Often Partisan

Patience and Positivity

It’s a mark of how desperate fans are for takeover news that many thought the “exclusive event” being held by Blues at Marco Pierre White Steakhouse tonight was with respect to a prospective sale of the club.

Of course, the event is nothing of that sort – although I don’t know for sure what it is I would assume it would either be announcement of a new sponsor or a kit launch bearing in mind of what time of year it is; inviting selected fans was something the ladies team did when they launched their new kit in February so it wouldn’t be beyond the realms of probability that it is something similar this time.

In many ways I feel for club staff like Andy Walker (Head of Media and Communications) in this sort of instance because it is his job to not only distribute news from the club but also to promote it for the benefit of sponsors and suchlike; sometimes I think he’s given a rough ride by fans who think it’s his fault that there is no news about boardroom matters when the truth is that’s something he has no control over. He’s not helped by the reticence of BIH to talk to the media about anything – I know from painful experience that trying to get so much as a quote over the telephone out of them is nigh on impossible and personal visits to their office are met with blank looks and pointed looks towards the exit.

I know I’ve talked about patience a lot and I’m not surprised it’s worn thin; it was three years ago this month that Carson was arrested in Hong Kong and people have been expecting the club to be sold since. With the new season fast approaching I can understand why people are demanding investment into the club – particularly as the club are still linked with League One players (Stephen Gleeson of MK Dons being the latest).

To me it does look like Lee Clark will have to start the season at least with the best of what he can get from League One and below. That being said it does please me that Clark is looking more into signing players on permanent deals rather than loans; as much as people are underwhelmed by the signing of League One players you only have to look at the likes of Paul Caddis to see some can make the step up – if one or two work out it’s an extra couple of assets when the takeover finally does go through and with the wage bill being kept low the club will be in prime shape for investment and overhaul.

Until we get new investment, I’m going to go into this season assuming survival is the aim – anything better will be a bonus – and with the hope that when investment does come in it’ll give us a shot in the arm to help boost the club up the table. It does hurt that this time three years ago we were looking at European fixtures and this time four years ago we were dreaming of what we could achieve following a ninth place top flight finish but that’s the way football is – our time will (eventually) come again and as it was at Wembley, the euphoric highs will more than outweigh the lows of recent times. If the biggest announcement we can make is that we have a new sponsor then let’s at least take the positive that someone still wants to be associated with the club – there are enough negatives out there without us adding to them.

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169 Responses to “Patience and Positivity”

  • ian says:

    the joys of being a blues fan,
    us brummies have a choice to make when growing up.
    st andrews or vile park,
    just imagine how boring your blog would be if all you had to blog about was “we are a really big club and should be in the top 4 ”
    sure we sell our best players every year, but we won a lot of trophies before goalposts were invented, and the ball weighed 10 stones.
    you can never say being a blues fan is boring,
    wouldn’t swap it for the world

    • Small Heath Blue says:

      Brilliant!

    • Matt says:

      I couldn’t disagree more, how can you enjoy being a Blues fan when we go from one disaster to another. I’d much rather be safe and sound in the premier league. That’s the problem with our fans, no ambition who loves disappointment.

      • Tony says:

        Spot on some the fools love mediocrity or worse, and Blues provide plenty of that. As for choice I never had a choice born less that a mile from the ground I was born into it

        • dave mann says:

          you should think yourself lucky tony that also like me you were born a stone throw from st. andrews, we are mediocre but i for one dont love being bottom of the championship, ide rather be in the premier league but because of whats happened over the last 3 years its no supprise where we are is it!!!. ime certainly no fool…the only fools in birmingham where claret and blue and chelsea, man. utd, arsenal and liverpool shirts, get my point mate!!!. KRO.

          • Staffs Blue says:

            That’s the biggest tragedy dave, Birmingham kids wearing those shirts. The main reason is because those teams are all that matter to the media. They’re the ones that get all the publicity… so of course, kids heads are going to be turned, especially those who don’t have mums, dads, big brothers to point them in the right direction.

          • tmsblues says:

            Staffs I agree. And encouraging those kids to wear our colours is the reason why we have to have a manager who can lead enthuse and motivate a team to win at home. If you were a kid in brum with the chance to watch Bcfc fail to win in over 6 months or to watch other teams like Man U, Chelsea ManCity, Liverpool, arsenal or spurs, what would you do?

          • Staffs Blue says:

            I take your point, but I’d rather watch Blues, with their up-and-down history, than the likes of Man Utd. At least it’s never boring following BCFC. Obviously, other fans would rather be winning the Premier League ever season. That would be tedium for me. As always, it’s about opinions.

          • AussieBlue says:

            It’s also about psychology Staffs. I don’t subscribe to the ‘I will support my club more fervently so long as we are winning’ meme. Support is support. Churchill did not have merely an ambition to return to Europe after the disaster of Dunkirk – he had a goal, a plan, a strategy and the wherewithal and so did thousands of other Brits, Canadians, Yanks and ANZ-ers. And that’s what we need – goals.

      • dave mann says:

        matt, was you at bolton?… did our fans show lack of ambition when cadidis scored for staying in the championship!!, was our fans in tears of dissapointment that we didnt get relegated….ive said it before and i will say it again, ive never been prouder to be a blues fan in 40 years than i was at bolton, i havent got a problem supporting blues all over the country and its a great life that i wouldnt change it for all the dissapointments they can throw at us, i enjoy being a blues fan but thats because ime a proper supporter!!!. KRO.

        • Matt says:

          of course i was at bolton, I’m a proper fan also. Look up the word ambition. That wasn’t ambition the fans showed it was RELIEF after an awful depressing season. is that our ambition now then to survive in the championship?

          • dave mann says:

            as it stands at the momment yes, where have you been for the last 3 years, no money, no quality players available for the poultry wages we play, you cant expect anymore matt the way things are as we speak, when new owners or investment comes in then yes we can be a bit more ambitious and yes your right that was relief at the final whistle because it waent our ambition to be in league one.KRO.

