Often Partisan

Return of the Zig

It was widely reported yesterday that Nikola Zigic is back training at Wast Hills having seen his contract with Birmingham City lapse at the end of last season. The Serbian forward scored 36 goals in 148 games for Blues with his last goal for the club scored against Bolton as Blues survived the drop on the final day.

I’m not going to pretend I’m not biased – at the player of the year awards dinner I told Zigic that I wanted him to stay – and as such I’m ecstatic that there may be a chance of a deal for him. I know that he cost us a lot of money and that his goal return wasn’t as great as some people may have wanted but I do feel that he was talismanic for us and I don’t think anyone can deny that Ziggy scored important goals and played well in important games for us.

As I understand it, there is no deal on the table yet and if there was to be it would be at a vastly reduced offer to what he was on last season. In the past Blues have offered month long deals to older pros such as Paul Robinson and Stephen Carr as they have come back to fitness and I don’t think it would be much different in this case – I couldn’t see us offering a 34-year-old more than til the end of the season at the very most.

Whether Ziggy would accept that is a different matter – although he’s clearly not been inundated with offers and it’s known he wants to remain in England. One thing that I am curious about is that I believe Zigic still has to comply with work permit regulations as he’s not been here long enough to have got an English passport – if that is indeed the case I can’t see how he would fulfil the criteria but I’m sure the club will have that in hand if they wish to sign him.

Blues have got some striker issues at the moment with Wes Thomas suspended for the next three games and Clayton Donaldson apparently picking up a knock in training – not to mention Matt Green who appears to have been lost somewhere in the treatment room – meaning that we’re down to solely Lee Novak as a senior striker with Denny Johnstone and Luke Armstrong as back up from the u21s. Obviously Ziggy would be nowhere near match fit but I think it’s evident from the way we have played that even once Thomas and Donaldson are both back properly in the team we could do with someone else as an option of the bench at a minimum.

Whether it’s Zigic fever or something else something appears to have excited people about BIH shares as they have ended the day’s trading 28% up at HK$0.064 with over 800million shares traded. This is very intriguing as one would think if Carson had dumped some of the shares he had converted the price would drop – supply and demand – but it appears the reverse has happened. We won’t know for a few days if there has been a sale by a substantial shareholder as they have three days grace to file a disclosure notice but it confirms my belief that BIH aren’t going anywhere at this moment in time.

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99 Responses to “Return of the Zig”

  • steve n says:

    I would be thrilled if big ziggy came back its true he aint a record striker but as u said he pops up with important goals in the past i think if ziggy came back it would give us another option

  • Chris W says:

    Not a ziggy lover as he was too idle for my liking, that may have been down to the last manager.
    I will admit he scored some vital goals, but I wont put him as legendary in my book, mainly because of his attitude during games.
    He can offer options and be useful off the bench and GR could probably get the best out of him.
    It will be interesting to see what develops.
    KRO+DNM

  • Mr_Crosby says:

    Clark out and Zigic back all within a month, Mark will be pleased.

    • mark says:

      of course i will firstly he be training lot harder than previously, for a lot less money, contribute with a few goals no qualms from me lol

      • Mr_Crosby says:

        So Clark couldn’t get him to train?

        • Mr_Crosby says:

          Well done and takes a big man to admit that.

        • Adrian Duffen says:

          Lee Clark, once said to the press that ‘Zigic put in the laziest training display, he had ever seen by a professional player”

          • steve says:

            That was rubbish.

          • steve says:

            Even the players stuck up for him.

          • mark says:

            absolutely right Adrian, but GR wont accept this shit of any professional either so we have to wait, and see….

          • Adrian Duffen says:

            I must say myself that I always looked to see how he controlled the first pass he received to know how well he was going to play that day. If he controlled it well he was going to play well if poorly he would struggle. Only a personal view.

            I will always thank him for the games in the League Cup run, the winner against the Witton Wanderers, and how he changed things in the second leg of the Semi, and his part in winning the Final against the Arses!

            Plus the first goal in the last game of the season, when we were dead and relegated….. The rest as they say is history.

            I have to say I would love him to come back and help us up the league this season.! and maybe the next couple too.

