Are Birmingham a different proposition now?

With Birmingham playing their last game in mid-week against Blackburn Rovers without a permanent in place they put up a spirited performance away from home. A 1-0 defeat at Blackburn Rovers is not a bad showing and the Blues were well in that game and certainly carried the fight to Blackburn with 18 shots during the match, almost scoring in extra time. when Andrew Shinnie hit the bar! They also had Neal Eardley sent off after 51 minutes for a second yellow card, so they were playing with 10-men for much of the match. It is at St Andrews though where they have struggled, some 24 games I believe with just the one win at home. That form has to turn for them some time or they will be relegated, and AFCB can't take them lightly on Saturday as the first thing they will want to do is get that home form going.

I get the feeling that St Andrews will be packed with Blues fans on Saturday.

Demarai Gray and Clayton Donaldson led the line for them at Blackburn. It appears that Wes Thomas has just been moved on to the bench of late, but he could well be used against AFCB with his probably eagerness to score against a former team. With Stephen Gleeson, David Coterrill and Paul Caddis in their team, they have more than enough quality in their team to make it really difficult for the Cherries on their day.

As always an early goal is what Eddie Howe will be after, and listening to the way the team has been picked of late he will name an unchanged side, unless their have been any knocks in mid-week. The Cherries have to find away of quelling the renewed belief in the Birmingham side though who will be looking to restore some pride, and to show their fans that life can be brighter after the loss of Lee Clark. Whether Lee was part of the problem or fighting insurmountable odds is what Birmingham fans will not really find out for quite a few games yet, but I expect there is a lot of things that need to change to help the team play better more often and AFCB will hope to catch them before they can resolve their home form problems.

Enjoy the game all of you on the way to Birmingham tomorrow.

So I would say that yes, AFCB now have a harder game against Birmingham than they might have done. That is no disrespect for Lee Clark, but just acceptance that teams often do better when they have been in a bad spell and a manager is replaced. Still, AFCB can't look at what is happening at another team and use it as an excuse if they don't get a result. The Cherries have to believe that they can extend their winning run and beat whatever side is in front of them if they are to climb towards the top of this league.

Birmingham Home Form:
DDLLL

AFCB Away Form:
LDDLW

We have a Rival Lines this afternoon with the Often Partisan blog to preview the Birmingham v AFCB match so make sure you check out Cherry Chimes later for the latest on the opposition.

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.