Didn't go, didn't watch it on a dodgy stream & only followed it on here until just after the goal went in as I started getting digs for a simple comment I made. So flounced off.....
Anyway......losing 1-0 was probably a result. We were always going to lose & we didnt harm our GD too much. What was annoying was everyone else around us winning.....Orient, Stockport, Wrexham, Huddersfield Bolton & Reading. We now have big games against 3 of the teams directly above us before the end of March. We have to not lose them otherwise we will soon see the top 6 getting away from us again.
As someone said......we failed to strengthen in the transfer window & I fear that will come back to haunt us. Needed wide players to replace TC & Small when needed & it seems today was one of them. Also, with 5 strikers to choose from it still seems that only 2 (Godden & Leaburn) are really worth it.
Big 6 weeks coming up. 8 games - 4 against teams fighting for a play off place.
A few thoughts having considered the game over the 90 mins. Their keeper had fantastic distribution and his flat kicks central found their man multiple times. An additional thought, was how well their players found themselves ball-side when long balls and passes were being made. This allowed them significant more possession, however we nullified most of what they offered and were a little lucky with others. A fair result, but on another day we'd have nicked a late one again.
Felt like a cup game against a team in a higher league. Proud of the way they battled and kept Brum to very little but I always felt they could step up a gear if necessary. Thought we defended well throughout but got swamped in midfield which didn't allow us to get any control of the game. Was expecting more from TC and Small. Maybe L1 is their level. Ref was a disgrace and the way Stanfield taunted us after he scored showed a lack of class, just like their supporters. I felt Chuks would have been a better bet than Kanu who didn't make any difference. Safe travels to the 2k who made the journey.
It’s always disappointing to lose but the reality is that most of us were hoping, rather than expecting, to get something from this game. We all get agitated about what we spent on Ahadme (whatever the fee actually was), whereas May was only Birmingham’s 3rd most expensive striker signed this summer and sits well down the Brummie’s list of expensive acquisitions from the Bundeslega and elsewhere. The big centre-half was £3.5 million and the left-back, who’d I’d never heard of, was £1 million from Hearts - and that’s before you get onto their midfield players and expensive loanees.
As for the game itself, we were outplayed in the first half and, whilst the goal sprang from a rare error from Coventry and some weak defending from Gillesphey, we could not complain at going in a goal down.
The second half was a bit of a non-event but at least we stayed in the game, even if we were unable to fashion anything approaching a realistic chance. The introduction of Anderson and Kanu did not bear fruit, whereas Leaburn had more of an impact and Gilbert at least put in a couple of decent out swinging crosses.
Save for the goal, I thought we defended reasonably well and Ramsey drove forward well on a couple of occasions in the second half. Small and Campbell were too easily contained by Cochrane and his colleagues and we produced practically nothing in the final third.
We were unable to cope with their press and Birmingham’s players are a level above League 1. That said, their gamesmanship and rolling around were pretty unseemly. Stansfield - whose demeanour screams ASBO - dragging their play-acting Man Utd. loanee back onto the pitch really took the biscuit.
The other results today went against us today but it’s hardly the end of the world and hopefully Birmingham will put some of our play-off rivals to the sword in the last third of the season. The main thing is that we get back on track against Exeter next Saturday.
While you always hope for something, I expected a defeat today. I didn't want to dampen the optimism of those going this morning, but Birmingham have a ridiculous squad for this level. As I said yesterday, with the amount they spent in the summer, anything other than HMS Piss the League would be a failure. I hope and expect them to keep winning for the rest of the season.
The cup game last week showed that they also have a bit of edge about them too.
Ineffective today against a much better side and there’s no shame in that, no point overthinking our play. Birmingham controlled the game but we generally limited them to shots outside the box. Bounce back against Exeter and onto a huge game at Orient
Can't stand Birmingham fans after having some of the wankiest football factory "we're Birmingham" off a couple of them years ago, but never really thought much about them in a footballing sense, but my god, what a pathetic side, for all the Hollywood of Wrexham, Brum are the complete opposite, more Chelsea classlessness than glitz and glamour. I hope they fail miserably once they get out of this league (because they will)
On to the match
We just never got started, and at no point looked like getting into it other than a smash and grab or a defensive howler. Individuals and team, poor throughout whether it was a case of naivety or not truly believing in themselves who knows but total failure. But! We could have nicked a point towards the end with some effective football, hindsight says we should have gone anti football from the off and shithoused it.
TC one cross aside hardly did a thing AMB looked terrified after his lucky escape Midfield disappeared
Birmingham did look good on the pitch when playing (and not play acting) and would expect a championship calibre squad to put sides to the sword - especially ones that couldn't do a thing right like us today - but they chose chaos after going 1-0 up and decided to chuck themselves about and feign head injuries.
Ah well, was hoping for a draw at best but a 1-0 loss with the mighty spenders reduced to running down the clock from 80 onwards wasn't the biggest embarrassment (that was Laird)
Small was well taken care of, clearly identified as our big threat Ramsay probably the best on the pitch for us.