          • steve says:

            You really don’t know what you’re talking about Mark.

  • Dave mann says:

    Ime quite exited about it to mr Crosby kro

  • Richard Granfield says:

    To put the share price into context there are 12.17HKD to the £ Sterling. Or to put it another way 1HKD is worth 8p.
    Therefore the current share price of 0.064HKD equates to 0.5 of a penny.
    Or have I got my sums wrong?

  • Mark says:

    Does he play guitar?

  • Mineheadblue says:

    Personally, I would be very happy if the Zig were to come back. I agree that his goal return wasn’t all we had hoped but I also feel that he is important as a talisman with the fans. He will always give defenders something to think about and is very effective coming off the bench.
    If he can agree a deal, I think it could be money well spent.

    With regard to the shares, we have not moved forward from this ridiculous merry go round and nothing surprises me anymore!

  • Naime Rehman says:

    What is the latest with Matt Green I heard he is back in training, can anyone confirm this as I think he would give us an extra option up front.

  • edd77 says:

    I’d say of course he’d accept any offer after the arsenal move broke down lol, I wouldn’t be a fan of this move but I am a fan of rowett so if he thinks zigic can do a job then fair enough!

  • TommyBlue says:

    Very happy, would be a great signing. Hopefully someone with more tactical nous in Rowett will get even more out of him. We have to look past the aesthetics and realise his effectiveness that has helped us in many, many games. Let’s face it, without him we’d be in League One with no Carling Cup to our name.

  • Tony says:

    Iam convinced Gr would get more out of the zigg than the moronic one ever did. he always turned it on when it mattered.
    Hope a deal can be sorted.

  • Tony says:

    altitude and attitude

  • Big Al says:

    Has there ever been a more effective substitute? Sounds like a win win to me.

  • Mrs Crosby says:

    Zigic causes confusion in opposition defences. Defenders are oblivious to the fact he rarely scores with his head, so often double up to mark him. This opens up gaps for other players to exploit. If he comes back on reasonable wages, fits in with Rowetts game plan and we don’t go back to lumping the ball up to him, then I think fans would be happy. I would welcome him back.

  • Oldbluenose says:

    Talking on the subject of Zigic;, Despite the knowledge of he liked ball to feet, the tactics seemed always to lump the ball into the box at all times,?. Surely G,R. is much more tactically aware than that, !!.
    If G,M. does decide to utilize him, we could be certain he would use big zig, in a more practical fashion,?.

  • mark says:

    like i said in your previous blog Daniel….Rowett will be simpler to the previous manager wont stand any silliness or poor training from any player. As for return this would give Ziggy opportunity to give a high return but for a lot less money……kro

  • mark says:

    dress rehearsal for playing widow twankey in Aladdin hey tony…lol

  • StaffsBlue says:

    My only problem with Zigic wasn’t his wages as such, but value for money. I don’t think we’ve ever really had that from him apart from the odd game here and there. But, I’m not against him coming back on £10k or less. I think we’ll probably will get VFM this time.

    • Shirley Blue says:

      £60k pw wasn’t completely over the top for a current international in the Premier League and at the time was probably affordable. The mistake was not to build in a relegation clause in given it was a four year contract. You would think someone earning nearly £1m pa in consultancy fees from the club might have thought of that wouldn’t you. He hardly played after the Carling cup final due to injury. If he hadn’t I don’t think we would have been relegated that season.

      • StaffsBlue says:

        I have to agree with that. But as I said, £60k p/w wouldn’t have been a problem if he’d been a £60k p/w player. In my opinion, he rarely was. He might still be worth more than the players we have now… but not much more. Like I said, at £10k or less, we should get our money’s worth this time, even if it’s mainly off the bench.

        • Luke says:

          No footballer deserves £60k a week. That’s three years wages for a nurse. Footballers are guys who kick a ball around (often badly, without commitment to their employer) in a sport that is inexplicably popular and, because of the EU’s ultimate wisdom (with the Bosman ruling) can basically write their own pay-cheques.

