Reflections On a Crazy Night at St Andrews

At the end of one of the most bizarre nights of football at St. Andrews, a mentally and physically tired Birmingham side finally succumbed to a 4-2 penalty loss to Premier League team Stoke. This is all that has been and will be reported, but behind the scoreline there is far more of a story. A ten-man Blues side, riddled with injuries and playing quite a few second string players, coming back twice against a usually resilient Stoke side is a great story, but unfortunately Blues' young side could not match the composure of the Stoke players when it came to the penalties. Blues fans left proud of their side and even though Stoke had won, there was a real sense of pride and optimism amongst the Blues fans.

Here are my player ratings - with reasons.

Doyle - 4

Caddis - 7

Burn - 8

Robbo - 7

Hancox - 8

Adeyemi - 8

Reilly - 7

Elliott - 4

Novak - 9 *MOTM*

Ferguson - 6

Zigic - 5

Lovenkrands - 8

Gray - 7

Lee - 7

Doyle - Colin showed why he is the second choice keeper. I thought he could quite easily have saved Assaidi's goal. Though it was a terrific strike, Doyle got a solid hand to it and the shot was nowhere near the corner, so he quite easily could have tipped it over. The second was even worse, as he was caught flat-footed from a weak header by Peter Crouch. His distribution was poor, with numerous kicks sliced away from their target. As it got into extra time, Doyle wasn't finished. Kenwyne Jones was slipped through, but Doyle rushed out and dived at his feet. Jones' mind was made up for him, as he rounded Doyle and slotted into an empty net. Usually Doyle's saving grace is his penalty saving, but this was not evident as he dived way too early for the penalties, essentially making it twice as easy for the penalty takers. An incredibly poor performance from a normally reliable keeper.

Caddis - The shock summer signing from Swindon had a solid game at right back. Pinned back by the lively Assaidi for a lot of the game, Caddis did well to try and nullify the threat. It was clear however that Assaidi was getting the better of him, but that was to be expected. Caddis however didn't give up, and, in the second half especially when Novak played in front of him, he was exceptional. He gave us some forward momentum and drive dribbling forward from right back. He also kept the tricky winger quiet in the second half, with the help of Lee Novak.

Burn - Tuesday night's game was probably the only game that Burn will play in his career that he is the third tallest player on the pitch. Burn struggled with the threat of the Stoke attackers, even Crouch. Crouch peeled off him too easily for his goal and his acrobatic volley that crashed off the underside of the bar, but Burn eventually learnt to cope with the threat. It was in the other half of the pitch that Burn shone, surprisingly enough. He was an absolute warrior in the opposition area, causing havoc with his strength and height. It was refreshing to see a loanee showing so much fight for the cause and a good return to form for the lanky centre half.

Robbo - A typical Robinson performance. He commanded the defence and helped the young players to settle in to the game. He had obvious trouble with Crouch's height, but there weren't occasions where he got totally dominated by the giant centre-forward. Even though we conceded four goals, it's difficult to criticise the defence as they did all they could against Premier League and in most cases international footballers. Robbo epitomised the Blues fight. He even got an assist, hooking Lee's free-kick into the path of Lovenkrands.

Hancox - It's clear to see that Hancox would do anything for Blues. The guy is Blues through and through and gave everything for the cause last night. He's by no means a bad player either, capable of some terrific crosses and solid defensively. He dealt well with ex-Blue Jermaine Pennant and offered an option going forward. He didn't get forward maybe as much as he would have liked but that's more to do with the opposition and the situation. He did unfortunately fire his powerful penalty off and over the bar and I hope this doesn't dent his confidence. With Lingard injured I'd like to see him start at left-back and Murphy pushed forwards to left wing.

Adeyemi - A strong performance from Adeyemi who is growing into a fantastic midfielder at this level and an important player for Blues. Constant pressurising of the Stoke midfield coupled with drive and energy going forward characterised Adeyemi's performance, which was topped off with a lovely goal. He started the move in his own corner, holding off two players before laying it off. 4 passes later, Adeyemi was through on goal, slotting the ball past Sorensen with all the panache of an international striker. Another solid performance from the young midfielder on his return from illness.

Reilly - Reilly has showed a remarkable improvement since his surprise inclusion in a Championship game last season. He has become an important figure in the heart of the Blues' midfield, partially as our squad has got weaker but also because Reilly has improved significantly. Mobile, strong in the challenge with a great range of passing, he has real potential and showed some flashes last night. He started slowly but grew into the game, and despite only having 10 men, he worked tirelessly with Adeyemi to keep a foothold in the game.

