Often Partisan talks Birmingham City to Cherry Chimes

Daniel Ivery who runs the Often Partisan website for Birmingham City fans pulls no punches with his views about his beloved Blues. While he patiently would like to see them return to the Premiership he sees a worryingly thin squad and a shortage of talent at the club that may mean avoiding relegation is as much as Blues fans can hope for this season. 


CC: Did the club spend much money in the summer?

OP: Unfortunately not. It's well publicised (around here at least) that the club is skint and since we've been relegated from the Premier League we've bought precisely four players with the rest being Bosmans and loans. This summer we brought in (much to my surprise in truth) Paul Caddis from Swindon Town.

CC: What is the general feeling among fans about Lee Clark?

OP: The fanbase is kinda split between people who think he's doing what he can with his hands tied behind his back and people who think he's useless. I have to admit I've wavered between the two - it's easy to see we've got major issues financially but one does wonder if someone else could do better.

CC: Birmingham have had a slow start this season but can you see the team improving?

OP: If we don't win games at home, we're going to struggle - and that has been a big issue for us.

CC: You have had some good away wins in recent weeks against Barnsley and Huddersfield, what has changed?

OP: Bizarrely, we play better away from home. I think there is less pressure on the side to perform well away from home and consequently we seem to do better on our travels.

CC: What are expectations among Birmingham fans now that the season is moving on?

OP: Expectation seems to be split between those who think that the team should be doing much better than it is and those who think we're lucky to have the points on the board we do have. I'm in the camp that I'll take anything above relegation, because I can see the limitations of the team and the thinness of the squad.

CC: Which players are having a good season for you?

OP: I think Tom Adeyemi has been a bright light this season. I've been impressed with his engine and his desire and I think with the regular football he is getting at this level he will develop into a player who can play at the top end of this division at least. Mitch Hancox seems to have kicked on as a full back - whilst he is still defensively raw, his crossing has been excellent and he's been a threat down the left.

CC: Do you feel that Birmingham are better equipped this season than last in the Championship?

OP: Absolutely not! We've seen a drain of talent away from the club which is slowly worsening as the financial problems take a real grip on us.

CC: Do you think Hull's Aaron McLean will do well for you on loan?

OP: I remain unconvinced at this moment. It does appear that when played in the right way he can be a box of tricks and he can be useful, but on the flip side I don't think he really fits into the way we play. We've tried to use him on the left side of a 4-2-3-1 and it doesn't work - he needs to be up front and we don't really play well at this moment with a traditional 4-4-2. The only way I can see him excelling again is if we go back to the 3-4-3 that served us well at times earlier in the season.

CC: What team has been the best that you have seen at St Andrews this season?

OP: No one has massively stood out for me; admittedly I missed a few games at the start of the season due to being in the Far East covering what is happening with our ownership but this division has been much of a muchness from what I can see. 

CC: Having experienced the
Premiership in recent years do you miss it or do you find the Championship a more interesting league to be in?

OP: I miss having a team of properly talented players; of being able to watch us via an internet stream if I couldn't travel and I miss being in the top flight. I don't miss the overly inflated prices, the crappy punditry on match of the day or the hype that surrounds it all. That being said, I'd give anything for us to be up there - in sport you play to win so it's a bit of a fallacy to see a lower division as "more interesting".

CC: What is your score prediction for AFCB v Birmingham?

OP: 2-2 - we score goals away from home but we always concede.

Thanks for some forthright views there Daniel. It seems all may not be as well as it could be at Birmingham City and reaching the promised land of the Premiership only to fall down can have a damaging and long lasting effect on any club. However, the Blues have started to turnaround its form in recent weeks and on the road Birmingham City are doing okay, so AFCB have a game on their hands this Saturday. To read more about what Daniel has to say about his club, pop over to the Often Partisan website.