        • Shirley Blue says:

          One thing about Zigic is that every time he really got going for us he tended to get injured. He got 4 goals at Leeds under Hughton then got injured in the same match and we didn’t see him again for a good long while. We were still in with a chance of automatic promotion then. He and the previous manager obviously didn’t click possibly because LC didn’t like the fact Ziggy earned about ten times more than he did each week and therefore made a very good scapegoat.

          • StaffsBlue says:

            There was good and bad with him I suppose. He’s scored some important goals for sure, but we won the cup, then he was out until the following season. Then, as you say, he was out for quite a while under Hughton. Isn’t he supposed to have chronic back trouble too? I think at under £10k p/w, it’s worth a punt, anymore than that and I’d say it wasn’t worth it.

  • Dave mann says:

    86 per cent of blues fans would love him back according to the mail and ime certainly one of them….he got a lot of stick and rightly so on some occasions for not putting a shift in because of his 60k a week but he was an icon in my eyes and scored important goals and by resigning on far less money and putting a blues shirt back on again a lot of fans will show him a lot more respect and cheer in on to making cameo substitute appearances and maybe scoring the odd goal or three and cement is legend properly by giving is all and getting back on the side of those fans that who doubted is commitment…..I know he’s not got a club but he’s our Nicola zigic and ide love it to have him back again.lol.kro.

  • Andy says:

    I love the idea that the HKSE is in the grip of Zigic fever.

    I’d be happy to see him back at the club.

  • Swedish Bluenose says:

    I have never understood the greed of football players, perhaps it is because I am born Swedish. However, if Nikola Zigic earned 60k per week over four years with Birmingham City it amounts to some 12.5 million pounds altogether.
    The big man is already a hero at St Andrew’s. Why doesn’t he make himself a super hero by coming out saying: “I have got so much in my career from the club, for example a big trophy. I want to give back something to the club so I play for free if you want me.”
    He must have so much savings so that he can be sure that he and his family can live good forever without him working.
    Nobody has probably done that type of thing because money talks even for the very, very rich ones.
    But then he would win so much sympathy, not only in the UK but all around the football world. However, I doubt he would do that, because every football player – perhaps with the exception of David Murphy – are greedy. So let’s offer him a pay-as-you-play contract like we did with Darren Anderton.

  • Bluenosesol says:

    When Ziggy was on £65k+ per week, I used to say he was worth no more than £5k per week. So lets sign him!!!

    • mark says:

      it be interesting if he puts the effort for that salary, hopefully we will see which party commits…..
      has GR seen any hunger in there, otherwise it be a wave goodbye for good…imo

  • blue lizard says:

    No problem with Zigic as long as hes fit enough…We are woefully light upfront and I don’t think waiting for the emergence from the treatment room of Green is going to make a difference he looked out of his depth before s injury although Zigic is never going to bag you 20 a season hes a handful and does pop up with important goals like him or not..I think GR will be looking at Zigic and maybe another “loan” striker to get some competition and options…I have a better feeling about survival now than before LC went…

  • Chas says:

    Another of our Ex-Players.. Keep the comments clean, please.:-)

    Peter Lovenkrands

    @lovenkrands11

    Today i Announce my retirement as a football player, I am proud of all the things I have achieved in my career

  • Dave mann says:

    He can certainly be proud of his achievements at blues!!!!!….,..Peter who????

  • blue says:

    he’s coming home,he’s coming home,he’s coming, Ziggy’s coming home.

  • Lee says:

    Goes to show how desperately bad blues must be when fans get so excited over a player that cost in excess of 16m and scored 36 goals in 4 years, 450 grand a goal, and you call him talismanic, you sound like the blind leading the blind, every game last season was an important game and he produced 8 goals and was dropped for the worst training ever witnessed by a professional footballer, sometimes you write some great stuff, sometimes you talk utter garbage, every other set of fans laugh about him, that guy let us down badly, very badly, 4 years of not producing and his stats include 2 seasons in the championship, very amateur blind piece wrote with rose tainted specs, oh don’t tell me, he scored against the vile, get a grip son

    • Dave mann says:

      Take it your not a fan lee…..£16 million over 4.years in transfer fee and wages is a lot of money BUT in that time we won our only MAJOR trophy at wembley played in Europe , scored major MONEY generated goals in massively inportant games…the problem lee is that zigic likes ball to feet than ball to head and we NEVER played to his strengths, and by the way if you believe Clark on the crap training attitude then I think you need to get a grip son… See you on nicolas born again debut?? No thought not!!!!