Elliott - Wade Elliott let his team down last night. Not just in his sub-par performance in the first half, but his stupidity in getting sent off. He isn't a winger but was played there through necessity, but he was fairly poor. Getting sent off was an act of idiocy, leaving us with ten men when we were in a decent position in the game, which could quite easily have lost us the game. Disappointing from a player with a lot of experience.

Novak - I have been a critic of Novak's but he was brilliant on Tuesday. He showed clever movement, tireless working and nice touches, despite playing in a fairly unfamiliar role of the striker and then out wide. He was everywhere, helping out at right-back at times but creating chances also, most notably for Adeyemi's goal. Maybe this is Novak's role in the team - not as a focal point but as part of the build-up. I am really hoping that he can do well at Blues and it looks like that goal against Derby has given him a boost in confidence.

Ferguson - Quiet is the word which best describes Ferguson's performance. He struggled to impose himself on the game going forward but did do a good job helping Hancox. He didn't have a poor game, far from it, and he was clearly hindered by us having 10 men, as he was forced to play deeper, but overall he did a decent job for Blues last night. 

Zigic - Zigic had one of 'those' games. He didn't win a lot in the air and struggled to get into the game. He was starved of service but his movement and pressuring were non-existent. Whilst I thought that Zigic would have been more useful when chasing the game, it proved that Lovenkrands was more useful and Burn did more upfront than Zigic did, which he should be ashamed of. 

Lovenkrands - I was upset at the start of the game to see him on the bench, especially instead of Green, but I was clearly wrong. Two goals, albeit two tap-ins, made it a good night for him and took the game into extra time. He ran the channels very well when he came on but didn't really create as much as he would have liked, but he did his job turning in the two chances he got. 

Gray - An impressive performance from the winger, showing why he is highly rated by the staff at the club. Direct, quick and tricky, he gave Marc Wilson a torrid time and created the third goal by cutting in and firing a dipping shot towards Sorensen's near post that he struggled to deal with. With some more game time he could become a real asset on the wing for Blues, bringing with him a sense of optimism and excitement that came with Nathan Redmond as well.

Lee - Olly Lee has gone from Barnet to scoring against Premier League opposition in a year. He showed some glimpses of a real footballer and took his goal very well. He was unfairly lambasted after the Leeds game, having been thrown in at the deep end, but he did show why Clark spotted him and picked him up. A good performance that hopefully he can build on.

Leeds Capitalise on Catastrophic Blues

Another horrific performance from Blues saw them slump to another loss, this time to a Leeds side who were not in great form themselves. Leeds got all the plaudits for their 4-0 victory, but truly it was Blues' defensive incompetence that was the cause of their victory. Whilst it could be argued that Blues could and maybe should have grabbed 2 or 3 goals, it's also true that the scoreline could have been much, much worse.

Early on, Ross McCormack almost benefited from Blues' frailty as he latched on to pass that Dan Burn failed to cut out, but only found the legs of Randolph with his effort. Shortly after however, he did open the scoring with a simple finish after Blues failed to deal with a simple long ball. Burn failed to clear a ball and Randolph ran out, but couldn't clear the ball with any conviction. The real problem came when he rushed out to try and clear it properly, but was caught out of position as Rodolph Austin laid the ball off for McCormack who stroked home despite Burn's best efforts.

Blues were on the back foot and just couldn't get hold of the ball. A powderpuff midfield of Wade Elliott and Olly Lee, making his debut, could do little to stop the powerful Austin breaking free time and time again. He found McCormack free of the last defender with a lovely pass, but he again could not beat Randolph with his left foot drive. Leeds continued to pile on the pressure and it didn't take too long for it pay off. Austin again raced forward unmarked and evaded the attentions of the defenders to head home McCormack's left-wing cross. Things went from bad to worse just before the break as Matt Smith slotted into the bottom corner after Randolph parried the initial shot from his strike partner.

Blues went in after a desperate first half with their heads down and changes had to be made. Nikola Zigic came on for the ever ineffective Novak, with the shaky Burn coming off for Andrew Shinnie, signalling a change to 4 at the back. Zigic did his best to lead the comeback, with a ferocious strike which was tipped over. He found Burke with a clever ball, whose back post cross was cleared off the line before Zigic could force it in. Burke could quite easily have scored himself, firing wide with his usually reliable left foot after cutting inside.

