Gary Rowett and Birmingham - An Upturn in Fortunes or A More Stylish Failure?

When Paul Caddis nodded in against Bolton in the 92nd minute to keep Birmingham up, there was a sense of relief, like all the problems had gone away. Talks of takeovers and new players were everywhere and there was a sense of optimism.


It was futile. The owners remained, there was no cause for optimism.


When Lee Clark brought in a lot of young, hungry players with pace and talent, there was a sense of optimism. A sense that maybe this season would be different, despite there being no change in management, or owners. Maybe Clark had learnt from his mistakes.


He hadn't. These players looked as lost and devoid of confidence as last season's.


Gary Rowett has taken over management duties at Birmingham City. Speaking with a gravity and poise that Clark could only dream of, Rowett spoke about his confidence in taking the Blues forward. What was most refreshing was his talk of tactics, how we would try and get the players playing. This was new to Blues fans - no more incoherent ramblings about bad luck and passion.


There's a sense of optimism around the club again.


Birmingham fans are among the most pessimistic in the country; who can blame them? A rich owner comes in promising money and success, before getting himself into jail. Even after winning the Carling Cup they got relegated. False hope is as common as a home loss at St. Andrews, but Rowett is bringing hope to the dishevelled fans.


Rowett has one thing in common with Lee Clark - he is passionate about the job. Hopefully that's all and all signs so far point to that being the case. Rowett talks in a composed manner, he has the players working harder than ever on their fitness (which has been a key issue this season) and his previous club's fans have bemoaned his departure.


This is what has Blues fans so excited. However, there is a case that even the best managers would have problems keeping Birmingham in the Championship. A squad containing almost exclusively players who either are young and promising or experienced in the league below is not often a recipe for success, but those who have watched Birmingham this season will know that they do have the quality to trouble teams - in fact, they have dropped 11 points from winning positions this season. Fitness issues appear to have contributed to this second half drop off - rather than a lack of quality.


Birmingham fans need to be careful with getting too excited but it's hard not to be impressed by Gary Rowett's optimism, passion and presentation of himself. The proof of the pudding will be in the eating, and with probably the toughest fixture of the season yet on Saturday, Rowett has his work cut out. Hopefully Birmingham can put in a decent performance and maybe even get something out of the game, but organisation and fight will be enough for the Blues fans after a shambolic performance on Saturday.


Can Rowett keep Blues up? If he does, he will get a lot of plaudits. It's a very difficult task, with Blues lying 23rd and teams above them finding form. Even if he doesn't, I think Blues fans would accept it as long as they saw some fight and evidence that things were changing away from the mess that was Clark's tenure at the club. A spell in League 1 would not be the end of the world, especially if we had a forward thinking manager at the helm and decent young players coming through. Good luck, Gary, never have I seen so many people desperate for you to do so well. Never have I seen a manager so well liked before even playing a game. Keep right on.

Barcelona - The 2008 Revival or a False Dawn?

Last night saw Barcelona ease past Ajax in a 3-1 victory, but is this the Barca of old or is this the team which has struggled when the going gets tough again? At half time it would seem as though Barca were back to the best, having cruised into a 2-0 lead through goals from Neymar and Messi. They missed a host of chances too - Iniesta saw his chip saved after a surging run and Pedro crashed a low drive of the post. The second goal was Barca at their best; Iniesta picked up the ball, turned and picked an exquisite pass to Messi whose control was immaculate and his shot squirmed past Cillessen for 2-0.




However, the second half resembled the Barca of last season. They were a little laboured in possession and their soft underbelly showed again as they let Ajax back in the game. A scrappy effort from young forward Anwar El Ghazi made it 2-1 with not long to go. Fortunately for the Catalan giants they sealed the win in injury time with a neat finish from substitute Sandro Ramirez.




You can make excuses for Barca - they took off Messi and Neymar with 25 minutes to go which would damage any team's forward potential, but they still have an exploitable defence from the looks of this game, yet they haven't conceded a goal in the league. It's a strange situation they find themselves in, as they are scoring for fun and not conceding against league teams, yet they are still not impervious in Europe, having lost to PSG and conceding to Ajax.