      • Lee says:

        So, what would you call an ‘important’ game? For me every game is just as important, he was in the twilight of his career, someone the younger lads should look up to, he scored 8 goals, Donaldson has scored 5 so far, the problem isn’t that he wants the ball to feet, the problem is he is lazy, the problem is with his lack of application, he doesn’t deserve to play for us again unless it’s for free, you can get all excited about two goals he scored but that don’t cut sh*t with me, massively overrated by a section of our fans because of two goals, the truth is his record is abysmal, he couldn’t score goals in the championship under hughton so don’t use Clark as an excuse, we needed that guy to step up and perform last season and he couldn’t have tried less if he lay down and went to sleep, before he scored the goal against the vile the whole top section of the Gil merrick wanted him subbed, he was non existent constantly, and yep, I’ll be there even if he does play again, as usual

        • Chris W says:

          I admit we are pretty desperate on the striker front, but I really don’t think Ziggy is the answer.
          When he played we became one dimensional, big boot up field. Even when we tried to play to his strengths, his feet, he rarely chased a ball it had to be directly to his feet.
          We have had some lazy players, Darren (Sick note) Anderton springs instantly to mind, and for me Ziggy sits alongside him.
          Legendary status puts him alongside TF, Stan Lynn, Gil Merrick, Frank Worthington etc, Ziggy couldn’t lace their boots.
          For me he was just another average player who never played to his potential, if he returns and dons the Royal Blue I shall support him as I do any player, if he scores I will clap and cheer, the same as any goal scorer for the team.
          KRO+DNM

        • Tony says:

          Then the top section of the Gill Merrick stand were wrong

        • Dave mann says:

          The thing is lee I agree with the statistics that one goal in four games is not good enough for a striker we payed £6 million for but over the last four years I’ve just grown to love him as a player and at the end of the day it’s not is fault he was on 60k a week but scoring against the villa, scoring in the cup final, sticking four past Leeds and destroying Bolton with a goal and an assist on that last day of last season makes it all worth while for me to be honest..and anyway what do the top of the gill merrick stand no about zigic anyway, it’s always bloody empty and the fans in there on that night probably haven’t been down St. Andrews since wembley so there opinion don’t count for nothing me old china!!!!….LOLxxxxxxxxxx

        • TR7 says:

          You’re the only one on this forum talking sense Lee ! I’ve just read the above comments heralding the return of ‘the zig’ and ‘Ziggy’ etc with a heavy heavy heart. He was the biggest , most expensive disaster EVER to hit our club ! Yes he got a couple of important goals but week in week out he was a total liability when he was lumbering around on the pitch. Reffs never afforded him any protection at all , he was pulled from pillar to post by every centre half in the land with no justice due to his size and style , and when he managed to win the occasional header ( very occasional ! ) the reffs would usually blow up and award free kicks against him ! On top of that ( which basically meant that we were a man down when he played ) we had to sell Foster , Dann , Johnson , Gardner , Redmond and Butland ( to name a few ! ) JUST TO PAY HIS WAGES ! I don’t blame Zigic by the way , it’s not his fault . But to even have him back watching in the stands would be enough to make me cry . He was utter , utter rubbish !

      • ChrisG says:

        Dave l’m sure that the majority of Ziggys important goals were scored with his head!!!

    • Tony says:

      Lee I Think you can safely ignore the rubbish Clark put out.

      • Lee says:

        Clark made quite a serious accusation, if it wasn’t true I think zigic would have had a completely different reaction to the complete silence and apology afterwards, if people want to make themselves look ridiculous, and in honesty from a football point of view, look completely clueless by making this guy a ‘blues legend’ for scoring two goals then get on with it, but I’m more interested in facts, and facts are that for the other 140 odd games his return, comittment, desire were not even average, very poor player that let our club down when it really mattered, last season we needed goals, we needed blokes in the trenches, the first half against Bolton Alan mcinallys exact words were he can’t even be bothered to run, his performance is a disgrace, that for me sums up his four years at blues

        • Dave mann says:

          What the f–k does a vile t–t no about zigic…oh sorry I didn’t realise that that knob was an expert on tactics and I wonder what he said at the end of the second half when he pretty much single handedly kept us up , 5,000 blues fans chanting is name at the end must al be plebs hey lee!!!… What I would say is judge what the fans think and not some fat vile t—s opinion,unbelievable!!!