Though Blues improved in the second half, Leeds still piled on the pressure. Smith was a huge thorn in the Blues side, forcing an incredible save from Randolph. Randolph had a very good game other than the one mistake, but he could do nothing to stop Smith firing an unstoppable header into the top corner 2 minutes later. Smith's goal killed the game entirely and compounded Blues to a disappointing 4-0 loss.

Questions have been and will be raised over certain selections, but most of them were through necessity. A midfield of Lee and Elliott was always going to struggle to contain the Leeds midfield, but with Adeyemi unavailable and Reilly not fully fit, it was difficult to field a solid midfield. Obviously, the three at the back system did not work, so maybe a 4-2-3-1 would have been better, but in all honesty it was the poor performances of the defenders that was the real problem. Novak over Zigic was a ridiculous choice however. Zigic has as many goals in 2 games at Elland Road as Novak does in the Championship, yet Novak got the nod. Whilst I realise that this may not have stopped us losing, it must be said that the added pressure that Zigic puts on the defence may have caused the Leeds players to be more cautious. It also gave us a spearhead to build attacks from, as his aerial threat could create space and give us an outlet. Clark must not be admonished from blame due to baffling team selections and a reluctance to drop Novak, but at the same time he is working under impossible circumstances, at least for the foreseeable future.

All Change at Blues or Just More Of The Same?

As Gianni Paladini appears to be trying to takeover at Blues, a few questions must be asked. First of all, if what he said is true, then why is he now trying to buy Blues, for more money, despite everything that has happened? This obviously isn't the first time that he has tried to buy Blues - but why?

It has been suggested that Paladini uses football clubs to line pockets of those he cannot afford to pay himself. Given the financial position that the club is in, paying for things we really can't afford is incredibly dangerous. There were numerous 'unexplained' signings at Paladini's previous club QPR, such as the free transfer of Marc Nygaard from Brescia. There were suggestions within the media that this signing was made so Paladini could pay Nygaard's agent, but ultimately they were never proven. If he were to takeover, which at this point in time looks likely, then we would have no choice but to trust that he has our best interests at heart.

The problem we have is that we have no choice. To stay afloat we really have to sell, but to sell might not necessarily keep us afloat. We have to hope that Paladini has money and is willing to spend it - but why would he? What can he gain from spending money at a struggling Championship club? His motives must be questioned, as there is almost no way he can make money from us. Unless he's a Blues fan, which seems unlikely, then I struggle to see what he could gain from buying Blues. However, we have to support him and hope he is the man that can turn this club around, so bashing him before he does anything may prove unproductive and unfounded. I really hope that my concerns are unsubstantiated and that Paladini is the right man, but it's hard to shake these feelings.

The real question is, are we better off with the devil we know, or is anything better than this? In all honesty, I think any change at the top would be a positive change, be it Paladini or anyone else. Whilst I am not overjoyed at the person who is supposedly buying the club, I am overjoyed that the current personnel may be leaving.

Blues v Bolton

A poor performance brought Blues' recent home form to an end as they crashed to a 2-1 defeat to the hands of Bolton, who were helped by an abysmal performance from referee David Coote. He wasn't biased towards the visitors - just incompetent. It was a stream of inconsistent decisions, topped off with missing a stonewall penalty for Blues. As poor as the referee was, Blues cannot blame him entirely for their shortcomings. 2 key mistakes from the usually reliable Dan Burn and Darren Randolph respectively gave Blues a mountain to climb. Despite Zigic pulling a goal back with 15 minutes to go, Blues couldn't quite muster up a second goal.

Randolph - 5
Spector - 6
Burn - 5
Robbo - 6
Murphy - 6
Adeyemi - 7
Reilly - 6
Burke - 7 *MOTM*
Shinnie - 5
Lingard - 5
Green - 5

Zigic - 7
Novak - 4
Caddis - 6

Randolph - after I praised Clark for his signing of Randolph, he made a huge error which eventually did lead to a goal and a loss. Other than the mistake he didn't have a lot to do, as Bolton barely had a shot on target.

Spector - a solid performance from Spector who didn't do anything wrong really. His distribution near the end was disappointing but all in all a typical reliable performance from Spector defensively. Going forward he isn't the best and maybe Caddis might have been a better option at home, but Spector did his job. 