Oh, also Jay Stansfield looks like a right little wanker and I hope someone snaps him at some point.
Also I'm getting Lyle Taylor vibes from Alfie May, right twatty behaviour with the over the top celebrations after the throw in and general facial expressions.
We just seem to love signing players who lack a bit of class when they leave and play against us.
It’s a shame with May really. Clearly has a bit of an ego on him. Cheltenham fans said similar after he left them. He should have gone down as a club legend there but it’s all a bit bitter, similar to our situation with Taylor
After watching the highlights can't help but think AMB should have done better with that Stansfield goal - still it's not a terrible result, we've got to beat Exeter next week mind
Frustrating to lose after a mistake but it was always going to be a tough game. I’d have taken a draw before we kicked off today, I’m not sure there’s many other games this season I’d say that about. There’s not another team like them at this level - a £15m striker, £1m left back from the SPL (10 times or so what we paid for our left back from Scotland), May on the bench and millions spent on various other players.
I don’t think it shows we can’t get promoted or that certain players won’t be able to play in the Championship, I expect Birmingham to at least be comfortable in mid table in the Championship next season.
The positive is we stayed in the game and with our late goal record there was always hope we could nick an equaliser.
The next month will be a real test of if and how we step up in big games against teams we could meet in the playoffs. This game wasn’t going to change that either way, 3 points from them is more than most clubs will get.
Thought it was a huge compliment that Birmingham set up to nullify us, given the money they’ve spent on that squad.
Credit to them, they did a great job and with no threat from TC or TS, it left a scrappy affair in the middle of the park. I’m not convinced you’ll find many fans from either side claim it was a performance to remember.
Frustrating to lose a goal to a mistake in the end, but as long as the reaction is that same as after the Rotherham, this game will be long forgotten.
I'm a harsher critical than most but I thought we were awful. They won't have a more comfortable 1-0 all season
I'm with you. Devoid of any football skills , plenty of heart but no nouse. Team gave everything except played as individuals, as if passing had never been invented.
As bad as Crawley game.
I love it when we win, however it comes about, but we play ugly football. Really ugly.
A chance to touch the ball then send up the pitch as far as you can. A chance to head the ball to a colleague- no go for distance.
Some passing might have relieved the pressure, and there was a glimmer in the last 15 mins but soon petered out.
If thats the way we were going to play - long range punts forward - then start with the big forwards who will stand a chance of holding the ball. Godden was just ineffectual- that stuff is not his game. TC not at it except for 2 brief moments.
Berry scores some nice goals but apart from those moments is invisible.
There is a chance of the playoffs but we will be the worse performing team ever to get there.
Sorry I can't lie, its what was there on the screen.
Well done to Brum they won with a moment of quality, in reality we were never in it.
We saw Bolton and Huddersfield win from losing positions today. It may just be a feeling, but do the teams surrounding us fare better than us in recovering points (especially wins) from a losing position in a game? I'm not focusing on this game in particular, just overall if there are any stattos out there having a quiet evening!
I really can’t believe the negativity after that. Limited a good side to not many chances at all. Yes it wasn’t pretty but their side costs about £29m more than ours. We’ve picked up 16 points from a possible 21 in our last 7 games. We go again vs Exeter
Didn't go, didn't watch it on a dodgy stream & only followed it on here until just after the goal went in as I started getting digs for a simple comment I made. So flounced off.....
Anyway......losing 1-0 was probably a result. We were always going to lose & we didnt harm our GD too much. What was annoying was everyone else around us winning.....Orient, Stockport, Wrexham, Huddersfield Bolton & Reading. We now have big games against 3 of the teams directly above us before the end of March. We have to not lose them otherwise we will soon see the top 6 getting away from us again.
As someone said......we failed to strengthen in the transfer window & I fear that will come back to haunt us. Needed wide players to replace TC & Small when needed & it seems today was one of them. Also, with 5 strikers to choose from it still seems that only 2 (Godden & Leaburn) are really worth it.
Big 6 weeks coming up. 8 games - 4 against teams fighting for a play off place.
I'm interested in what Gilbert can do, holding judgement on him , I hope he gets more opportunities
We've been on a decent run so not going to get to gutted here. I'm not sure about the subs and would have found a bit of time for Chucks with the Brum connection. Anyway onwards and upwards COYA.
Comments
Anyway......losing 1-0 was probably a result. We were always going to lose & we didnt harm our GD too much. What was annoying was everyone else around us winning.....Orient, Stockport, Wrexham, Huddersfield Bolton & Reading. We now have big games against 3 of the teams directly above us before the end of March. We have to not lose them otherwise we will soon see the top 6 getting away from us again.
As someone said......we failed to strengthen in the transfer window & I fear that will come back to haunt us. Needed wide players to replace TC & Small when needed & it seems today was one of them. Also, with 5 strikers to choose from it still seems that only 2 (Godden & Leaburn) are really worth it.