I don't think this team will ever get to the level of the ridiculous team that won everything under Pep Guardiola. The fear factor is gone. Teams now come to the Nou Camp and know they can score, whereas before they were happy to get a kick. So what's changed? Though the attack is arguably better, especially with Suarez, it's clear that Barca miss Puyol and Xavi. They need a leader, a warrior in the heart of the defence, and that's what Puyol was. He made every tackle, every header and also was a threat at set-pieces. He wasn't the most glamourous player but he was extremely important and he made them so watertight at the back, a quality which now you cannot level at Barca.




Xavi is a big miss too, or at least the Xavi of 5 years ago. Ivan Rakitic was seen by many, including me, as a fantastic signing and good value too, but he isn't Xavi. He has the natural ability, but not the intelligence and speed of thought to play the same role. That's not a criticism of Rakitic, but more a demonstration of just how good Xavi was that even a midfielder like Rakitic looks out of place in Catalonia. This means that they cannot control games in the same manner as they used to which makes them easier to counter and easier to defend against because they can't play at the same tempo.




Do Barcelona have enough to win the Champions League? Yes, they do. They may not be the best defensively but they will score goals against any side in the world. Credit must go to Enrique for getting the best out of Neymar and bringing Messi back up to the level that he might not have been at last season.




The real test is El Clásico. This is a game even more intriguing than usual for a myriad of reasons. Suarez will probably play at least some part in the game and it will be interesting to see how he fits in to this front line that has looked so dangerous already. Almost more importantly we shall see if Barca's defence can continue it's impressive record in the league against the almost inhuman scoring prowess of Cristiano Ronaldo, amongst others. We will also be able to see if Neymar can continue his form and become the player that many people hoped he would become.




Barca are still scary, they are still one of the best, but there are still issues which need to be ironed out and El Clásico is the biggest test of the season so far. What a game that promises to be.

Wayne Rooney - World-Class, or average?

Despite being Manchester United's third highest goalscorer of all-time and only being 7 international goals off the England record, there has always been doubts (and probably always will be) over whether Wayne Rooney is 'all that'. This may seem absurd, but it is a fair point given both his recent poor performances that have been masked by the odd goal, and the sheer brilliance he showed as a youngster. The fact remains, however, he has been prolific at club and international level, boasting a better than 1 in 2 record at Manchester United.

Let's start by discussing why Rooney may be considered world class. A superb record that displays his goalscoring prowess says a lot, but there's more to Rooney than that. He also boasts a superb assist record, hitting double figures for assists and goals in his last 5 seasons. He's a leader, one who at his best can grab games by the scruff of the neck and win them single-handedly. Not only is he a great scorer of goals, he's a scorer of great goals - think the overhead kick against Man City, the volley against Newcastle and even the free-kick against Arsenal at the age of 16. Even when Man United have struggled, like last year, Rooney's performances were a shining example. On-form, Rooney is a scary player to face, with pace, which is often very understated, power and impeccable technique. He may not be the exciting, raw 18 year old that he once was, but he's still a frightening player.

What I think is the problem with Rooney is that he was so good at such a young age, that because he's not Cristiano Ronaldo people think he's not very good. We play down his talents and feats because he hasn't progressed as much as we thought he might. You could argue that he peaked early - especially at international level, where he was absolutely scintillating at Euro 2004, but a damp squib at the recent World Cup. So what went wrong?

Rooney is plagued with inconsistency and cursed with being English. Inconsistency is understandable at a young age, so people didn't mention it so much, but at 28 those problems should have long gone. Quite why he cannot hit a consistent run for an extended period we may never know, but Rooney can be quiet for long periods of games or even seasons, but he will always score goals and make chances. That's what sets Rooney apart; against Estonia he was poor, the public opinion of him at an all-time low and a lot of pressure on his shoulders, yet he still scored the winner. Good players have bad games, great players have bad games, but great players will still contribute.

Being English and only playing in England may have hurt Rooney's career. Whilst he is a very physical player, he is extremely technically gifted, but maybe lacks the footballing intelligence to fully utilise his talent. In England, physicality is so important that we maybe don't look at the finer details. Had Rooney moved abroad, to Real or Barcelona at the age of 23/24, he may have become the player we all hoped he would. The European focus on intelligence, positioning and ball retention is extremely close and this would have helped Rooney massively. As it is, his awareness and movement have limited him a little bit, I feel.