          • Matt says:

            Yes dave I am fully aware of the situation…are you trying to say you’re more of a fan than me because you’re happy with our situation? but thats not what is being said, my original comment was to ian saying he wouldn’t swap whats happened to us for the world, I’m saying I would much rather be a regular in the prem.

          • dave mann says:

            did i say i was happy with our situation? …i dont think so!!!!!
            have i said that ide rather be in the premier league…..yes!!!1
            get your facts right before you make anymore stupid comments…..and for the record theres not many out there who are more than a fan than me…..because i go eveywhere
            and anywhere..enough said!!! KRO.

          • Matt says:

            dave, you responded to chris w’s comment “well said chris. w” in where he clearly said he finds being in the premiership boring, by saying well said that usually means you AGREE with him. So maybe you should get your story straight before you make anymore stupid comments.

          • Chris W says:

            No I did not Matt, I said do I “want to be at the top winning every week” that is boring. I then said “Give me the unpredictability of being a Blues fan, all the emotions, the elations, the sorrows and everything else that football throws at us”.
            Of course I want to be in the premiership with BCFC, I just find that watching Arsenal and co style of football boring, the pressure on them not to lose takes away that element in football the excitement and the unpredictability.
            Like so many of the modern day fan you only see what the media want you to see and are easily swayed.
            KRO+DNM

          • Matt says:

            That’s where I disagree, yes of course bolton was fantastic because how it happened. But I don’t want to experience it again because of the dismal season that lead to it. Saying I’m swayed by media is an easy thing to say, I’ve experienced both sides of football, and prem league to me, is the be all and end all whether we like it or not.

          • Chris W says:

            I’ll accept that, I too have enjoyed all levels of football with BCFC and for me, and only my opinion, the premiership has lost touch with the average supporter, as to have the players. One day the money bubble will burst and some very high profile clubs will be in serious financial trouble.
            My only problem with the premiership is purely finances and being a Blue all my life I would hate to see our passion and heritage spoiled. I look forward to travelling the M6 to Manchester and Liverpool instead of the M1 to Barnsley or Doncaster, but let it be a level playing field both on and off the field as I remember those days in the 60’s and 70’s, without the violence of course.
            KRO+DNM

          • AussieBlue says:

            Prem was very nice Matt, I’ll grant you that. I swelled with pride when we finished 9th. But I’d support BCFC passionately even if we dropped into the conference, which we won’t. It’s the moral fibre and effort that counts…seeing a squad playing their hearts out and leaving nothing behind, like the Norwich play-off when we got promoted. Representing our great city and the KRO spirit. Not every boxer ends up champion of the world, but they can still be regarded as great sports people.

          • dave mann says:

            i AGREE with some of his comments and it was well said as
            a fan with his own opinion, the premiership can be boring to some fans but not to me, i find it more exiting strugling at the bottom of the premier than the championship and ime not one for telling stories and commenting on stupid opinions of other fans unless they are stupid!!1 KRO.

          • Chris says:

            i find the prem boring, the same teams at the top and the only way you’ll break into the top 5 or 6 is by having a rich owner.
            the bottom 12 just look at avoiding relegation, would rather play weak tems in the cups just to stay in 17th position in the prem.
            that isn’t competition it’s stagnation, no wonder players are just happy to pick up their money and show little ambition themselves to win things.
            i ‘m hoping with FFP that things will change esp outside the prem but i won’t hold my breath as i’m sure the football league and the prem league will not really punish rich clubs as they are too afraid of legal action just like their weakness to submit owners to a really strong ‘fit and proper ‘ owner test.

          • tmsblues says:

            Agree with you Matt it’s just about what you define as being a regular is in the Prem? Mid table regular around 50 points should be the medium term realistic target 17th might be realis tic but I’m not convinced its ab worthwhile target.

          • Matt says:

            Regular meaning being competitive in the prem, whether its right or not the premier league is now because of money and media, the only league that matters in England I don’t want to be left behind.

          • AussieBlue says:

            I think 125-odd other clubs, plus conference feeder clubs, would disagree with you Matt.

          • Tony says:

            Yes I have to agree with that, it seems to be a tribal thing belly full of booze good sing song all very well but give me mid table in the prem any day.Mind you up until I was ábout 30 I was the same

          • AussieBlue says:

            Dave – crikey! Players are being paid in chickens and geese now??? We are in a bad way ;-)

          • Chris says:

            in todays game you can’t show ambition generally unless you have a rich owner.
            burnley excepted all the teams in the top 8 or so are spending beyond their means and are on the rocky road to admin.
            look at Leeds losing £1 mill a month so the new owner has to cut costs.
            Forest were losing £750k amonth under their old owner and have had to cut costs under their new owners.
            Matt, so how can clubs inc Blues show ambition without wealty owners?

          • Matt says:

            Southampton and Swansea are perfect examples.

            My original comment was on how someone wouldn’t swap whats happened recently for anything in the world, I certainly would because I believe we are better and deserve more than fighting relegation in the championship.

          • Chris W says:

            I agree and I’m just waiting to see what the true state of BCFC when new owners take over. GSG didn’t realise how bad we were when they took over.
            KRO+DNM

        • Chris W says:

          Do we really want to be at the top of the Premiership winning every week, boring. Give me the unpredictability of being a Blues fan, all the emotions, the elations, the sorrows and everything else that football throws at us, the one thing being a Blues fan is we can cope with it all. Look at Man U last season, they didn’t know how to deal with losing or playing badly, we can. They couldn’t cope with a manager who kept changing tactics, players and formations, we did.
          Bolton was BCFC winning the Premiership, FA cup and Champions League all in one for me. In all the 50+ years of watching Blues I think I saw every emotion possible that day from REAL Blues followers, forget Wembley, many were just there for the day out, those at Bolton have been there through thick and thin.
          I will always be in Mr Hennessey’s debt for taking me to my first BCFC football match way back in 61 and my Aunt who lived in the back-to-back house in Tilton Road for arranging it..
          KRO+DNM

          • Matt says:

            Typical old school comment, your generation seem to be stuck in the past and don’t look forward whatsoever maybe its because you’re not used top division football and cup wins and had to wait so long. My generation (90’s) have a completely different view, we’ve seen promotions, premier league football, great wins against the Villa and a league cup trophy. It seems past generations are now happy to go back to our old days whilst new fans want what they’re used to which is prem league football.

            here you go dave mann, chris w’s comment is what no ambition looks like.