        • steve says:

          Zigic was M O M against Bolton Lee.He was brilliant. Do you think Clark would have left him on if he wasn’t bothering?

      • mark says:

        likewise about yourself old china…

        • Dave mann says:

          The thing is mark we were there and saw it for ourselves and our reaction was far more impressive than mcanallys and propably contained more quality…hail the return of king zigic the great and long may he continue to be the biggest waste of money and lazziest piece of s–that’s ever worn a blues shirt,wish he had never came here now and signed Alan mcanally instead!!

    • bluenose11 says:

      tallimanic does not mean prolific or even good it means that the fas are galvanised by him the feel good factor goes with him and us the fans (or 86% of us) feel more confident and bouyant when hes part of the club meaning the atmosphere will be better and that translates directly onto the pitch

      kro

      • Lee says:

        86% my atse, 86% of fans that took part in whatever poll you’ve taken part in, and you contradict yourself by saying he’s galvanised fans because I know of quite a few that are happy to see the back of the clown, if you like him fair enough, I personally don’t like crap players that don’t put any effort in

  • bluenose11 says:

    the return of zigic would be a masterstroke in my opinion purely for the feeln good factor to increase in momentum and hopefully having a possitive impact on not only the team but the club in general bring ziggy back he offers more than just a pressence and the odd goal

    kro

  • Rob says:

    Zigic gets hero worship off my son and daughter. I took them to their first night game and Ziggy came off the bench in the second half, pole axed one of the opposition, got a red card card and promptly ended up back on the bench. It truly was the highlight of an aweful game but somehow hooked us a couple of little blue noses. KRO

  • steve says:

    I,m chuffed he might be coming back.Play the ball into his feet more and we’ll see what he’s about.

  • mark says:

    if we have any chance of getting Ziggy he needs his agent to do one…..

  • John says:

    So now that he and his agent, have sussed that nobody else wants him, he’s willing to play for Blues. As he has become a multi millionaire playing for Blues ,he should offer to play for expenses only.

  • Tony E says:

    He’s no longer playing international football, so not sure how he could qualify for a work permit. Also, if we could get round that obstacle, how long would it take him to get match fit? Don’t get me wrong, I liked the big lump and on the right level of contract he would be of benefit to the team, even if it’s to come on from the bench, hoping to make an impact.

  • Bluenosegaz says:

    I liked Zigic but in my opinion I think we need a player that is a bit more mobile how long will it take for him to get fit plus will we revert back to the long ball if he signs for blues.

  • Bluenosesol says:

    Ziggy was never worth any where near the money we paid for him. His signing wont signal a goal glut from the man either. I would have gotten rid early doors, in fact I would never have signed him……however, he was the clown who nevertheless became a big hit with the fans due to his fortunate timing of rare moments of success. All in all and on balance, the supporters are desperate to love someone again, to provide a spark of unity and get the momentum going. I say for £5k per week or similar pay as you play then SIGN HIM!!

  • ChrisG says:

    Dan i’m sure I read a while ago that Zig was going to apply for British citizenship, i’m not sure of the ins & outs of that but if he did then he wouldn’t need a work permit would he?

  • Dave mann says:

    He’s a certified brummie in my opinion so that and the fact his family are settled here should be enough for citizenship so what’s the hold up.kro

    • TR7 says:

      Certified Brummie ?…. Family settled ? what the hell are you talking about Dave ? Certified loser , kids at private school in the area , the man’s presence crippled us ! I honestly can’t be bothered to repeat (yet again ) the whithering facts about the damage done by the expenditure involved by employing this ‘player’ but suffice to say he was (in summary) DISASTROUS !.. We had to sell absolutely EVERONE to pay his wages ( not his fault , I know) but God Almighty what a bloody millstone he was . As for upsetting defenders , you are joking ? for 10 minutes maybe , then they sussed him . Pulled him over ( no fouls ever given ! ) and basically got on with their game . Useless , useless player. There’s people on this forum ( Oh sorry Almijir , BLOG ! ) that say he’d be okay for £10,000 a week !…. TEN THOUSAND POUNDS A WEEK ?…. A fortune ! For what exactly ? and don’t even go down the Talisman road for heaven’s sake.

