Wigan manager enjoying last laugh in battle with Birmingham board
May 9, 2008
Steve Bruce steered Birmingham back into the Premier League last season, although he didn’t stick around very long at St Andrews this campaign. Instead, the uncertainty over the club’s ownership saw the former Manchester United player leave the Midlands and take charge at Wigan, whom he’s managed to keep afloat with games to spare.
Not that it was a clean break between Bruce and his former club last autumn. Far from it, there’s been a spat between the two parties which have run over the past few months, becoming increasingly bitter in the process. The Wigan manager was forced to pay back some of the upfront cash he received from City for image rights, something that clearly rankles with him when asked about his former employers and their current predicament at the foot of the table.
Bruce said: “I will be sorry for the players, staff and fans if they go down. Anyone else at the club? No, that’s it.”
Miaow! Sky Sports report that Brum’s co-owner David Gold is not taking these comments lying down, snapping back in customary fashion. Do you think he and David Sullivan take turns to verbally volley with their former employee?
When quizzed recently “Steve has consistently made attacks on the board. Does he hold all seven of us responsible including Jack Wiseman, who is 90, or just some of us?
“At the moment an old man thinks he is responsible along with the rest of us and he’s not.
“So come on Steve, show some courage. Name names. Anything else is cowardly.
“It’s time he told everybody what it is we’ve done wrong. The truth is we have done nothing to be ashamed of. We treated him generously and acted more than properly.
“He should sit down with people other than ‘yes men’ and take proper counsel and he will then learn that we have acted more than fairly.
“We reduced substantially what we were owed on his image rights and told him to pay £300,000 over three years because we have shareholders to think about. There’s about £30,000 left to pay which shouldn’t make too much of a dent in the huge bonus he’ll get for keeping Wigan up.”
Indeed, there’ll be a Brucie bonus and a half coming from Dave Whelan after the Latics manager kept them in the Premier League for the third season running. However, you might not be able to put a price on watching Birmingham get relegated for their ex-gaffer, especially as he won’t have to visit St Andrews next season!
Derby boss fired up after derogatory Reading comments
May 9, 2008
What happens when a team who have won just one home match all season come up against a side who have won one away match in the league this term? All will become clear at Pride Park on Sunday, when Derby host Reading in a match which the visitors need to win if they’re to stay in the Premier League.
The Press Association reports that County boss Paul Jewell is far from happy with some of the comments made by Royals assistant manager Kevin Dillon ahead of the match. The latter has said the following.
“Let’s put it this way, if we can’t beat Derby, it will be hard to take.”
However, the fiery Scouser has not taken these comments lying down and Reading probably could have done without indirectly motivating a team who might otherwise have gone through the motions instead at the weekend.
“Kevin Dillon’s comments lack tact. You would think Reading had been playing Champions League all these seasons instead of down in the Championship and the Second Division where Derby and Wigan also came from.
“At Derby this year we’ve been sneered at, we’ve been laughed at, we’ve been ridiculed and I can accept it after the season we’ve had - but for Reading to say things like that is not right.
“The lads have been speaking about it and if I was Reading, who do you want to come to last game of the season? A side that have won once at home all season - but it’s a dangerous game they’re playing,” Jewell added.
Can Derby go out with a bang and drag Reading into the Championship with them? It doesn’t bode well for Steve Coppell’s men, who have failed to score in their past six matches and will be relegated if Fulham win at Portsmouth anyway. Just what is going to happen at Pride Park on Sunday?
Spurs chase £6m Premier League ace: Could be a very clever signing!
May 6, 2008
Juande Ramos continues to peruse many options for potential bids in the summer. This latest one is a little surprising but could on the face of it be a very intelligent signing.
.
Spurs are considering making a £6 million bid for Birmingham City attacking midfielder Olivier Kapo.
Kapo said: “I signed for three years for Birmingham and I want to stay here. I like it here. My family like Birmingham. For me, in my head, I am staying here.” (Birmingham Mail)
The 27 year old former Juventus man has impressed me on the occasions that I have seen him in action. The attacking midfielder always seems to have time on the ball and looks intelligent and seems to have a great deal of vision. He could be a very good buy for Spurs and obviously should the midlands club get relegated then presumably the French international may not be quite so keen on staying at St Andrews. Do Birmingham rate Kapo? Do Tottenham supporters see this signing as being a plausible or wise one?