          • dave mann says:

            it doesent matter what old school you come from matt we all want premiership football and trophies but live in the real world
            and look at the situation we find ourselves in due to our owners and not the older fans lack of ambition, my sons 23 and is just proud to be a blues fan no matter what league were in, hes ambitious as anybody but unrderstands the situation far better than you seem to………the vile havent won anything for 18 years,,, how do you think the ambition of there fans is..but then again i dont really give a s–t. . KRO.

          • Matt says:

            “Bolton was BCFC winning the Premiership, FA cup and Champions League all in one for me”

            “Do we really want to be at the top of the Premiership winning every week, boring”

            Look at these comments, these do NOT want premiership football they want mediocrity. You seem to be clearly missing my point, I fully understand why where we are. my point is I am not happy with it and we deserve much better and clearly in above quotes I’ve shown people are complacent with struggling when we shouldn’t be.

          • dave mann says:

            i fully understand your point matt and for the record ime not happy with it but were struggling and yes our fantastic fans like yourself deserve better, if fans are happy with mediocrity then i dont go to games with them or drink with them so my ambition is still the premier league title followed by champions league glory…..” happy days are here again” . KRO.

          • Chris W says:

            Last season we deserved to be relegated, look at our home record, we were lucky that Doncasters game was abandoned with them winning, they deserved to stay up.
            If you want boring predictable football then go and support chelsea, Arsenal or Man City.
            I love BCFC, have been relegated and promoted more times than you have hot dinners. Every season begins with me predicting BCFC for promotion and winning the FA cup, but then reality kicks in and this season I see only a struggle at the moment and will be surprised if we win the relegation battle, unless things take a dramatic turn in fortune that is our ambition…. Survival anything above will be a bonus, last season we all expected at least a mid table finish in the end we were thankful of survival.
            When you have supported Birmingham City long enough you will learn not to expect the expected.
            KRO+DNM

          • AussieBlue says:

            so…what are you offering to do about it Matt? Apart from slagging off people who have supported the club for longer than you have been alive?

          • Chris W says:

            Totally wrong Matt, I saw European football and a cup win, been to Wembley, Millennium stadium, joys sorrows and I have cried on the terraces of Anfield after being 0-3 up at half-time to lose 4-3 against the might of the great Liverpool era.
            I would love to see Blues back in the premiership, but would I swap with Chelsea’s, Man City’s and Arsenal supporters expectations every season, NO!
            I love BCFC and I am PROUD to where my shirt anywhere in the world and the beauty of Birmingham City is the unpredictability.
            What I did find hard last season was the actions of the manager with his tactics, or lack of, the fact that we had no plan B, the consistently playing players out of position and our dismal home record, the worse record in English football and across Europe by any professional club.
            The new season we will be looking at survival firstly,
            consolidation and with some divine intervention promotion. The first goes without saying and anything else will be a bonus.
            We need to sort out ownership and investment before we can begin to dream of Premiership or Champions league football.
            As a schoolboy I longed to play at Wembley, every boys
            dream, I can remember seeing Sir Bobby Moore lifting the Jules Rimet Trophy, something I hope you witness one day, and I have seen Sir Stanley Matthews and the great Pele grace St Andrews, I hope I shall be around long enough to see Blues lift the Champions League trophy. I have dreams and ambitions but more importantly I
            am a realist and I have memories, you can never take away.
            KRO+DNM

          • tmsblues says:

            It’s really interesting to see the different perspective blues fans have according to their generation. We all crave success whatever our age and historical involvement . Without a sugar daddy we will never be a top 6 prem side barring a freak season. Cash pretty well locks out all but a few from the regular presence amongst the elite but mid table prem can still be in the grasp of well managed and funded clubs. That should be our goal.
            Nevertheless I often feel that the more highly competitive and unpredictable championship provides great entertainment that can be more enjoyable than playing to survive every season in the prem and yo young back and forth.
            My present concern is that regardless of the players owners or budget we have, if LC is picking the team then all we can hope for is survival in the champs!

          • Chris W says:

            Thank you tms, that is what I was trying to get at, I dislike all the hype regarding the top six in the Premiership, give me the Evertons who strive to be with the big boys but are fairly established in the Premiership, they look at competing for Champions League football but happy to maintain stability without breaking the bank.
            Blues have always been a up-down club, my grandad, bless him, supported them across the way, told me “you’ll always have your heart broken with them”, how true but boy! do we enjoy and appreciate those precious moments when they do come round.
            KRO+DNM

          • Steve says:

            Pele at St Andrews ? Villa Park yes. If i remember right,the Liverpool game you mention,we won 3 2 after being 3 0 up.

          • Chris says:

            yes Pele was villa park about 1970 with fans there from all midlands clubs, i seem to remember kro being sung or some other non villa song, but it was a long time ago.
            yes i was at st andrews for the reserve match on Dec 2nd 1972 and heard the half time score at Liverpool and was gutted when the full time score was given out as 4-3 .

          • Chris W says:

            I do remember seeing him so maybe I can be forgiven as to the ground. I didn’t venture to that side of the city very often.
            KRO+DNM

          • Chris W says:

            Maybe the 72 game , I remember sitting on the terrace and some Liverpool fans invited us back to the pub and we enjoyed some scouse stew cooked on the open fire, we were definitely winning but lost 4-3. But yes proper football.
            KRO+DNM

          • Steve says:

            That would have been the one then. 2 up early on. Back to 2 2. Then 3 2 up at HT. I think Toshack got their winner. One of my first away games. I remember beating them up there 3 2 when they were really in their pomp. Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

          • Chris W says:

            Pele played in a charity at st andrews around the late 60’s maybe early 70’s, I remember that because my hero Lev Yashin was in goal.
            KRO+DNM

          • Chas says:

            Mark, why do you reply to Posters like this ? You seem to go out of your way to be antagonistic to anyone who happens to disagree with your idea of a perfect Blues Fan . Are you married, have you got any interests apart from Blues ? You seem a very sad bloke.