  • RichardM says:

    If you look back at the investment / goal return, you would have to conclude that Blues spent way too much on Zigic. However, all Blues fans know that on his day there is no one better as a “shock troop” off the bench to change the tide of a match, and certainly no one in the Championship.

    I suspect the reason he didn’t sign a new contract at the back end of last season was not the money, but the fact that Clark was still in charge and he didn’t fancy playing for him.

    If we can get him on £5 – 10K a week or some pay as you play deal, I think Blues would be mad not to have him as an additional weapon in our armoury. Let’s face it, he probably doesn’t need the money any more!

  • mark says:

    looks like moussi may be given a short contract, if this is so what a lovely gesture by THE PLAYER to donate some of that money to Charity…….

  • StaffsBlue says:

    Guy Moussi has signed on for 2 months.

  • Dave mann says:

    Agreed staff but I wouldn’t change to much for Rotherham, apparently Donaldson might miss the game along with Thomas so up front it’s Novak ahead of Johnstone for me so as it stands ide pick …..Randolph, caddis, grounds, Morrison, Robinson, Davis, glesson, cotterill, shinnie, gray, Novak so novak for Donaldson and gray for Arthur using same formation and stick moussi and Johnstone on the bench….can’t wait for Saturday and my first visit to the New York stadium . Lol,kro.

    • mark says:

      Randolph, caddis, grounds, Morrison, Robinson, Davis, gleeson, cotterill, Arthur, gray, Novak
      subs Reilly,moussi,johnson,edgar,doyle

      • Dave mann says:

        You’ve got Arthur in for shinnie but otherwise the same team mark…i just think that under rowett shinnie looks a different player and Arthur was bullied at wolves so that’s why I’ve gone that way but no problem mate as long as we’re coming back from Rotherham with three points and out of the bottom three, lol,kro.

  • glosblue says:

    On the subject of Zigic, the stats have shown in the past that our results have always been better when he was playing. It’s not only his goals tally but also his assists. His presence in the box was enough to tie up 2 opposition defenders and if refs took more notice of his being held down at set pieces we could have had a few more penalties. At present, the majority of crosses/corners are easily dealt with, because our strikers are too small compared with opposition defenders. Also, don’t forget his contribution to our defence when he was often a towering presence.

  • Dave mann says:

    Glosblue, that’s about one of the best summing up of zigic we’ve had so far… His sheer presence on the pitch upset two defenders and is assists were massive so if and it’s a big IF we and he can agree a deal then it’s a no brained for me and if anybody disagrees with that then they’ve been sitting on there arse for four years!!!!…lol&kro.

  • Lee says:

    The fact the giraffe may not get a permit because he no longer plays at international level is music to my ears and just about the best thing I’ve heard since he started aimlessly wandering around our training complex, Infact it’s a good thing for English football in general that he may never get a game in it again, god bless The Lord!

    • Dave mann says:

      You really don’t like him do you lee, your judge of character and football knowledge is very limited to
      Put it mildly….I heard he trained very well today, hope he returns for your sake ,here’s thinking if you kid!!

  • Wingman Blue says:

    I hope he returns, I really do. I said after Clark’s disgraceful public vilification of him that one of the pair had lost the plot, and it wasn’t Zigic. Gary Rowett would get the best out of him, not the worst, and that physical presence and threat to a defence, like Redmond, would occupy two defenders and give other players the chance to score.

    Fingers crossed…

  • Singapore Brum says:

    In my 50 years of supporting Blues, we had won nothing of note until Zigic and Martins scored those goals that won us our first serious silverware in 134 years of history. For that reason alone, Zigic will always be a hero. On the whole though, he was a lazy bugger who never jumped for a ball and have away far too many fouls. Pay as you play is all we should go for.


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