Burn - a shaky first half performance cost Blues dear as Burn appeared to leave a long clearance, which Beckford raced on to before firing under Randolph. Burn did get better as the game went on but struggled aerially, which is unlike him. A poor performance from the usually reliable centre-back, that maybe isn't helped by the system. The lack of pace of our defensive pair doesn't help us defend at all, which isn't usually a problem in a 3 at the back system - saying that, we kept a clean sheet playing 4-2-3-1 against Millwall, so it definitely has it's perks against a slower frontline.

Robbo - wasn't helped by Burn but did his best defensively. He had a solid game but not quite the commanding performance that we have become accustomed to from the ex-Bolton defender. He'll have better games this season but he'll have worse games. A 6 of a performance if ever there was one. 

Murphy - taken off near the end due to what looked like just fatigue, Murphy had a decent game. He put in the occasional good ball but he struggled going forward as we seemed to play without a left winger. Defensively, it's not news to most Blues fans that he isn't the best, which was highlighted at times today. A tough game but Murphy kept the ball well when needed, just couldn't find the extra gear we needed going forward. 

Adeyemi - drove at the Bolton defence from midfield and was one of the most important players going forward. The thing I like most about him is he is never scared to receive the ball or take someone on. He won the ball back and got forward well, even though those around him weren't playing well necessarily.

Reilly - will become an important player for us in years to come if we can keep hold of him. He had another decent game, with some tough tackling and some wonderful passes. However, there are times when his inexperience shows, as some of his distribution was poor and he tried some over-ambitious passes at times. It's good that he has confidence, nevertheless he needs to reign it sometimes. He nearly scored a wonderful goal with his right foot in the first half also, which was brilliantly saved.

Burke - beat his defender so many times and grabbed an assist, which probably made him our man of the match. Burke found space on the right a lot, which is impressive as we were very one-sided, and beat his man nearly every time. Some beautiful crosses which we just couldn't get on the end of, or couldn't find the back of the net with, but this was not Burke's fault. A good performance from our best player.

Shinnie - was very very lacklustre. He struggled to get into the game and didn't affect it when he did. Won a few headers but didn't beat his man, or create any chances. He wasn't helped by Lingard's insistence on cutting inside, as this reduced his space so he was forced out wide, but Shinnie was poor. 

Lingard - is not a left winger. Whilst he did score four on his first game from left wing, he is too narrow to be a proper winger. He has the attributes for it but he doesn't have the positioning. Playing him centrally might be a better option, where Shinnie is currently, or if you do want him out wide, in a 3-4-3 system which might work. He was quiet today as he couldn't find space and didn't get the service. When he did get the ball, he looked dangerous, but it didn't happen enough. 

Green - didn't affect the game at all. Bolton played a deep line which restricted Green's ability to get in behind and it showed. He isn't a good player facing his own goal, which Bolton forced him to do. This restricted the space for other players around him. This isn't really his fault and is more of a tactics thing, but it wasn't a performance he will want to remember.

Zigic - changed the game when he came on. He grabbed a goal with a looping header and had a goalbound header blocked away. The service into the big man was poor but he did his best, even with the 'players over 6'5 don't get fouls' rule in effect. He was fouled consistently but when he does it back, it's an instant foul, which is incredibly infuriating. He was our second best player really, as he was the only other one who looked like doing anything.

Novak - waste of a shirt. I have stuck up for Clark before but if he cannot see that Novak is a poor footballer then he should not be a manager. He added nothing for us, even less than Shinnie. He's slow, weak, poor in the air, can't finish and is never in the right place. He had 40 minutes on the pitch but added absolutely nothing to the game.

Caddis - weird substitution to put him on, but he had little time to affect the game. As Murphy needed to go off, the obvious thing to do was put Ferguson on and go for it, but Clark put Caddis on. We shifted a centre-back to left back which ruined any threat we had down that side to compensate. Caddis linked with Burke but didn't really add much. 

Blues v Millwall - Match Ratings

Blues recorded a third consecutive home victory against Millwall, scoring a host of goals in the process. Not only did Blues score a very welcome four goals, they kept a rare clean sheet. This wasn't necessarily due to a solid defensive performance, but more down to Millwall's offensive impotence. Regardless, Blues did play well, here is my opinion on the performances of the players.