          • Matt says:

            mark? is this aimed at me? i see no mark here..

          • Chas says:

            Sorry Matt, yes , but I read your name wrong. I did try to delete it but it kept coming back.

          • Matt says:

            Am I married? Do I have any other interests? I seem a sad bloke? That’s rich coming from someone who has posted around 5 times the comments I have. I’m giving my opinion about football which is what the comments section is for. I would ask if you’re married, if you have any other interests but I couldn’t give a monkeys. I’m only interested in football comments..

          • Chas says:

            :-) No Matt, calm down, I mistook you for Mark, who comes over very aggressive. I made a mistake. I tried to delete the post when I realised but it wouldn’t delete. But I don’t post many comments, honestly. Have a Kiss to make up .XX

          • AussieBlue says:

            No you’re not Matt; you have personally vilified a fellow Blues fan because he is about 40 years older than you appear to be.

          • Geoff S says:

            Matt.

            People cannot help the generation they are from and don’t forget Blues played in Europe in the early 1960s, turned the vile over in 1963 to win the League Cup and I lost count of the number of times Blues beat Villa in the late 1960s and 1970s.

            When Blues got promoted back into the old First Division (now Premier League) in 1972 to compete with the top clubs only Man U, Liverpool and Arsenal had a larger home league attendance average in the 1972-73 season but, despite finishing 10th and having a half-decent manager at the time in Freddie Goodwin, the club never showed sufficient ambition then, either.

          • Chris says:

            Middlesborough 6th rd FA cup sold out 52500 as official gate but everyone was crushed and all gangways were full so more like 60000 were there, then a bomb hoax probably from vile pork and no one left, not that they could move anyway.
            Bob Hatton header 1-0 and then we lose to Fulham, that’s BCFC.

          • Geoff S says:

            I remember standing on the Spion Kop for that Middlesbrough 6th Round F A Cup Tie in 1975 but I’m sure the crowd was 47,000. This was because the ground capacity had been cut back from 52,500 (which is what the attendance was 3 seasons earlier when Blues beat Huddersfield 3-1 in the 6th Round of the F A Cup before losing to Leeds in the Semi-Final.

          • Chris W says:

            Thats a fair summary Geoff, I must be getting old as I can remember all of those good old days as if only yesterday.
            We had dreams then too but just not close enough.
            KRO+DNM

          • Geoff S says:

            There was also something special about about standing in a 50,000-plus crowd. Old Trafford, Hillsborough and that place across the Aston expressway. However, when it was at St Andrew’s (3 times for me), it really was EXTRA special.

          • Chris W says:

            I always enjoy the banter at St andrews but I agree the more the merrier makes so much special.
            KRO+DNM

          • AussieBlue says:

            Ageist twaddle Matt and a needless introduction of generational elitism
            into this forum. Are you going to have a go at 7-year old mascots too?
            Mate, if you are a genuine Blues supporter, read the lyrics to our club
            song and maybe you will understand why people have supported this club
            since 1876 come what may. There’s ambition a-plenty inside the hearts of
            all real Blues supporters irrespective of age and your throw-away line
            about CW is rude and a lie. The thing about ambition, Matt, is that it
            has to be balanced with capability, talent and reality. The world is
            full of the corpses of those with too much ambition and too little in
            the way of skills and common sense to fulfill it.

          • Steve says:

            Only one person talking twaddle here Aussie and that’s you.I,m from the the same era as Chris and i,m not offended by Matt’s comments and don’t think he’s being ageist. Get off your high horse mate,it’s a blog of differing opinions that makes it entertaining.I,m sure if CW had been offended he would have let the young whippersnapper know about it.

          • AussieBlue says:

            I’m not offended either Steve…I, like you, expressed a valid opinion to what I saw as the wayward opinion of another supporter. Ambition alone will not solve our problems – we need players, tactics, strategies and….money. I’m actually quite encouraged by recent signings.

          • Chris W says:

            I’m not offended apart from the fact I’m suppose to have no ambition.
            I am proud to have my memories, though some facts amy be slightly out, is that agism?, of days gone by and Matt will have his memories when he is older and talks to his grandchildren.
            I suppose we are all agists is some way, depending how you look at it, trouble with the world is there are too many isms and ists.
            I am in my sixties so to some I am old or aged, I prefered experienced and knowledged, and I am too long in the tooth to get upset, especially on here as I prefer to call it Bluesist or Bluesism, bit of banter.
            How we perceive ambition is different. I have pointed out in other comments I want BCFC in the premiership, but on a level playing field and not up to our eyeballs in debt. I fear for the day the financial bubble bursts or Sky and co move to other means, a lot of the top clubs will be in some deep financial do do, or if the sugar daddies find a new toy.
            Man U struggled last year and lost something like £170 million off their share price, they are reported to be worth around a £2 billion, with a debt of around £600 million, give or take a few noughts. Someone will put me right.
            KRO+DNM

          • dave mann says:

            well said Chris W . KRO.

          • tmsblues says:

            Would that be mr terry Hennessy , Chris? He was some player!

          • Chris W says:

            It was a relation of his, I remember Terry Hennessey the player really well, he was manager at Tamworth when I had a trial.
            KRO+DNM

          • tmsblues says:

            Tall fair thinning on top what skills he had. Used to come out at half time and to keepy up pies to entertain the 40000 plus attending. Happy days!

          • Geoff S says:

            Here’s one for tms and Chris W.

            First Blues side I ever saw was October 1967: (2-3-5 formation) Jim Herriot, Ray Martin, Colin Green, Ron Wylie (capt), Brian Sharples, Malcolm Beard, Barry Bridges, Geoff Vowden, Fred Pickering, Johnnie Vincent, Trevor Hockey. For what it is worth, Blues beat Rotherham 4-1 courtesy of a Bridges hat-trick with the other goal from Vowden.

