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Gossip Folks – Summer 2013 Edition – Pt II
It’s been a busy first week of the transfer window for Birmingham City with Nathan Redmond departing for Norwich City in a £3.2million deal whilst Kyle Bartley and Dan Burn arrived on season long loan deals and Matt Green joined on a Bosman.
You can find an updated version of my spreadsheet here, as I have continued to track stories of players signing for and departing Blues.
With Redmond having departed, I think the chief story of the summer has happened on the outgoings front. I think the big question now is if the four players who have been listed for free transfer – Marlon King, Peter Lovenkrands, Hayden Mullins and Darren Ambrose – will leave the club in the next five weeks. I’m not sure whether there is anything in King and Lovenkrands being left out of pre-season training in Ireland and as yet I’ve not seen even a sniff of a rumour of their departures.
Two players who have not been included on the incoming front are Mark Little, formerly of Peterborough United and Julian Gray, formerly of Nea Salamina Famagusta (and of course once a Blues player). As far as I am aware both players are currently using the facilities at Wast Hills to help them get fit and neither are being considered as signings – however, should there be reports of that changing I will of course update the spreadsheet.
I have a suspicion though that we will see a fair few trialists at St Andrews as Lee Clark continues to look at raw talent to bulk out his squad at first team and development squad level. At this point last year I can remember Blues having five or six trialists at the club looking to win contracts (none of whom did so) and it wouldn’t surprise me to see a similar figure this season.
As always, if you see a story I have missed please let me know and I will add it in to the spreadsheet. I’m intending to release another update next Monday.
Tags: Darren Ambrose, Hayden Mullins, Julian Gray, Mark Little, Marlon King, Peter Lovenkrands
78 Responses to “Gossip Folks – Summer 2013 Edition – Pt II”
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I am like any blues fan great sadness to see Nathan go………
As I mentioned before Clark has moved swiftly to get burns and Bartley……….fantastic
if Marlon and shabba move on we are all aware this is generally to do with finances………..
Having Darren back well he got a lot to prove, but fans should give him a clean slate hopefully he got clean bill a health. He’s needs to demonstrate why we paid decent money for him ……….. Clark mentioned why he was keeping Ambrose and Mullins as they both give him more options in playing positions…………….
http://www.101greatgoals.com/blog/west-brom-seek-compensation-after-chelsea-net-16-year-old-starlet-izzy-brown-birmingham-mail/? makes you lol he diehard blues fan.
Just another big club robbing the talent of the club who developed the player. Par for the course these days.
We did that to Derby..
http://www.bcfc.com/news/article/20130707-captains-log-day-one-899840.aspx? great to see robbo getting stuck to his job role………………..
Captain’s Log. Just a bog standard report then? lol Sorry, resisted that until now.
beam me up Scottie lol star
Aye aye Cap’n! *ching*
blues fly out to Ireland, and face shamrock on Monday at 8pm……..kro
Dan- staffsblue noted MK Dons fixtures what date is this taking place??
I think Lee Clark mentioned Wednesday, but it’s just a behind-closed-doors game I believe.
Look at the 2nd item down… under “Clark on his own plans for the game.”
http://www.bcfc.com/news/article/20130707-the-preview-shamrock-rovers-v-blues-900036.aspx
spot-on staffsblue great to here Clark setting the tone, obviously no moaning from Ziggy must be enjoying himself…………….
I was listening to Dan Burn and he was saying how enjoyable training is. He also said that if one player can’t be bothered, it affects the rest of the squad. So maybe Ziggy’s got the message now.
cheers mate, did chuckle about their mascot hooperman………wait until our mascot gets hold of him lol
olly lee had a good game, with all the fuss regarding Clark and olly father when we first bought him to blues. Hope he proves many fans wrong………….he got a brother 18 who plays for westham maybe we should ask Robert if he worth a punt…………….
I’ve been saying this since last season. We don’t know enough about him. Just because he came from Barnet, doesn’t make him crap. He captained the developement squad last season, then scores a cracker on Saturday. So he can’t be that bad.
olly definately not Cr*p imo if he turns out to be half as good as his father then it was the right reasons for blues. He wants to keep improving his game, he see himself as play-maker. All good imo
Does anyone know if that lad Courtney Cameron is coming back for a further trial? I heard he had played well as a left winger when here previously at the end of last season. From the reports he seemed like a decent bet for the development squad with some potential to develop further.
it be interesting tonight against shamrock whether Clark plays all 21 players??
I used to really rate Julian Gray,
wonder how he’s developed
He went down the leagues, ended up at Walsall, then he left the country I think. He’s now 33. Last time I rated Gray, he was at Palace.