Wigan v Manchester United, Chelsea v Bolton, Birmingham v Blackburn - which game will you be watching?
May 6, 2008
It’s possible that Sky may have missed a trick by not showing Portsmouth v Fulham on Sunday, especially as the Cottagers’ chances of survival (along with Birmingham and Reading’s) rest in their own hands. However, the Sky Sports website reveals that they’ll be televising the matches from the JJB Stadium, Stamford Bridge and St Andrews instead - which game will you be watching?
Sunday’s title showdown is in danger of being a complete anti-climax, especially if Manchester United tear into Wigan from the off as they did against West Ham last Saturday. The ITV website reports that Michael Ballack expects the Latics to put up a decent fight, although it was only a fortnight ago that Steve Bruce was reporting a smooth operator that goes by the name of Sir Alex Ferguson had been calling him up.
“The pressure is on and I hope Wigan are proud enough to give everything in the last game and we have to beat Bolton.
“United have everything in their hands, but we are relaxed now. We did our job. We will give everything to beat Bolton at home and we will see what they do.”
Goodness me, the German captain is really getting into this fighting talk malarkey. One minute he was out of favour with Mourinho, now he’s leading the calls for United’s opposition to give it their best shot! Let’s also hope that the Wanderers play with pride at the Bridge after essentially guaranteeing their Premier League safety against Sunderland.
The match being televised at St Andrews could also be pretty dull, although the Sky cameras are likely to have some gratuitous shots of football fans in tears, with Birmingham extremely likely to be relegated after their 2-0 defeat at Fulham. Watch out for small children sobbing their hearts out - and a few grown men too!
Watch Manchester United live online
Portsmouth gaffer makes the right noises against Fulham - but surely his team have an eye on the cup?
May 5, 2008
After all, his team looked pretty pretty shabby against Middlesbrough on Saturday, another team who looked like they needed the points more than Pompey. Sky Sports reports that Harry Redknapp is adamant that his team aren’t going to go through the motions against Fulham, alhough exactly how heartening that is for fans of Birmingham and Reading remains to be seen.
Redknapp told Sky Sports: “I will field a full strength side as I owe that to other people in a relegation battle.
“I wouldn’t do that - it is not fair, I wouldn’t want someone to do that to me so I won’t be doing that.
“It will be a tough game against Fulham. I know some people say you have to look after yourself maybe, and if I get injuries they will say I shouldn’t have done it but next week I will be putting out as good a team as I can field.
“They have had a flyer, they have done what we did two years go - everyone wrote us off and everyone wrote Fulham off and now they are right back in the race and it will be a very difficult game again next week but I will make sure we are up for that game - I will make sure of that.”
In a way, fielding a full-strength team may be to Fulham’s advantage anyway. After all, if Redknapp played a bunch of fringe players, they might be more likely to play their socks off in an attempt to get into the reckoning for the Wembley final against Cardiff. Perhaps the first-teamers will be more likely to shun a few tough challenges and make sure they are fit for one of the biggest games of their footballing career.
West Brom and Stoke - any chance of staying in the Premier League?
May 5, 2008
They’ll be dancing in the streets of Hanley and Newcastle-under-Lyme after Stoke City bagged themselves the second automatic promotion spot on Sunday. The Potters have done magnificently this season, coming from behind on several occasions to land wins or draws against Championship opponents and it’s hard to argue that they don’t deserve their place in the Premier League next season.
Quite whether they’ll stay there for longer than a season is another matter. Many have commented that this season’s Championship has been bereft of quality, with West Brom winning the league with the lowest points total for over two decades. Not that the Baggies or Stoke care at this particular moment in time, with the BBC reporting Tony Pulis, the manager of the latter, in a bullish mood.
“I have to say a special ‘thank you’ to the chairman. Peter showed a lot of character to buy this club and spent a lot of money on it.
