This isn’t pessimism, it’s realism. And as soon as we all start to understand the real situation that we are in, the more we will enjoy the new season with less expectation. I was at Wembley and I lived the dream. The dream is now over… for now.
After one of the most devastating relegations ( for some reason ) that I’ve ever witnessed , and I’ve seen quite a few , it’s still making me smile ( through the tears ! ) that Villa have said ( as we trudged away disconsolately ! ) from White Hart Lane ” Hang on !.. don’t go ! here’s £2,.000,000! We’ll have him ! , we like the cut of his jib ! (sic) and subsequentely ‘snatched away ‘ the source of all our sorrow to employ ‘ Defendoman ‘ at Villa Park !………….. It’s a f***ing fairytale !
Having said that , we are in big , big trouble now , and nowhere near being promotion candidates , but you’ve got to laugh , … Villa have got to sit and watch it as well now ! …….