            Sadly, I missed seeing Terry Hennessey play for Blues as he left for Nottingham Forest a couple of seasons earlier.

          • Chris W says:

            That was a good era for blues, we had some exciting players followed by the Francis era.
            KRO+DNM

          • Tony says:

            Terry Hennesey was a tall slim gifted player old fashioned wing half Welsh international.

          • Geoff S says:

            Blues fans I used to know who are sadly no longer with us and who were a few years my senior used to rave about how good Hennessey was.

          • Chris W says:

            40,000, those were the days, lift your legs and get carried out with the thong,
            Yes that was him, a character and gentleman, something the game lacks today.
            I remember fans climbing the floodlights and sitting on the roof when we had a reported 60,000 to watch us beat Tottenham.
            KRO+DNM

          • tmsblues says:

            Malcolm beard was in the same half back line. Great players! Think we had big Fred Pickering up front in those days too wth bridges on the wing……

          • Chris W says:

            Malcolm beard played with him but he joined Nottingham Forest around 1965/66 if I recall. Fred Pickering joined us around 66/67 about the same time as Barry Bridges.
            KRO+DNM

          • Staffs Blue says:

            Pickering was a cracking centre forward.. but he started as a full back at Blackburn, iirc.

          • Chris W says:

            Well you learn something new Staffs, I honestly never knew that.
            Thanks for the insight.
            KRO+DNM

          • Staffs Blue says:

            There’s hope for Caddis yet then. :)

          • Steve says:

            YES,i want to be top of the premiership winning every week. Bolton was a very important day.It was only great because of the last 3 or 4 minutes.I’ve seen too many of those days over the years and many of them haven’t had happy endings. So it’s winning things and being successful every time for me.

          • Chris W says:

            I have been to “The Theatre of Dreams”, Stamford bridge and Emirates, all those supporters have little passion, they expect to win week in/week out, they are glory hunters and couldn’t handle what we go through. I’d sooner be an Evertonesque team, great aspirations but happy with the knowledge they are a comfortable mid table Premier team.
            I want to see the best at St Andrews, I’d love to visit the Nou Camp, San Siro or Bernabéu Stadiums with Blues, I do in my dreams, but unfortunately we have to live for the present and until a rich Arab comes riding up Cattell Road on his camel we only have that dream.
            KRO+DNM

          • Geoff S says:

            Rich Arabs are surely more likely to travel by extremely expensive car but I do wish I’d been a little older so I could have seen players like Terry Hennessey and Bertie Auld turn out for Blues.

          • Chris W says:

            I don’t care what they ride, I’ll shovel up after them if they arrive.
            My Grandad use to speak about the Puska’s, Nat Lofthouses and Harry Hibbs, I wished I’d seen them too.
            We don’t get the characters in the sport anymore and that really is sad. Keepers sharing the banter or a sip of Bovril during a lull in play or players signing autographs at motorway services.
            KRO+DNM

          • AussieBlue says:

            Or a rich Aussie bouncing up Deritend on his kangaroo? :-)

          • tmsblues says:

            Terry Hennessy ?

          • Richard Granfield says:

            I would be interested in the views of Man.City fans regarding whether they would swop the unpredictability of winning the Premier League with the unpredictability of staying out of League 1!

          • Chris W says:

            As someone pointed out it is probably a generation thing, me personally are happy that BCFC do not have those sort of debts or being bankrolled by a mega rich oil Sheik.
            Those who remember playing at Main Road with Mike Summerbee ect don’t like what they see today. Some are enjoying the good times but I really dread the day Sky and co pull the plug for some new toy.
            I love football as a sport, and to me that is what is always will be.
            KRO+DNM

          • Andrew Pugh says:

            Totally agree, me and my son were at Harry potter world when we were playing Bolton with some friends (if I’d have known when we booked it that it was the last game of the season I wouldn’t have booked) but ill never forget the moment I saw my kid running round the corner in his blues top crying with happiness when caddis scored. I’ve been through a lot with blues and would love to be in the premier league but if we were such a great team moments like that wouldn’t be as special

          • Tony Knight says:

            I also saw my first matches in 61-62, thanks to My Uncle Terry. Blues were in Division 1 then (that’s the equivalent of the premiership to those new school fans) and had been for many years. They had regular internationals – had been in the FA Cup Final 5 years before, won the league cup against another minor team from Birmingham. I saw some exciting football too.
            I am a season ticket holder and travel from Southampton to Stans, have persuaded my son to become a bcfc fan (he’s now 30) – I wouldn’t swap being a bluenose

          • Chris W says:

            No matter where I have lived in the UK I have always tried to get to most games, the only time I struggled was from the Highlands of Scotland, hence my fondness of Inverness CT.
            As the song goes, “It’s in my blood and I’ll be there”.
            Over the years we have seen some great players and good teams, one day my dream will be to have great players form a great team and I have had my ambitions questioned…
            KRO+DNM

          • Steve says:

            Look back at some of your posts Chris and you’ll see why they’ve been questioned.

          • Chris W says:

            Maybe my ambitions are perceived differently. I will stand by not wanting to be a boring top of the premier type team.
            I do want to see BCFC competing in the premiership but on a level playing field and not going into debt excessively to do so.
            Would I have changed the last 50+ years never.
            Like the supporters on here I am a Blue and always will be, nothing will change that.
            KRO+DNM

        • Steve says:

          Ambition at Bolton ? More like pure relief.If our ambition is to just about stay in the Championship then why bother getting new owners in that may improve us? Let’s keep the Chinese and continue to struggle.We don’t want more days like Wembley do we ? We don’t want to watch the top teams and players at St Andrews.Let’s have more days of surviving on the last day before teams like Doncaster can’t better our results. It doesn’t get much better than that.

          • dave mann says:

            steve, to stay in the championship when we were 3 mins from league one was a big step in the right direction, and how many times do i have to keep correcting fans about what there saying…..the premiership not the championship, new owners not old owners, wembley not walsall, man.utd not rotherham united, surviving at anfield and not doncaster, that steve is much better dont you think!!!. KRO.and show more ambition.
            ….