“This is a great day for this club and an opportunity for us to build and push on for next year.”
However, the fun starts next week when Pulis and Coates have to start planning for next season. With just eleven points on the board this season, Derby County have demonstrated how promotion to the top flight can go terribly wrong and while the Rams will be much richer for their season in the big time, it’s obvious that the promoted three will be desperate not to disgrace themselves in such a manner.
The new boys will take heart from Sunderland’s efforts this season, a team who were floundering in mid-table of the Championship when Roy Keane took over and have now completed a successful season of consolidation in the Premier League. Birmingham too have shown that the gulf between the teams at the bottom of the top flight and the top of the second division isn’t that great, while the Baggies and Potters will also be confident of finishing above at least one other team - the one who is promoted through the play-offs and has less time to prepare for the new campaign.
Fulham, Birmingham, Bolton and Reading - who are your picks to ‘go down with the Derby’
May 2, 2008
There’s an almighty scrap at the top of the Championship to determine who will be playing Premier League football next season, which teams will the likes of West Brom and Stoke City be replacing? The bookmakers still don’t give Fulham much of a chance, despite their heroic comeback at Manchester City last weekend. A victory against fellow-strugglers Birmingham on Saturday would mean that their top flight safety could potentially be in their own hands!
Surely Reading fans are a touch on the concerned side, considering their team’s inability to score, let alone win a game. OK, so they managed a creditable 0-0 draw at Wigan last weekend, although the decision to bring back Leroy Lita from his loan spell at Charlton smacked of desperation, while the Daily Mirror report tension in the camp ahead of Saturday’s game against Spurs. The Royals record signing won’t play for his ’stupid team’ anymore apparently.
“It is not clever at all to suspend your own players, it is stupid,” said the 24-year-old. “The sanction is heavy - two weeks!
“I cannot understand their attitude. I refused to play with the reserves and they said: ‘Okay let us meet on Thursday’.
“But in the meantime I received a letter saying I am axed.
“They are not courageous enough to tell me things in the eyes, man to man, in five minutes.
“I am an adult, I can recognise when I make mistakes. I can also admit to people when I am wrong. The team needs all their players for the last two games.
“For sure my future is not with Reading.”
Not exactly what you need when you’re teetering on the edge of the drop zone, although perhaps this will galvanise the rest of the Reading squad, who face a last-day trip to Derby after the weekend game against Spurs. Bolton are in action at home to Sunderland and will at least have the comfort of the Black Cats having nothing to play for after their 3-2 win over Middlesbrough last weekend.
Do you agree with PFA Team of the Season?
April 28, 2008
Especially the decision to not include a single Chelsea player in the line-up? After all, this is a team which could still quite feasibly win the Premier League title, while they are favourites to beat Liverpool and make it to the Champions League final.
Team: James (Portsmouth); Sagna (Arsenal), Ferdinand, Vidic (Man U), Clichy (Arsenal); Ronaldo (Man U), Gerrard (Liverpool), Fabregas (Arsenal), Young (Villa); Adebayor (Arsenal), Torres (Liverpool).
Are there any glaring omissions from the XI selected? Naturally, these things are always subjective, although it’s difficult to argue that any of the above haven’t stood out for their teams this season. Chelsea’s Frank Lampard and John Terry might have had more of a look-in if they hadn’t been injured for chunks of the season, while the likes of Joleon Lescott, Gareth Barry and Glen Johnson have all performed extremely well for their respective clubs.
Who would feature in your team of the season?
Are Birmingham missing Bruce as Liverpool player suggests?
April 28, 2008
They have just two matches to save their Premier League bacon, and if Birmingham fail to get anything from Saturday’s match at Fulham, it’s possible that relegation will be out of their hands. Alex McLeish saw his Blues team storm into a two-goal lead against Liverpool on Saturday, before being pegged back to a 2-2 draw, a result which keeps them in the bottom three.
According to Liverpool and ex-Brum winger Jermaine Pennant, it didn’t have to be this way. The Daily Mail reports that he reckons City would be safe if they had kept hold of Steve Bruce as manager. After all, the Wigan boss has done extremely well at the JJB Stadium instead, steering the Latics away from the drop zone with several games to spare.
