Lauren has sent us another article. This is a sort of season review and focus on players. I have also set up a poll for you to vote for the Joys and Sorrows player of the season.
Kev
Birmingham City’s Class of 2011/12
By Lauren Round
Rewind back to the end of the 2010/11 campaign. The mood lingering around the away end at White Heart Lane was raw sorrow, as was the mood of any Birmingham City fan around the world who had seen or heard the gloomy and damning result. Birmingham City had slumped back down to a place that can relate with something as deadly as a black hole. The Championship is that league that can suck up former big names, with them never to be seen again in the top flight or to emerge once again after many opportunistic years have passed.
Fast-foward to April 2012 and here Birmingham City are having just played their 56th game of the season, a 3-3 draw away to West Ham off the back of three consecutive 3-1 wins. Despite the amount of games we have played, Birmingham are showing no signs of fatigue and have made an immense impact on the devil of a league, we succumbed to at the end of last season.
Despite the mighty Blues looking absolutely nothing like they did last season after the departures of last years crop of talent, Blues have produced a new class of talent, and a class of talent that have done the team proud. This new class of players can be divided into three sections. There are the emerging stars, the young ones who are have rose up from the academy lacing up their boots and pulling on their kit for the first team. Birmingham have also sourced an experienced batch of players to help guide and mould the team to the best of their ability. Along with these two groups are the players who have been an irregular part of the clubs first team last season and are finally having their chance to shine bright for the Blues and bring their qualities to the table.
THE YOUNG ONES
A new division and a different level of football meant the chance for some of Blues youngest stars to begin to craft their skill in the first team. The two most obvious names that come to mind are Nathan Redmond and Jordon Mutch. Redmond at the tender age of 18 has already began to attract the top dogs of the Premier League with his impressive skill he has let loose on the wing for Birmingham this season. The young winger who at 16 years and 56 days became the second youngest player to make his debut for Birmingham after the legend that is Trevor Francis. Having seen Redmond play I can see his potential, he has the skill but that can sometimes be overshadowed by his over eagerness to keep the ball rather than passing to a team mate. His desire to play well is unquestionable, he has worked extremely hard for the club this season when playing and saying he is popular with the Bluenoses is an understatement, and their a hard bunch to win round! He’s one of those players that when you see play, you instantly see a bright future, it’s no wonder Birmingham slapped a 12 million price tag on him to keep the big names at bay. Jordon Mutch is another one of those players who fans enjoy to see develop and with two goals in three games it’s not hard to see why. There are many facets to Mutch’s diamond, his well taken corners at times envy those of Seb Larsson previously, they do exactly watch they should, help set up the goals that the fans crave to see.
It is a shame that the start of the season for Mutch was affected by injury, but the midfielder is making up for lost time by creating the valuable impression that the Bluenoses want to see every player create on the team. It’s not just the young lads who have played in the first team this season that have been catching eyes. Striker Jake Jervis and goalkeeper Jack Butland have been providing reason for why they should feature in Birmingham’s squad. Jervis has produced quality on two decent loan spells at Swindon Town and Preston North End where he became a popular figure at both. Whilst Butland has impressed on two separate loan spells at Cheltenham Town this season, and like fellow former youth academy player Redmond, he has also had big names surveying his skills. Mentions also have to be made to players Eddy Gnahoré and Callum Reilly who have impressed enough to be given squad numbers and have been given substitute appearances in the FA cup, hopefully they can follow efficiently in the foot steps of Redmond and Co.
THE EXPERIENCED ONES
The first name you think of when you see the two words ‘experience’ and ‘Birmingham’ is club captain Stephen Carr. The popular Irishman who chose to stick with the club after relegation, has seen his popularity increase due to his loyalty. However, injury has affected the amount of appearances he has made in front of the Bluenoses this season. In his absence, the popularity of another and incredibly experienced defender has rose to the surface. The sturdy Scotsman Steven Caldwell, a new addition to the side on a free from Wigan at the start of the season, has been proving his excellent credentials to the Bluenoses. Out of all the Birmingham players in the squad this season, Steven Caldwell is the player I like to write about the most, because in my eyes he deserves a substantial amount of praise. He has led the team that has pleased the Bluenoses so many times this season and it’s not hard to see why, when you think of the excellent job he did as captain of Burnley previously. He is a rock in defence and I mean that literally although he has slip ups at times as does any player, he is an all around fantastic player. Although you could argue Marlon King has been the best signing for the club this season because he is our top goalscorer, I see Caldwell as the signing that really stands out. Defenders are always players who slip off the radar when it comes to praise being given where it’s due, it always seems to go in the direction of those who score the goals and the goalkeeper. This is simply the reason why I believe it’s important to praise such a player as Caldwell. I hope he sticks around at the club because I think it will be inevitable that he will receive more and more recognition.
THE ONES FINALLY BEGINNING TO SHINE
Would you have considered David Murphy or Curtis Davies as a key part of the team last season? I certainly would not have! With Davies getting no real chance to shine after signing from our bitter rivals and Murphy’s spot at left back being occupied by recent departee Liam Ridgewell, neither was seen as having great importance in association with the team. But a new season and a new league changes everything. With players departing to new clubs, in order to stay in the top flight, places became open to fill on the pitch for Blues. Last season I had no reason to rate Murphy or Davies, but my current view on the two defenders is worlds aways from my previous. If I said that these two players didn’t bring something much needed to the team I’d be blatantly lying. They are two of the most recognisable faces I identify with the present Birmingham squad and I can’t praise either of them enough.
Both have proved that they can do their jobs well in defence but also like to score their fair share of goals each for the club. Despite the sadness it brings to be in a league lower than the prestigious and coveted one we held a place in last year, it also brings opportunities for players and encourages new club favourites to emerge. If it had not been for our change of leagues then we probably wouldn’t of seen Davies and Murphy’s outstanding work rate for the team. There is always a positive to every negative, and it is vital that is remembered.
FINALLY, LAST BUT NOT LEAST, THE BOSS
If you had said the name Chris Hughton to a Bluenose 12 months ago it would have had no significance towards their love for the club, but 12 months on and the name is tagged with the definition of hero and miracle worker. Hughton took on what can only be described as a shattered club, with the majority of last seasons squad having found the door. Hughton has had the extraordinarily hard job of having to pick up each and every tiny piece and fix the club, to help them find pride and glory again. This task Hughton can most definitely tick off on his list of things to do at the club. Hughton has picked great line-ups and great formations this season, formations especially that have aided the squad in outplaying their opponents. He has not been shy about rotating his players and experimenting to see what works with the team which has allowed him to get the best out of every player in the squad. I can only sit back and greatly applaud all his hard work this season.
On that note, I applaud every player this season for Blues, the manager, all the coaching staff and anyone else who has helped Blues continue to produce confident results. I think us as the fans also deserve some recognition for always being with our team and cheering them on no matter how hard times get. I can only say I hope the team as a unit continue to keep right on for the last month and cement their places in the play-offs so we can have the chance to get back to the place this glorious club belongs. It’s time to bring on the joys and leave the sorrows in the past.
Great article and spot on. If at the seasons end Blues qualify for the play offs, it is a remarkable achievement whatever the outcome. CH and his squad deserve every plaudit whether we remain a Championship club or return dramatically to the Premiership.
good article. but what about chris burke? i think he has been one of the best signings we have made in years for his contribution to the team!
teerev. Chris quite rightly gets a lot of attention, and has been a brilliant player this season. I think Lauren was trying to focus on some of the others that haven’t had so much attention.