Where are we going? (Birmingham United F.C.)

Member Name: AdvocatusDiaboli

Product:	Birmingham United F.C.
Date:	03/11/01 (33 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: So much potential

Disadvantages: when is it going to happen

Nowhere at present. I have supported Birmingham City all my life and find the recent events very depressing. Out of all the clubs in Division one Birmingham deserve to be in the Premiership more than any other. Unfortunatley I cannot see this happening this season and unless we improve in every area it won't happen for a while. Some

Who is to blame?

Trevor Francis (ex-manager) ?

He is no longer at the club yet the recent events involving him have caused a great disturbance. I feel he did a great job while he was at the club but feel you can pinpoint the exact moment that he lost it - the Penalty shootout at Preston last season. It was at this moment that the pressure got to him and he lost it by taking the players off and refusing to take the penalties, when we eventually did take them I knew we would lose, I feel in doing what he did it put the players under even more pressure. He has gone now, I think he should have gone at the end of last season, but the way in which he was forced out has upset many fans as Francis is a legend.

David Sullivan (Chairman) ?

'A short man, with a big mouth, big pockets and short arms' was a description recntly used of Sullivan, I disagree. In his years at the club he has spent a lot of money on the squad and the ground and turned the club from being a joke (as it was under the Kumars) into genuine contenders. His main problem seems to be the fact that he shouts his mouth off and likes to exaggerate. If he would just talk honestly, and think before acting, about what he accomplished he would be loved by blue's fans. He recently stated that he had spent £23m on player whilst Francis was in charge, this may be true but we made some of it back in sales, he also includes contracts etc in his spending which distorts the the true cost when making comparisons to other clubs. He is also prone to throwing childish tantrums when things don't go his way, constantly threatening t
o sell up and buy Cardiff City etc. Despite all this I still believe that he wants the club to succeed (even if he does sell up to make money when we go up) and that our best chance of success is with him in charge.

The Players?

The squad is a real mxture in my opinion. Bryan Hughes, Martin Grainger, Ian Bennett, Curtis Woodhouse, Darren Purse and Stan Lazaridis are undoubtably Premiership class. Unfortuantely we do not have a single good striker at the club and have a very poor right side in every position. The new manager will have to address these problems and should sell off a lot of the dead wood, Sullivan will also have to face facts that we need to splash out £5m+ on a quality striker (Lee Hughes would have been nice). Once again you cannot blame the players as a whole but in certain areas there are definately problems.

The fans?

No chance. Attendances remain high, we sing for the team and I am yet to hear any anti-board singing at a match. If we made it into the Premiership we would sell out every week, yet despite languishing in Dividion 1 we still get 25,000+ week in-week out. The fans have a right to express their opinions and that will never change.

Karren Brady (Business Manager) ?

Throughout his time at Blues Barry Fry had constant problems with Brady and Francis had the same. She a real problem and I believe many potential managers are put off coming to the club because of her reputation of being interferring. The sooner she is gone the better. I am not saying she is the sole cause of the situation we are in but without her there would be fewer problems between the board and management.


Overall I believe we still have a great chance in the future but any manager that comes to Birmingham has to set his stall out early, he needs money for players and he needs Brady kept out of his. Steve Bruce is the latest name linked with the job and I hope he can turn the club around by following the
advice above. If this still doesn't change the clubs fortunes then the only remaining option is to get the priests in again to try and get rid of the 'gypsies curse' .... I've always hated pikeys.

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