Randolph - 7
Spector - 8
Robbo - 7
Burn - 6.5
Murphy - 9 *MOTM*
Adeyemi - 8
Reilly - 8
Burke - 8
Shinnie - 7
Lionel Jesse - 7

Green - 7

Randolph - Randolph had a quiet game,  but he did what he had to do confidently and with minimal fuss. He was quick off his line but didn't really have any saves to make. 

Spector - it seemed a strange decision to play Spector over Caddis, especially at home, but Spector repaid the faith shown in him by Clark. He dealt with the threat of Millwall's top scorer Woolford easily and was comfortable on the ball. A very composed and solid game from Spector. 

Robbo - a typical Robinson performance. Strong in the challenge and commanded the defensive line. His pace was not an issue in the first half due to the lack of movement from Steve Morison, but in the second half it was slightly more of an issue. Still a solid performance from the defender. 

Burn - Dan Burn had a strange game. He had a very calm first half, where he dealt with everything coolly, intercepting every ball and winning every header. In the second half however, he seemed a bit shaky. The half-time change that Millwall made seemed to throw him off, as he made a few mistakes in dangerous positions but, as Millwall were so poor they could not capitalise. All in all, a mixed performance from Burn, but we did keep a clean sheet. 

Murphy - the last few weeks have really shown how much we missed Murphy. Defensively, he might not be brilliant, but going forward, he is probably the best left back in the league. He nearly scored earlier on than his first goal, but he planted his header straight into the arms of the 'keeper. The first goal however was a neat finish from a tight angle, which most strikers would have been happy with. Quite what Murphy was doing there is unclear, but fortunately he was and he opened the scoring. His second goal was a majestic free-kick from just outside the area on the right hand side. Other than that, Murphy had a decent game. He didn't put a foot wrong defensively and offered width when Lionel Jesse cut inside. A well deserved 9. 

Adeyemi - what a signing he has been! Despite a shaky start to his Blues career he has proved to be a very dynamic midfielder with fantastic drive combined with strong tackling. He grabbed his second goal in as many games with a lovely chip over the keeper to top off a strong performance from the box-to-box midfielder. Him and Reilly could be a very important partnership in midfield this season.

Reilly - despite the lack of chances he had at the start of the season, Reilly has shown in the chances he has had why he should be in the team. Whilst Elliott may add more passing ability and a more creative presence, Reilly gives us energy and a tough tackling midfielder who can dominate midfield. His distribution is lacking at times, as it was on Tuesday, but he wins it back so often that this is not too much of an issue. In the first half on Tuesday, he was a contender for MOTM, as he was always in the right place - every second ball came to Reilly. In the second half Millwall responded and maybe got the better of our midfield for a spell, but Irish U21 international Reilly can be pleased with his performance.

Burke - Chris Burke terrorized his full-back all game, as he consistently found space and dribbled at the defender. However, he has a tendency to overrun the ball and only pass when absolutely necessary, which can be very frustrating. He did this a few times on Tuesday, but generally he did get his crosses in eventually. He beat the defender numerous times and put in some very good balls. It was a terrific performance from Burke and one that is almost commonplace for him now.

Shinnie - Shinnie had been forced out the team the last few weeks, as he struggles to fit into the 3-4-3 system, but Clark gave him a chance in a 4-2-3-1 formation off the striker. He had a part to play in the first three goals, supplying the cross for the first, winning the free-kick for the second and having the rebound from his shot turned in. The one problem with Shinniesta is his tendency to drift in and out of games. He often will go 5-10 minutes without touching the ball, but on Tuesday when he had the ball he did well. He was almost non-existent for a lot of the game though, barely getting involved, which is a shame.

Lionel Jesse - Lingard grabbed another goal to continue his bright start at Blues, but he could have had a hat-trick. After winning a contentious penalty, which appeared to have been outside of the box, Lingard took the penalty himself. Unfortunately, he saw his weak penalty saved, which could quite easily have dented his confidence. However, it takes a lot to ruin the confidence of a guy who scored 4 on his debut, as Lingard had a few more chances. He saw his goal-bound header blocked by a defender, but late on scored a header off an almost identical cross from Burke, this time finding the right-hand corner of the net to seal off the game.

Matt Green - Green is well liked by the fans and has started to become an increasingly important player. He may not be the biggest name, or the top goalscorer or even the most talented, but his pace, power and movement have been key to Blues' recent success. It's no coincidence that our run of goals have coincided with him playing. He was relatively quiet on Tuesday, but he created so much space for Burke and Lingard especially, by pulling defenders around and running into space. A good performance, even if he receives no glory from it.