I’ll admit it, at this time last season, I picked Birmingham City to finish dead last in the Premiership, saying, “they just don’t have the talent to compete at this level”. Yeah, Alex McLeish and company stuck it to me with an unbelievable 12-game unbeaten streak (15 in you include the FA Cup) from the beginning of November all the way to late January, that had some talking about a possible European appearance (which, to be honest, with their squad depth probably would have been a curse more than a blessing), but they eventually settled into mid-table, which is obviously very good, considering they were in the Championship the season before.
But I’m a stubborn chap, and I don’t think Roger Johnson, Scott Dann, Stephen Carr, and Liam Ridgewell can match the defensive magic they had last year (or stay healthy as much). So, while I’m not predicting a drop or anything, I think things will be much tougher for Birmingham the second time around:
15) BIRMINGHAM CITY
2009-10 standing: 9th
Gaffer: Alex McLeish (4th season)
Best new signing: Nikola Zigic – Well, you know what the Serbian is going to bring to the table, don’t you? Size and more size. If you watched Birmingham last year, almost all their set pieces involved playing the ball to the far post and having someone put the ball back into the “mixer” to finish it. Someone with more time on their hands than me can figure out how many times this worked for Birmingham last season (I’m guessing 10. Seriously). So Zigic will be that guy at the back post, but can he do enough else so as not to slow down the Birmingham counterattack?
Biggest loss: Joe Hart – I mentioned the back four, but Hart played in 36 of 38 league games last year, and helped organize those guys as well. Ben Foster seems like an adequate replacement, but can he fit in as well as Hart did last season? He’s got big shoes to fill.
Key player: Roger Johnson – You could probably put Scott Dann in this mix as well, by the way. Johnson – who was one of only two field players to play every minute of every league game last season (Tyrone Mears of Burnley was the other) – was a little-noticed signing from Cardiff before the season, but was on almost every pundit’s Best XI team by May. Johnson, Dann, and the rest of the defense proved that – especially on the defensive end – sometimes organization can be much more important than talent.
Random fact: When McLeish set a record that many people thought would never be broken by naming the same starting lineup for the ninth straight league game against Manchester United (8 hadn’t been done since 1997), it was also the 100th straight contest that Sir Alex Ferguson had fielded a changed side. A little difference in squad depth, no?
Bad news:
It’s hard to see the things that came together for them last season repeat themselves. They were amazingly healthy and only lost two games at home despite managing just 19 goals (exactly one per game). That’s a lot of pressure to put on a defense, and I think it took its toll as the season came to a close. It’s also hard to see how Zigic will be integrated by McLeish with Cameron Jerome and Christian (Chucho) Benitez still around. I can’t imagine he will go with three strikers, so which one takes a seat? We shall see.
Good news:
McLeish pretty much brings back the same club (especially on the defensive end) that worked so well together last season, and has added Zigic and may add another player or two before the transfer window closes. Despite not having the names of the “big” clubs, the back four may be the most cohesive in the league, especially at home, where Birmingham conceded only 13 goals (only Tottenham and Manchester United allowed less – 12) in 2009-2010. Barry Ferguson and James McFadden were very solid, if not spectacular and can certainly be counted on game in and game out in the Premiership.
Outlook:
It’s entirely possible that I’m underestimating McLeish and Birmingham again. As I said, I’m stubborn. They defend extremely well (and relatively cleanly, Birmingham had the second most yellow cards in the EPL, but only one red card), and Jerome and Benitez don’t need too many chances at the other end. They are better than the teams we’ve previewed already, and shouldn’t have too much trouble staying up.
But they don’t have the depth or the quality to compete with the teams at the top of the table, and did extremely well to finish where they did last season. I think it will be a step back, but not big enough to fall into the Championship abyss, a league their fans are all too familiar with and – at the end of the day – will be happy to avoid for the time being.
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