WHAT ?? He was a wimp .
tonight affair with shamrock is not going to be a walk over imo
Tbh, I’m surprised they haven’t signed Fahey.
Did fahey not make some comments that he not been fit for over three years who would sign him??
He was training with Shamrock last season… and he reckons he’s fit now. Surely worth a punt back in Ireland.
I can only think this comes down to player wage demands??? shamrock is the top team in ireland.
I believe this will be a good work out tonight win or lose imo… would nice to keep the run going mind you. Cannot beat a winning mentality……………
Not sure if I heard correctly, but I thought I heard Lee Clark say that Shamrock were halfway through the season. I’m sure someone will correct me if I’m wrong. If it’s true, they will be a stern test.
burns and bartley will get a run out tonight, and so will green hopefully he get on the score sheet it will do his confident world of good.
shamrock will be a tough test and they are in there league season. went to alfreton saturday,
great day 500 blues fans and about 250 alfreton fans, had 2 ends of the ground.
olly lee stand out player looked good, also shinnie looks quality. we didnt have 2 halves we
had 4 quaters it was that hot KRO.
dave- did not think koby had a good game?
yes he played well got plenty of pace but i was just shocked by how good olly lee looked
took is goal well and passed to our players which was a raerity last season.KRO,
could he be other gem !! having a 5 man midfield I truly think we pass better, and attack better……
yes his goal was cracker……… whats great Dave is about the lad he wants to keep learning, as do all the players, and I find this very refreshing………hopefully days are gone of the moaning,and refusing to do the training.. Imo once the fans realize what all these players are about, that they have the hunger and desire we should see many more fans willing to have a punt in watching our team hopefully…….kro
http://www.bcfc.com/news/article/20130705-capital-one-cup-ticket-offer-896788.aspx? we are really pushing the boat out now. buy one get one free………..great news by bcfc lets make some noise down the stans………..kro
It is an initiative by the sponsors for all clubs. But shoudl make it half decent crowd-wise.
Central midfield will be very competitive this season. If we play 3-5-2 then we can perm any 3 from Reilly, Elliott, Arthur, Lee, Shinnie, Burke, Adeyemi and Ambrose.
Ravel may not be a priority and obtaining a starting left wing-back (Ferguson comes to mind) will be.
Hancox and Murphy are yet to prove that they can operate in the wing-back position.
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/birmingham-city-fc-pre-season-training-4881849? from the pictures it look wicked……………lol queen victoria stay in Chinese room bless her………..
All the players smiling… except one. He must really hate getting £60,000+pw lol
Maybe clark ask him to wash the top of the coach lol …… How can you not smile maybe wife gone for a spar………
Paul (VOR) if you are there i am in envy of you mate………………….
3-5-2 is certainly the way that lee wants to go and that sounds fine by me, but it could be
difficult to find a place for burke in a central 3 with eardley and murphy as wing backs.
randolph, eardley, bartley, robinson, burn, murphy, riley, adeyemi, shinnie, asante, green.
if you think that that team as no burke, hancox, packwood,lee, novak, zigic and others
who are still with us that dont look a bad squad for me and we did knock the ball around
nicely with 5 in midfield.kro,
Burke played in a central midfield role at Alfreton and did well. Burke has the advantage of being able to drift out wide from a central position and deliver a telling cross and has a powerful shot in either foot and scores goals.
It’s certainly looking very good. Left midfield (Ferguson) and possibly a covering right back is maybe all that’s needed now I think. Not sure if Higgins is up to that level yet.
i agree richard i would play burke every time and he did ok saturday, but lets see what lee does.
i just think it stiffles him thats all! KRO.
Dave…Lee in a recent interview said that his best position was as a holding midfielder i.e playing deep and picking up short passes from the back 3 and spraying the ball to the strikers.
Burke and indeed Shinnie are attacking midfielders so definitely won’t stifle Lee if all 3 start against Watford.
I cant see the point in playing Burke ( probably the best wideman in the division season before last )in a central midfield role, goals come from the wing down to the byeline then get in across.
Tony……You are absolutely right about Burke, but Clark looks like he is going to play 3-5-2, which means we will not be playing with wide midfielders (wingers). We would need to play 4-4-2 for that. Are Burke’s defensive skills good enough for him to play wing-back? I don’t believe so, quite apart from losing his attacking qualities by playing him there.
Courtney Cameron played with my mate when they were kids at Northampton Town he looked good when he was younger.. Think he will make a move to Rotherham permenant that’s where he was last season on loan
3-5-2 destroyed us every time last year, maybe that’s why Clark is testing it out.
it was mentioned on many fronts saturday including my son that the ferguson loan is as good as
sorted so hopefully thats true! also again i agree with tony that one of the best wide men in the
league is better out wide than a midfield 3, but were see and to be fair staffs higgins didnt look
to bad on the left against alfreton but ofcourse if ferguson comes not a problem.kro.