          • Steve says:

            I was being sarcastic.That sounds good to me.

      • Alex T says:

        I too sometimes dispair at the lack of ambition from our own fans, as I think it filters through to the club and sets the clubs ambition. BUT, I would much rather have the highs and lows that we get at the Blues where every season seems to have either a relegation or promotion battle until the very last game than the tepid boring mid to lower half table finishes by that self proclaimed huge club across the expressway. They get effectively 2 thirds of a season, with nothing left to play for in the last third. We always squeeze every last ounce of entertainment out of ours. So whilst I am currently left more than a little disenchanted with our club, I would always much rather be and am proud to be A BLUE! :)

        • dave mann says:

          well said Alex T. kro.

        • Bluestaines says:

          Agree with your overall sentiments Alex, expect that you could say the threat of relegation until almost the last game has been with the Vile for the last three years. Mid table mediocrity would be a massive improvement for them at the moment. Don’t forget under Mcleish they stayed up with less points than we went down with the previous season.

        • AussieBlue says:

          Made me eyes watery reading that Alex. True Blue.

      • Gary says:

        Well said matt I agree with you mate.

  • Richard Granfield says:

    It was less than 10 years ago we had players such as Darren Anderton, David Dunn, Jesper Gronkjaer, Emile Heskey, Muzzy Izzet, Mario Melchiot, Walter Pandiani, Jermaine Pennant, Matthew Upson, Dwight Yorke and Andrew Cole on our books!
    Happy memories.

    • dave mann says:

      and not forgeting the great christophe dugarry, stan lazaridis, the legend thats robbie savage, king kenny cunningham and magic mikell forssell…we can only dream of getting players of that calibur until things get better….and they will,
      one day! KRO.

      • Tony says:

        Dugarry was in a totally different class to anyone we have ever had apart from Trevor Francis,(PRAISE BE TO HIM )

        • ian says:

          if you check the opta stats, birmingham city are the 22nd biggest club in the country, this was pre carson yeung.
          which is why my grand dad said to me nearly 50 years ago,
          blues have always been too good for the second division, but not quite good enough for the first,
          now you can call the leagues new names,
          you can take into account our time in the premiership, and the time in the old third division,
          but overall just like my grand dad and opta stated, if you look at our history, and average it out, over the years we are the 22nd biggest club in the country,
          how many teams in the premier league ?
          so when we beat villa 3-1 celebrate because we are punching well above our weight.
          sorry if it bursts a few bubbles, and i do remember francis latchford hatton finishing 10th in the first division, whilst villa played Macclesfield in the old 3rd division.
          but we are owned by penniless jokers, and have a reducing following
          the whingers, who miss dugarry are probably the same idiots who rioted to push gold and sullivan out.
          how’s that working out for you ?

          • dave mann says:

            to think ian that all those ambitious fans who wanted gold and sullivan out so that we could move to the next level, well, well done guys we have moved to another level…..the one below!!!
            be very carefull what your ambitions are , particuly the younger generation.KRO.

          • Chris W says:

            100% Dave.
            The trouble with the younger generation is too much football, we use to bet MOTD and the odd mid-week game, now you can watch football virtually 7 days a week and it is always the same teams.
            Sky and the TV companies have a lot to answer for, unfortunately with any league or cup you only ever get one winner and as much as you want it to be Blues games like the Arsenal wembley will come once every Blue moon for us, unlike Man C, Chelsea etc where they think they have the divine right.
            KRO+DNM

          • Bluestaines says:

            The fans didn’t force Gold and Sullivan out, they had been wanting to sell for some time but just hadn’t found anybody willing to give them enough money for the club until Carson came along. Their plan had always been to build the club up, sell for a large profit and then try and buy West Ham. Yes, they ran the club well, but supporters got fed up with the false promises, pretending to really care about the club and dubious stats about how much they had really spent etc.

          • dave mann says:

            how great those days were compared to now, and Bluestaines i said those ambitious fans wanted them out and did not force them out, they did well for us and all those false promises sound better than all those false carson yeung words that came out of his trap. KRO.

          • Bluestaines says:

            Apologies Dave, I didn’t mean to misquote you. I have seen others on here suggest they were forced out and I don’t agree that’s what happened. Yes, many did want them out and I was probably one of those that thought the club needed to move on at that time – for all sorts of reasons. Unfortunately, we have moved on in the wrong direction and I don’t pretend that things are better now – I don’t think many people predicted this when Carson took over – especially him! It started well enough but McLeish wasted the money he was given and then….well, we all know the rest.

          • dave mann says:

            no problem Bluestaines , and your right mate who would have though this on the monday after our carling cup victory that 3 years later wede be strugling with 3mins to go to stay in the championship and be on the verge of total turmoil, NOBODY.,KRO.

          • tmsblues says:

            I think my dad and his dad said the same… Blues real top second tier team but never have cut it for any length of time in the top tier! Without major investment this won’t change I guess but it won’t affect the ambition to beat expectations!

          • Geoff S says:

            Come on, Ian, when have Blues punched above their weight? They are certainly major under-achievers when compared with many other clubs from large provincial cities, but, as many other have said, the club nearly always seems to be run by those without sufficient ambition and vision.

          • Tony says:

            Ian I accept your figures without quibble bUt not sure of the point you trying to make

          • ian says:

            the point is tony some fans think we have a god given right to be in the premier league, and it is only poor owners keeping us out of it,
            last season we were the 16th best supported club in our division,
            but blues fans seem to want to find someone else to blame,
            the owners, lee clarke, tactics, home results,
            our home gate average was 2000 more than coventry,
            with wolves, forest, derby, leicester, all attracting 5000 or more fans,
            and i’m old enough to know that all the above clubs have an equal if not better claim to be a top flight club,
            we are where we are, it is what it is, and without investment, we are heading for relegation
            i’d take the 10 point deduction for admin tomorrow if we could get rid of BIHL
            then perhaps we might be able to compete with the above clubs

          • Tony says:

            Cant find much to disagree with there .