Big 6 weeks coming up. 8 games - 4 against teams fighting for a play off place.
Thought we defended well throughout but got swamped in midfield which didn't allow us to get any control of the game. Was expecting more from TC and Small. Maybe L1 is their level.
Ref was a disgrace and the way Stanfield taunted us after he scored showed a lack of class, just like their supporters.
I felt Chuks would have been a better bet than Kanu who didn't make any difference.
Safe travels to the 2k who made the journey.
It’s always disappointing to lose but the reality is that most of us were hoping, rather than expecting, to get something from this game. We all get agitated about what we spent on Ahadme (whatever the fee actually was), whereas May was only Birmingham’s 3rd most expensive striker signed this summer and sits well down the Brummie’s list of expensive acquisitions from the Bundeslega and elsewhere. The big centre-half was £3.5 million and the left-back, who’d I’d never heard of, was £1 million from Hearts - and that’s before you get onto their midfield players and expensive loanees.
As for the game itself, we were outplayed in the first half and, whilst the goal sprang from a rare error from Coventry and some weak defending from Gillesphey, we could not complain at going in a goal down.
The second half was a bit of a non-event but at least we stayed in the game, even if we were unable to fashion anything approaching a realistic chance. The introduction of Anderson and Kanu did not bear fruit, whereas Leaburn had more of an impact and Gilbert at least put in a couple of decent out swinging crosses.
Save for the goal, I thought we defended reasonably well and Ramsey drove forward well on a couple of occasions in the second half. Small and Campbell were too easily contained by Cochrane and his colleagues and we produced practically nothing in the final third.
We were unable to cope with their press and Birmingham’s players are a level above League 1. That said, their gamesmanship and rolling around were pretty unseemly. Stansfield - whose demeanour screams ASBO - dragging their play-acting Man Utd. loanee back onto the pitch really took the biscuit.
The other results today went against us today but it’s hardly the end of the world and hopefully Birmingham will put some of our play-off rivals to the sword in the last third of the season. The main thing is that we get back on track against Exeter next Saturday.
The cup game last week showed that they also have a bit of edge about them too.
in that, no point overthinking our play. Birmingham controlled the game but we generally limited them to shots outside the box. Bounce back against Exeter and onto a huge game at Orient
On to the match
We just never got started, and at no point looked like getting into it other than a smash and grab or a defensive howler. Individuals and team, poor throughout whether it was a case of naivety or not truly believing in themselves who knows but total failure.
But! We could have nicked a point towards the end with some effective football, hindsight says we should have gone anti football from the off and shithoused it.
TC one cross aside hardly did a thing
AMB looked terrified after his lucky escape
Midfield disappeared
Birmingham did look good on the pitch when playing (and not play acting) and would expect a championship calibre squad to put sides to the sword - especially ones that couldn't do a thing right like us today - but they chose chaos after going 1-0 up and decided to chuck themselves about and feign head injuries.
Ah well, was hoping for a draw at best but a 1-0 loss with the mighty spenders reduced to running down the clock from 80 onwards wasn't the biggest embarrassment (that was Laird)
Small was well taken care of, clearly identified as our big threat
Ramsay probably the best on the pitch for us.
Still in the hunt for playoffs.
I don’t think it shows we can’t get promoted or that certain players won’t be able to play in the Championship, I expect Birmingham to at least be comfortable in mid table in the Championship next season.
The positive is we stayed in the game and with our late goal record there was always hope we could nick an equaliser.
The next month will be a real test of if and how we step up in big games against teams we could meet in the playoffs. This game wasn’t going to change that either way, 3 points from them is more than most clubs will get.
Credit to them, they did a great job and with no threat from TC or TS, it left a scrappy affair in the middle of the park. I’m not convinced you’ll find many fans from either side claim it was a performance to remember.
Frustrating to lose a goal to a mistake in the end, but as long as the reaction is that same as after the Rotherham, this game will be long forgotten.
Kayne Ramsay (7.5)
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Devoid of any football skills , plenty of heart but no nouse. Team gave everything except played as individuals, as if passing had never been invented.
As bad as Crawley game.
I love it when we win, however it comes about, but we play ugly football. Really ugly.
A chance to touch the ball then send up the pitch as far as you can. A chance to head the ball to a colleague- no go for distance.
Some passing might have relieved the pressure, and there was a glimmer in the last 15 mins but soon petered out.
If thats the way we were going to play - long range punts forward - then start with the big forwards who will stand a chance of holding the ball. Godden was just ineffectual- that stuff is not his game.
TC not at it except for 2 brief moments.
Berry scores some nice goals but apart from those moments is invisible.
There is a chance of the playoffs but we will be the worse performing team ever to get there.
Sorry I can't lie, its what was there on the screen.
Well done to Brum they won with a moment of quality, in reality we were never in it.
Very few teams will go to Birmingham and pick up points.