Great start on Saturday – back to real business instead of ‘Court Carson’
Shamrock will be a stern test as they are Ireland’s top team and have lots of Euro experience. Just the sort of warm up we need. Bit puzzled about how we can manage to afford a trip though? Any ideas?
nooooooooo not julian grey!!!!!
I do not take the slightest bit of interest in pre-season matches. They mean nothing, show nothing and prove nothing. I am hoping however, it does allow Clark a chance to actually get to know his squad this time around. I feel that is where he was sorely lacking last season, in trying to fit and in some cases buy square pegs for round holes. If he does 3-5-2 I would be feeling that the Burke debate aside we have a much better look to us.
Randolph
Eardley R/WB
Murphy L/WB
Burn L/CB
Spector C/B
Bartley R/CB
Adeyemi CM
Burke R/CM
Shinnie L/CM
Novak CF
Green CF
With Subs of Doyle, Robinson, Lee, Hancox, Reilly, Ambrose or Zigic looks good on paper, but lets jsut hope they can do something on grass!
good looking side but i think robinson as captain will be c/b and id love to see asante start at c/f but
its all down to opinions and were wait and see.KRO.
I was thinking that at first… that I couldn’t see Robinson, as captain, being left out of the first game. But reading the comment again, I think Pete was referring to tonight’s match, not the start of the season, as I first thought.
No I am not. I am saying what side I would play. I think Robinson will have a lot of uses, but I would not have him in my best XI, and therefore captain or not he ould not be in the side. I appreciate that it probably wont happen based on Clarks call as captain, but there you have it. An opinion about playing matters!
As for who I would have as captain in that side it is without a doubt Murphy….. Or Spector… Or Burke….
Looks a good side Pete. Only thing I would disagree with, is playing Burke inside. He’s a decent wide man in a 4-4-2, but I don’t see him as a central midfielder at all. Can’t remember the match off the top of my head, but he played in there last season and was woeful (not saying everyone else wasn’t that day either.) I just remember thinking at the time, he ain’t no CM.
Think you hit the nail on the head. In a 4-4-2 he cannot play centre mid and he also can’t play as an out and out centre mid. BUT in a 3 man midfield I think he would be superb on the right side.
I’d be quite happy to be proved wrong Pete. Anything for the good of the team!
A bit of trivia and predictions re. which shirt numbers the players will wear:-
Randolph number 1
Doyle 13
Eardley 2
Bartley 5
Robinson 4
Burn 6
Murphy 3
Burke 7
Lee 20
Zigic 19
Green 9
Shinnie 10
Elliott 15
Asante 21
Those are my predictions waiting for the official news.
Judging by some of the doom and gloom I have seem about 1 player I am suprised we are not asking to rest the number 22 and never use the number again…
Who would that be? :-) I’m sorry, I don’t believe in all that sentimental twaddle. Imagine if the number 8 had been retired?
So you wont second me in trying to get a minutes applause in the 22nd minute of every match then Staffs ? :-)
Absolutely y….. not. :)
Has no 8 been retired?.
Not that I know of. That would be daft.
Blues winning 4-0 at Shamrock Rovers. (Novak, Zigic, Reilly and Green (just seconds into his debut)
Oh dear. Green out cold, stretcher on.
doesn’t look good for Green, bcfc medical staff signal for stretcher. went down after barging into back of McGuinness
7 minutes and he’s now beiong carried off on a strecther to a standing ovation. Some concern, Lee Clark was on pitch with a load of medics.
Colin Doyle last sub on…. up front.
fantastic win by blues, better than i thought originally. maybe blues win 2-1 but to win 4-0 brilliant……..
that lad green put his head were it hurts, shows me that Clark got these lads at the races… I really do hope the lad all right……………lovely to see the strikers on target all three………..kro
bloody hell Doyle could have made it 5-0……………
The lad seems to be ok thankfully. Lee Clark’s interview afterwards was excellent…. especially the part about Colin Doyle. You don’t see Lee Clark laugh very often. :)
http://www.bcfc.com/news/article/20130708-the-reaction-shamrock-rovers-0-blues-4-902504.aspx
excellent link staffsblue – felt Clark gave a fantastic interview, i did chuckle when he was ask about doyle playing striker…..funny things happen in football…..lol
excellent link staffsblue – felt Clark gave a fantastic interview, i did chuckle when he was ask about doyle playing striker…..funny things happen in football…..lol
as part of that link koby screamer in training……wow hopefully we see some of that matey……….
Blimey… Charlie Austin’s failed a medical at Hull. :-O