What a year it was

It’s now a year since Birmingham City Football Club was relegated from the Premier League. A lot has happened in that year, probably more than in any year in our history. Here are just some of the highlights.

• Our manager walked out on us to join our local rivals in a move that achieved the unique feat of upsetting both sets of fans. Blues fans were initially outraged but now Agent McLeish has been sacked after delivering “The worst season in recent Aston Villa history” it all seems rather funny.
• We sold or released pretty much everyone we could although Beausejour and Ridgewell hung around till January. The only big name we kept was Nikola Zigic although that was only because nobody wanted him.
• We were three months from administration.
• We signed Chris Burke on a free transfer from Cardiff. Probably the best deal we’ve done since getting Mikael Forssell on loan from Chelsea.
• Curtis Davies scored our first goal of the season away to Derby.
• Our European adventure started in Madeira with a 0-0 draw followed up by an excellent 3-0 win at home. This was the game that Nathan Redmond really arrived as a Blues player.
• Our Carling Cup defence ended early with defeat by Man City. Owen Hargreaves scored against us. Not many people can say that.
• The European tour continued to Maribor and the away day to end all away days in Bruges. Chris Wood’s last minute winner got us dreaming of getting through the group.
• Chris Hughton was named manager of the month for October. We then went on to win only once in the next six games.
• Our European tour ended despite beating Maribor 1-0. It was a great experience although we never achieved “Thursday night, Channel 5”. “Early evening, ESPN Classic” doesn’t have the same ring to it.
• We finished an up and down 2011 with a comfortable 3-0 defeat of Blackpool which turned out to be the second of a fifteen game unbeaten run in all competitions.
• Our cup run started with us knocking out Wolves in a dreary televised replay made only palatable by the fact that arch-Baggie Adrian Chiles was being forced to watch it with us. We went on to almost knock eventual winners Chelsea out at Stamford Bridge. Oh Nathan, why didn’t you just whack it with your left.
• Nikola Zigic scored four goals away at Leeds. He returned to his normal form straight after his fourth by getting injured and missing the next month.
• Our one and only league home defeat was to Nottingham Forest at the end of February. Fortress St Andrews remained in place.
• We finished in a respectable fourth and went out in the playoffs where we discovered that fighting spirit alone can get you back from a two goal deficit but not a three goal one.
• Curtis Davies scored our last goal of the season.

Best Season Ever.

Here’s to another twelve months where as I write this there are rumours that our manager will go to a local rival, players will be sold and we are three months from administration. It’s never dull at St Andrews.