          • Tony says:

            Well my grandad died the day I was born ,must have some kind of premonition of doom lol collapsed holding onto a lamp post in Kyrwicks lane. But Im sure he would have said the same as yours.

        • dave mann says:

          see tony we do agree on some things and dugarry was a class apart from anybody else weve ever had along with our trev….
          well said tony. KRO.

        • tmsblues says:

          Frank worthingtonmaybe up there too!

      • Matt says:

        well done dave, you’re finally showing AMBITION.

    • Tony says:

      Anderton was a big let down Dunn although brilliant at times was always injured. Heskeys goal ration was 1 IN 4 Izzit got a serious injury almost immediately when he joined. Pandiani scored one wonder goal not much else York and Cole were finished, Gronkaer never showed much.
      Melchiot and Upson were decent players

      • tmsblues says:

        Spot on summary most of that crew overpaid were at the wrong end of their careers, injury prone and taking one last big payday! Shows there are big risks when you have money too cos you are often stuck with them for years! The ones given by Dave below show how it feels when you get it right!

    • Bluestaines says:

      I don’t recall too many happy memories relating to Gronkjaer, Yorke and Cole.

      • Steve says:

        Gronkjaer was a frustrating player.He’d get you off your seat and fail with his delivery.Beat people for fun but couldn’t cross a ball.

  • DoctorD says:

    The Marco Pierre White Steakhouse, eh? The knives will surely be out then. A dinner of Yeung rump with a side order of Barry Fries, followed by Pannu Cota.

  • KROSOTV says:

    I wonder if the new sponsors,if thats what it is,could give us a clue to who the potential new investors maybe,just wishful thinking,clutching at straws i suppose

  • Chris W says:

    Well said Dan, as usual the silence from the boardroom is deafening and boring. You have to feel for those at St Andrews as they are the ones who must be fed up to their back teeth taking the flak and having no answers to the normal running of the club.
    With respect to Division one players, some can and have stepped up to the plate successfully, Paul Caddis being our example.
    However, like with blooding youngsters, they need experienced, better quality players to around them and Blues lack both experience and quality, especially with the high earners being released.

    If you surround yourself with depressed people you soon fall into the same malaise. Lee Clark is doing the best he can and has to be admired because unless he has had some guarantees his position has to be in some doubt.
    As you say there are enough negatives, the fact we are at least signing and paying loan fees can only be good.
    KRO+DNM

    • Staffs Blue says:

      Good post Chris. According to Karl Robinson, Stephen Gleeson will be good enough to play in the prem… so he must surely be good enough for us. I think Lee Clark is a man on a mission.

      • Chris W says:

        Not going to change my mind on Lee Clark but he is our manager heading toward a new season and as long as he is I will support him, hopefully he learnt from last season and is trying not to be in the same position, so fair play to him. He is doing a job once again with, in my opinion, even more pressure because once a deal is signed he might be the first to be shown the door and all these deals will have been in vain. The plus point for the club is we can sell them on if need be.
        Gleeson had a good season at Dons and popped up with a couple of vital goals, might add that bit of fire we lacked in midfield, no disrespect to Huws, Adeyemi or Rielly, they were footballers not battlers…
        KRO+DNM

    • Chris says:

      If you surround yourself with depressed people you soon fall into the same malaise
      what do you base this disability discriminatory bias on Chris.

      • Tony says:

        Put it another way Chris If you act like a victim you become one.

      • Chris W says:

        I have worked in the same environment, have qualifications in psychology.
        Sorry if you feel it is a biased disability discriminatory comment I can assure you it was not meant to be.
        I work with Autistic young adults and as teachers in life skills we try to involve them around positive people all the time to lift them.
        When studying we were warned about falling into the same mindset as the people we were trying to help.
        KRO+DNM

        • Geoff S says:

          The human mind is an extremely complex thing but your posting was very interesting. However, surely nobody can be positive all the time.

          • Chris W says:

            That is why working with such people is so demanding because for 8 to 12 hours over 5 or 6 days, you have to be committed and positive at all times. The human brain never fails to amaze me, it is what makes us all so unique and our perception so different even when we see exactly the same thing.
            KRO+DNM

  • Agent McLeish says:

    Isn’t this the same steakhouse that was recently given a zero rating by Birmingham Environmental Health?

  • Staffs Blue says:

    Gleeson has signed on a 2 year deal.

    • Chris W says:

      Maybe that bit of fire in the engine room will allow Adeyemi and Rielly to stroke the ball around. We have lacked a ball winner which has heaped more pressure on the back four. And at least he is one of our own.
      KRO+DNM

      • Staffs Blue says:

        I think he’s more a playmaker Chris, with a touch of aggression. A ball player who’s not afraid to put his foot in where it counts. We’ve been missing that for a long time.

        • Chris W says:

          I think it is the aggression we have lacked so three ball players and one with the aggression, he has seen a few red cards in his career from what I have read.
          KRO+DNM

  • bluenoserob says:

    Gleeson seems the type to give 100% , wether he has the quality to play in the championship , i guess we will see.

  • ian says:

    i seem to recall mr wenger asking the football league if special permission could be given for fabrigas to collect the league cup even though he wasn’t in the squad,
    nobody thought blues would win, nobody

    • Geoff S says:

      All the more reason to mock the arrogant Wenger and his Arsenal swaggerers.

      • Tony says:

        Sorry but there is a lot of nonsense being talked here Arsenal play some fantastic football and Wenger is responsible for it he is a great manager.
        Yes beating them when we are underdogs always brings a great boost but please dont try to tell me anyone would not prefer watching that football to the dire stuff we dish up.
        Similarly Man untd were decimated by the munich thing and they rose from the ashes.

        • Geoff S says:

          Tony.

          The Arsenal side of the early 2000s (Bergkamp, Henri and the rest of the gang) represented the best club side I have ever seen. However, there is also a great degree of arrogance involved with that football club and its manager.