Pennant said: “If they go to Fulham and get a result I am sure they will get out of it, but without a shadow of a doubt they have missed Steve Bruce.
“He got the club up and did well for Birmingham. Now he is doing it for Wigan because they have scrapped their way out of it.
“Birmingham miss him and it will prove costly because getting a new manager halfway through the season when you are in a tight spot is a massive upheaval.”
After Bruce left the club, Blues co-ower David Sullivan stated that they were better off with McLeish at the helm and had done very well for themselves. These words could come back to haunt him, especially with the public spat that has ensued between the Birmingham board and their former manager in recent months.
Will Fulham pull off great escape at expense of Bolton, Birmingham or Reading?
April 27, 2008
Despite an impressive 3-2 win at Manchester City, the bookmakers still expect Fulham to go ‘down with the Derby’ this season. However, the fact that they still have a chance of survival is pretty amazing when you consider that they were several points adrift of safety a couple of months ago.
A draw at Blackburn on 8th March seemed to provide the required confidence for the team to go on and record victories at home to Everton, away at Reading and now at Eastlands on Saturday. With Birmingham the visitors to Craven Cottage next weekend, retaining their Premier League status is a definite possibility, with the BBC reporting that manager Roy Hodgson now believes.
“It was a splendid victory for us, one we so badly needed.
“It looked bleak at half-time, and we had a mountain to climb - we didn’t deserve to be losing. But we did it.
“At 0-2 I honestly thought we weren’t out of it. I never lost hope, but to win it was extraordinary. We’ve given ourselves a chance now.”
It’s likely that they’ll need to beat the Blues to give themselves any chance of climbing out of the drop zone. They then face a tricky last game of the season at Portsmouth, although they’ll hope that Pompey have one eye on the FA Cup by this stage and perhaps lack motivation or even rest key players.
Bolton manager: ‘Birmingham are favourites to stay up’
April 24, 2008
Reverse psychology or is Gary Megson just stating how he sees it? Bolton managed to clamber above Birmingham in the Premier League last weekend, yet the Wanderers gaffer is making the Blues favourites to stay up at the expense of his team or Reading.
According to ITV, Megson thinks that City having two home matches left gives them a far greater chance of accruing the points required for survival, whereas his Bolton team still face trips to Tottenham and Chelsea.
“When you look at the games Fulham, Birmingham, ourselves and Reading have got I think you would probably look and say that Birmingham are favourites in this relegation battle to stay up because of the fact that they have got two home games,” Megson said.
“I know they got a poor result against Villa last week but I think one of the things they’ve got is a huge partisan crowd.
“I know very well from being in that part of the world and I don’t think it’s any coincidence the amount of penalties and free-kicks they seem to get at that place that have enabled them to pick up results.
“So I would say that Birmingham are probably favourites to get out of this because of the two home games.”
Alex McLeish’s men face an understrength Liverpool team on Saturday, while they’ll be playing a Blackburn team on the last game of the season with nothing but pride to play for. Meanwhile, Reading have a tricky trip to Wigan on Saturday, while they also have to host Tottenham and visit Derby.
Aston Villa v Birmingham City: The REAL player ratings!
April 22, 2008
Yes you saw the game, and now it’s your turn to say it as you saw it! Who had a ‘mare’ and who was on the money? You decided with our lovely cut and paste thingy!
See below the line-ups, then simply give your personal rating for each player and cut and paste the whole thing into the comments box. Then see how your fellow fans scored the game.
Aston Villa
Carson
Mellberg
(Harewood)
Laursen
Knight
Bouma
Young
Reo-Coker
Petrov
Barry
Carew
Agbonlahor
Birmingham City
Maik Taylor
Kelly
Jaidi
Ridgewell
Murphy
Jerome
(Kapo)
Nafti
Muamba
McSheffrey
Zarate
(Forssell)
McFadden
Aston Villa captain: ‘Be afraid Birmingham, be very afraid!’
