Young Guns

Here is a guest article by Almajir. He is the owner of the terrific Blues blog Often Partisan.

Relegation has brought many things to Birmingham City. Potential financial chaos; players wanting to leave and a manager who was prepared to up sticks and leave for our hated neighbours. It does seem like a dark cloud has taken residence above St Andrews, as fans worry about the future of the club. However, there is a silver lining to that cloud.

One thing dropping a division has done is forced Blues to get rid of some of the old guard; thirty-something players on decent wages, in slow decline and slower pace. With Blues playing in the second tier, there is a chance that in their place Blues could give a run to some of the younger players who have been chomping at the bit for a go. I’m in no way saying that these players are the second coming of TF, but there is definitely a few players with enough potential to maybe push on to the next level and become the next generation of Blues first-teamers. Let’s take a look at them.

Blues have been blessed with a surplus of good keepers over the last few years; Joe Hart on loan from Man City and Ben Foster who came in from Man United have both been capped by England recently; Northern Irish international Maik Taylor has always given his all when called between the sticks too. With Maik finally hanging up his gloves, it has paved the way for a new young English keeper to push for at least a slot on the bench. Eighteen year old Jack Butland is a very promising young keeper; he’s in the England u20 squad for the u20 World Cup in Colombia this year and is rated highly by the Blues coaching staff. With the potential of Foster being moved on to pastures new, this could be the season Butland gets into and about the first team squad and shows what he is capable of.

Then there is young Dutch forward Akwasi Asante. I’ve seen him play a few times for our reserves, and I’ve been impressed by his pace, his power and his shooting. The end of last season saw Asante being called up to the bench, and now hopefully Asante will be given a chance to push Rooney, King and whoever remains up front for Blues for a first team slot. I’ve always thought it’s easier for young players to succeed in positions up front where they are less likely to be exposed to defensive issues and more likely to have a chance to positively affect games. I’m a believer that Asante is worth a go on the bench at least; he may not be quite the finished article but the only way he can make the step up now is to get game-time.

Midfield sees quite a few of Blues young guns looking to step to the plate, after the departures of Larsson, Gardner, and Bowyer, in addition to Hleb and Bentley returning to their parent clubs. With Michel, Ferguson, and McFadden all potentially leaving as well, it gives players like Jordon Mutch, Nathan Redmond, Ashley Sammons and Enric Valles a chance to show what they can do. Mutch proved last year he can cut it at Championship level; Redmond looked a livewire in his cup appearances and Valles showed much potential in pre-season training in China and Hong Kong last year. With only Gomis and Burke brought in so far to replace those that have left our midfield, there  is a massive chance for some of youngsters to push on and to give us hope for a Bluenose future.

Yes, things may seem a bit black at the moment around St Andrews, but the darkest hour is often the one before dawn. With a management regime change effected, there is now the opportunity for the whole culture of Blues to change too; youngsters making the grade for the club could be conducive to the long term health of Birmingham City.

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