Saturday 27 August 2005 - West Brom 2 - 3 Birmingham Oh, the relief! This was a much-needed win, particularly after our diabolical showing on Tuesday night, and also our first away win since last December. It was a great improvement to see the players showing some will and determination again, particularly in the first half. Jarosik looked good, and much more at ease being able to stick to one position. And as for Emile Heskey – the guy's a star; he made the vital difference, scoring from two towering headers and providing a presence that we've sorely missed for the last two games. We did fade towards the end, but as we have people still coming back from injury, it's pretty much to be expected. The two-week break is a pain in terms of continuity, but useful in terms of the extra time it gives players to get fully fit. I have to give the Baggies credit where it's due as well – that man Horsfield is currently the Premiership's top scorer, and he was bound to score against us. They fought like tigers in the last half hour, but we both have defensive problems that need to be addressed. I'm sure it was a good game for the neutral observer though; plenty of end-to-end play and plenty of goals. However, I suspect we will need a few more wins to quieten the fans that were so disgruntled a few days ago. Friday 26 August 2005
 | | Kym Smith |
According to radio news, we have Emile Heskey back from injury for tomorrow. He will be a much-needed boost in my opinion, as we have sadly missed him the last couple of games. I also hear that the Blues board have pledged their 100% support to Steve Bruce. I'm not entirely sure what some of the fans will think of this statement, to be honest, but we shall see. As for me, I will be watching the Blues-Baggies game in the pub with a friend, so will be seeing things as they happen. Albion went down heavily to Chelsea on Wednesday night, but Bryan Robson saved players such as Gera and Horsfield for tomorrow's game, which I think was a wise move on his part, and Geoff Horsfield will be well pleased if he can score against us, I'm sure. I like the Baggies as a team, and think they did a fantastic job of staying up last season, but I'll be content for us to take the points tomorrow, so, sorry Baggies fans, but I think our need is great than yours at the moment! Tuesday 23 August 2005 - Birmingham 0 - 3 Middlesbrough I'll save you the expletives; this is a family site…… Losing when you've fought is nowhere near as bad as losing when you've not made enough effort. "Not good", doesn't cover it; neither does "bad", although I think "abject" might be a bit nearer the mark. I'm considering whether I ought to ask to have my "worst game ever" changed to Blues v Boro, August 23rd 2005. I'll attempt to find a few positives for those who don't want to get scared yet. Melchiot and Pennant are building up a good understanding in the middle of the park, and there is some neat passing going on. Nicky Butt, despite having to leave the field early on Saturday, played a full 90 minutes and demonstrated a great willingness to get stuck into the game. Jiri Jarosik managed to play in 3 different positions on his debut and coped well, and looked as though he could grow into an interesting player for us. Sadly, there are a lot more negatives. Why, in the name of all that's sensible, was Tebily playing in midfield? We have shedloads of midfielders, and surely there was someone else appropriate to use. At least after half time, Izzet and Forssell were bought on and the general shape of the team was improved, but the match was already lost – we are not a team that specialises in Liverpool-type comebacks. There seems to be a real lack of spatial awareness and cohesiveness in the team. Players don't know where their compatriots are; passes are inaccurate and balls are hoofed to areas of the pitch where there is nobody to receive them. The standard of defending was dire; basic mistakes made by international players that really should know better. We now have a number of "flair" players who don't want to get their hands dirty (metaphorically). They're not willing to fight and harry opponents, and the ball is being given away cheaply. Emile Heskey is sadly missed and we need him back; we lack his ability in the air and strength to hold the ball up. There's a dreadful lack of confidence. Personally, I won't boo our players, as the only thing that will do is make matters worse. Show your displeasure by letting off steam on a forum, or writing to the board, or contributing to phone-ins, but we need to stay behind the men on the pitch. Steve Bruce looked a worried man on his TV interview, and not without good reason. The terraces are turning sour at the moment, and to be honest, Blues fans are usually quite forgiving and slow to anger. The forums I write on are littered with criticism, and maybe it would serve a few people at the top to listen to the supporters' views. We love our team and it hurts to see them perform like this. Tuesday 23 August 2005 Well, full marks to the Blues ticket office! I trotted off there this morning and was helped out by a nice young man who very speedily found me another seat for the season in the same block, so with a bit of luck I will manage not only to get my backside on a complete seat, but also avoid being caught in the crossfire. I'm several rows further back as well, so the view should be pretty good from there. For tonight though, (as "my" seat had already been sold) I'm in the infamous Block 19, so am in for a very noisy evening I'm sure. I was also told by the lad in the ticket office that we should see Jarosik playing tonight, so it will be interesting to see whether he adds some much-needed bite in midfield, particularly as I haven't heard yet whether Nicky Butt will be fit to play. Back to a nail-biting day in the office waiting to see which version of Blues run out of the pitch tonight; I do hope it's the one with their "winning heads" on. Why on earth do we subject ourselves to this stress for 9 months of the year? It must be the lure of the beautiful game, I suppose. Saturday 20 August 2005 - Birmingham 1 - 2 Man City Saturday came, and the atmosphere in the ground was electric. Our new players were warmly (in the case of Mikael Forssell, rapturously) welcomed. Nicky Butt looked sharp at the start, scoring in the seventh minute; Forssell lost no time showing he was glad to be back with a Cruyff-esque move. Joey Barton’s equaliser took a little of the gloss off, but at half time we were discussing it being a reasonably open game, not bad for the neutral TV viewer. However, Andy Cole's early second half winner seemed to make the wheels come off. We never recovered and looked increasingly rocky. Players seemed tired, we lost shape, and the speed of Cole and Vassell caused our defence problems. We didn't have our usual grit and determination, and this was one we should have won. Gutted. But… Pearce's Man City are very different to Keegan's. This is a team with much more desire. They wanted it more than we did. But… We had to use players not fully match fit – Forssell, Izzet and Pandiani. But… There were some strange tactics; the bench was striker-less – where was Kuqi? What was "Plan B?" Some of my friends are already calling for Steve Bruce's head; we are looking as inconsistent as last season. On paper, we have good players, but they are not working as a team, and that's down to the manager. I think we need to sort ourselves out quickly; there are two more games this week. And to change the subject completely, I may have a seating problem, for a couple of reasons. I'm next to a larger than average fan who needs some of my seat as well as his own, and a very nasty argument broke out after half-time between him and two people directly behind, which completely spoilt the second half for me. If they're all season ticket holders too, I'm not happy to be stuck with them for another eighteen games, given the money I've spent. I think I'm off to the ticket office tomorrow – I'll keep you all posted…… Saturday 13 August 2005 - Fulham 0 - 0 Birmingham Driving back from Cornwall on Saturday wasn't a good idea, in retrospect. The radio was barely audible through the interference whilst crawling up the M5, and I heard only sporadic mentions of our prowess (probably because we were pretty unremarkable, so feel free to invent your own expressions of mediocrity). We didn't exactly cover ourselves in glory, but it was an away point and we're 7th at the moment. Oh, to stay there all season! Although our central defence was good, backed up by Maik Taylor's quick reflexes, "cutting edge" is being muttered about already. But the first home game is approaching, and I can nearly smell the hotdogs…… | 