Look at the successful English teams - all of them have players that have played large portions of their career abroad. Chelsea will walk this year's Premier League, as has been clear since the summer, and their team consists of 2 players who have played in England their whole life - Terry and Cahill. A spell abroad may have sanded off Rooney's rough edges and made him the complete forward.

Wayne Rooney is an enigma - on one hand, he is statistically brilliant, obviously talented and an icon, but on the other, he is inconsistent and when he should be at his peak, he appears to be dropping off, a worrying trend that he will no doubt stop now I've written this. Will he go down as a great? Maybe for Man United, but I'm not sure he will be remembered as fondly in the eyes of the England fans.

Does Jonjo Shelvey's Inclusion in the England Squad Indicate a Change in Philosophy?

Since I can remember, England managers have been derided for always picking players from the big teams, or having their favourites. Whilst it sounds petty and it sounds like sour grapes, it's mostly true. Chris Smalling has been in plenty of England squads on reputation alone, despite being an average defender and poor in possession, which is a cardinal sin in international football, while Curtis Davies is forced to watch England games from his living room sofa.

Roy Hodgson, however, despite the criticisms levelled at him, is starting to break the mould a little bit, though it may have taken a little bit too long. Nathaniel Clyne has been the best English right back for at least 2 years, yet the player he kept out of the Southampton team, Calum Chambers, moved to Arsenal and got a call-up. That's not to say that Chambers shouldn't be in the England set-up, just that Clyne should have been first choice for a while now. At least Hodgson has seen sense and finally called him up, which other managers may not have done.

Probably the clearest example of this philosophy starting to change is the inclusion of Jonjo Shelvey, an enigmatic but talented young midfielder. Shelvey has impressed at Swansea with his fantastic range of passing and eye for goal. The London-born midfielder should suit international football, as it is generally played at a slower pace and he excels in a possession based game. He is generally very composed but sometimes picks the wrong pass which can cause trouble, though this side of his game has improved since joining Swansea. What this may indicate is not only a change in selection policy but a change in playing style for England. Whereas before we aimed to sit back and break with pace, using Sterling and Sturridge's speed which is so often displayed at club level, maybe this indicates a shift to a possession based game.

Though Shelvey is often deployed in a deeper role, England still lack a proper holding midfielder. Attempts at playing Wilshere as a defensive midfielder will likely fail, though the national team appears to have an obsession with trying to play box-to-box midfielders in defensive positions, as Wilshere takes over Gerrard's mantle of not defending. There is a lack of top English holding midfielders at big clubs, so for some reason England just play without one, rather than look at other options at 'smaller' clubs. Every top team has a holding midfielder, not just a central midfielder. For every Xavi there's a Busquets, for every Fabregas a Matic and for every Yaya Toure there's a Fernandinho. England should look at the less glamourous options, such as Jack Cork, a talented midfielder who has been key to Southampton's superb early season form. Cork is technically proficient but reads the game superbly, allowing him to break up attacks and start them. Lee Cattermole is an unpopular choice, but one that should be explored. He has a very underrated technical side to his game but he also does the dirty work - it's surprising that such an archetypal English midfielder is so ignored, but then he plays for Sunderland, rather than Man United.

Andros Townsend makes another squad, despite being a wasteful footballer who offers very little but the odd wondergoal to a team. He's selfish, inconsistent and hasn't played regularly for months, but Townsend had a few good games for England 6 months ago, so he stays in, whilst the top scoring Englishman Saido Berahino goes to Croatia with the U21's. Berahino at 21 has fired 5 goals in 8 games this season for a team who many tipped to struggle. Though I think he should be in the England squad, I understand that maybe the U21's is best for him right now, it just seems bizarre to not call up the best English striker at this current moment.

Though England boss Hodgson has started to break the mould in terms of selection, there's a long way to go until England select players on form and ability rather than reputation, but with the exit of big name players like Gerrard and Lampard in recent years, maybe this will change, gradually.