          The two things are not mutually exclusive. I cannot see how that is nonsense, although I would like to see Blues shut a few media mouths by becoming an established top flight club.

          • Tony says:

            Yes Have to agree a lot of arrogance is shown thats unfortunate, but tell me do you not enjoy a bit of swagger when you know you are better than the rest not just in football but in life?.

          • Geoff S says:

            I don’t regard myself as better than the rest in any walk of life and dislike swagger.

          • Geoff S says:

            Something I dislike even more is talk that it might be alright to have a provocative fascist like Di Canio managing Blues.

          • Tony says:

            Now tell me who mentioned Di Canio???? or Fascist

          • Geoff S says:

            Check your recent postings over the last couple of weeks.

        • Chris W says:

          Out of respect, it was the Munich Air Disaster and not a thing Tony,
          Sir Matt Busby built a team from players he begged, stole and borrowed and became legends. The modern United player would be fit to lace some of those boots, with a couple of exceptions. They also went down to the old division 3 too.
          I much prefered to watch the Arsenal of the Charlie George or Berkamp era’s than some of the dull tosh some teams play today.
          KRO+DNM

  • beegeeblueboy says:

    If Andy Walker uses excessive hyperbole them he deserves the flak when we are let down

  • williammorgan says:

    I liked blues being underdogs against arsenal ,and I would like to see them being under dogs against barca,…the players LC is after deserve their chance in the championship good luck to them

  • williammorgan says:

    I like LCs choice of midfielder Stephen gleeson ,he seems to me he could be another Craig Gardner or better ,very good passer ,tenacious ,and scores the odd 30yard screamer ..Grounds has earned a chance in the championship ,so has Hall…this spell of signing is giving me much needed hope KRO…..

  • mark says:

    Well brilliant definately right staffs Clark does appear to be man on mission striking while the iron hot. Always appears to work tirelessly for bcfc….getting the players he thinks will drive and make blues tick.
    Sorry chas I don’t have a aggressive bone in me , but I am passionate about the blues sorry if you blame me for that :-) …kro

  • mark says:

    Daniel you noted clark as limited, imo yes without funds……

  • mark says:

    Must have found some major funds, unless zig made a donation….

  • mark says:

    David Edgar from Burnley my mate who is a Burnley fan rates him decent defender….

  • Raymondo says:

    I bet all those armchair Liverpool supporters who wouldn’t even know the way to Anfield would not like to know that we beat their precious heroes in the old Second Division (now called The Championship) In December 1954 by 9 goals to 1 (yes NINE). Still their biggest ever defeat in the Football League before the fancy Sky Premier league made millionaires of some clubs and bankrupts of teams like Portsmouth. I have supported our “working class” club proudly ever since and do not see any reason to start moaning because of temporary problems. We’re still the only club in this area to win a major trophy in this century. As for being in europe didn’t we get to the Fairs Cup Final twice (a major trophy in the 60’s)

    • Steve says:

      It wasn’t really major at the time was it ? It was set up to promote fair trades.cities that held a trade fairs were invited to enter.

      • Raymondo says:

        I seem to remember we played Milan in the one final and AC milan in the other of our two Fairs Cup finals. Teams like Arsenal got knocked out. Mostly teams from major european cities were involved so they were no pushovers. Water under the bridge and a long time ago but we had some good Euro nights at Stans. My point really was that being a Blues fan hasn’t all been lowlights by any means.

        • Steve says:

          It was barcelona we played in the finals. It wasn’t an official tournament it was an invitational competition. But as you say it gave some good european nights. Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

          • Geoff S says:

            Wasn’t it Barcelona in 1960 and AS Roma the following year?

          • Steve says:

            I thought it was Barca both years. I may be wrong. We beat Milan at the San Siro one year and until United won there in 99. We were either the only team or the only british team to win there in european competition. Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

  • Raymondo says:

    I’m 71 and not much into computers but I try to keep up with you all. What I can’t understand is why I make a comment on here and after a short while it disappears into lots of comments made about 9 to 11 hours ago instead of remaining amongst the more recent ones. Is it because I’m on Google or could there be some other reason that I’m not seeing. I’d love to know why if some of you more clued up computer buffs could tell me.

    • Chris W says:

      Raymondo welcome. It could be that you are answering into a conversation that has several replies over a period of time.
      Like you I am not a computer buff, great when it works, bit like blues.
      Can I just say that the two finals in the inter cities fairs cup were between Barcelona losing 4-1 agg 1960 and losing 4-2 agg 1961 to Roma.
      It was prestigious back then and clubs were invited to play in the tournament.
      At 71 sir, you are entitled to forget certain facts but I bet you can still remember the emotions.
      KRO+DNM

      • Geoff S says:

        here’s one for Chris W and Raymondo.

        I am “only” 57 so was only a mere 6 year old in 1963 when Blues beat Villa in the League Cup Final of that year.

        Even though the League Cup wasn’t considered that much of a deal back then, it must have been fantastic seeing Trevor Smith lifting the trophy at Villa Park. I read one report which said there were at least 17,000 Blues fans there (about 40% of the overall crowd).

        Any thoughts?

        • Chris W says:

          I wasn’t allowed to go to Vile park but I remember the kids at school all wearing their shirts and bringing their rattles into school assembly.
          For those who never saw ne they were made of wood with a cog on the handle that spun round making a racket, and gave you a thick ear when caught by one.
          KRO+DNM

          • Geoff S says:

            I’ve still got a wooden Blues rattle. I can’t remember whether it was my dad or one of my brothers who made it but the noise it makes is quite incredible.

          • Chris W says:

            My Granddad made mine with a double Clapper in a box, that was loud. He gave it to my dad to paint, a lovely white handle and a sky blue body, when I pointed out it was wrong he just said “It’s Blue isn’t it”. He soon repainted it after a tantrum… I think they would be classed “Offensive weapons” now, and how many times did you get a smack round the ear by an over zealous scarf waver…
            KRO+DNM

  • Staffs Blue says:

    BM: Lee Clark has confirmed that Burke and Zigic are leaving the club. Oh well..


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