April 17, 2008
After all, the might Villans have thrashed the ‘Big Two’ that are Bolton Wanderers and Derby County in recent weeks. They powered past the Trotters 4-0, before knocking half a dozen goals past the Premier League’s whipping boys last Saturday. Now Gareth Barry is warning their Midlands rivals that a tricky afternoon beckons on Sunday.
The Birmingham Mail reports that Villa’s captain is feeling super-confident ahead of the match, especially as he has scored three in two himself. He doesn’t appear to be too keen on explaining why such a vibrant attacking team are only mid-table as we head towards the end of the season.
“The impetus is with us and they will be fearing what we have got. We’ve got great attacking players and I’m sure they’ll be worried about that,” said Barry, who is buoyed by wins over Bolton and Derby.
“We are at home, it is up to us to try and break them down and get the goals. On the back of two great wins we go into the game confident.”
Villa fans will be hoping that they can win for two reasons. One, it’s always a joy to beat your arch-rivals and two, it will push Birmingham closer to the drop. Whatever you say about the Blues, however, they have a much stronger backbone than Bolton and Derby at the moment.
Nobody will feel sorry for bleating Bolton or dirty Davies
April 14, 2008
Bolton fans might argue until they’re blue in the face that Kevin Davies is just a robust and physical striker. However, the facts are plain and simple; the striker has collected twelve yellow cards this season, bettering last season’s tally by two (although he did also pick up a red last term). Therefore, it’s a little churlish to start bemoaning your two-game suspension when you play such an ‘in-your-face’ style of football that’s always running the risk of being cautioned. The Independent report that Gary Megson is just ever-so-slightly concerned that his striker is missing for crunch games at Middlesbrough and Tottenham.
Megson went in pursuit of Peter Walton, hoping he could get the referee to rescind the yellow card even though he knew it was beyond the official’s powers. It was a manifestation of desperation and forlorn hope. “It’s a big blow,” the Bolton manager conceded.
Davies, whose importance to the dressing room means that he will travel to Teesside and London despite his ban, felt he had played the ball when he was cautioned for a foul on John Pantsil. “I thought it was a harsh booking,” he said. “In fact, I’m devastated by it. But someone else can step in now and be the hero. I hope it will be a sort of blessing in disguise.”
Have Bolton got somebody else who can ruffle the feathers of opposition defenders, stick their elbow in when it matters and generally make a nuisance of themselves? I suppose there’s always El Hadji Diouf, although it’s clear the Trotters will have to change their playing style with Davies watching from the sidelines.
Watch Middlesbrough live online
Was Birmingham City’s goal against Everton fair?
April 14, 2008
Mauro Zarate is starting to come good at exactly the right time for Birmingham, although the Daily Telegraph report that there’s an element of controversy over the striker’s splendidly-executed free kick at St Andrews on Saturday. It appears that the striker’s team-mate Radhi Jaidi turned his back on play and instead focused on distracting Tim Howard in the Everton goal.
“It’s something we used to do at Bolton,” Jaidi said. “Kevin Nolan did it all the time, so I learnt it from him, I suppose. We scored a lot of goals from free-kicks.
“I saw that the keeper was a bit frustrated, so I thought I could maybe affect his concentration. It’s not something I practise on the training ground.”
However, Howard was less than pleased by the defender’s antics and there’s surely a fine line between employing tactics to good use and ungentlemanly conduct.
“I suppose it’s ungentlemanly conduct, but he’s got away with it,” he said. “The guy who robs the bank, if you don’t catch him, then he keeps the money.”
On the specifics, Howard said: “He’s in an offside position, he’s in my line of sight and he’s interfering with me, but that’s for the referee to make that call, and I wouldn’t bet on them making it.
“I tried to draw the referee’s attention to what Jaidi was doing. If you want my opinion, I don’t think the referees and linesmen in the Premier League are going to have enough gumption to disallow a goal on the basis of that.”
As the paper points out, wouldn’t it be ironic if something that Jaidi learnt at Bolton ends up keeping his new team afloat at the expense of the Trotters. You can bet your bottom dollar that while Alex McLeish doesn’t encourage his team to rehearse this on the training ground, Sam Allardyce probably did!
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