I seem to remember they made lots of noises about big signings in their Birmingham days which never somehow materialised. They did a bit of this in the last few days of the last transfer window with Van Nistelroy and Keane being touted. My view is they will tell the fans what they want to hear in order to get support. Let's wait and see how much gets delivered and who we let go in order to get new players in. As for our next manager the main qualification seems to be survival for the next few years whilst the debt reduces and keep the fans from rebellion
The problem with Noble is he lacks consistency. Some days he looks great , on other days he is very poor. Unfortunately you can say that for most of the team. Parker was the only consistent midfield player this season. We seem to have a lot of one dimentional players. Diamanti is good going forward but the opposite at defending and lacks stamina. Kovac is reasonable defensively but can't pass beyond 10 yards consistently. Behrami will run and pass all day but will never score more than 4 goals a season. We need midfielders who can do defending and attacking. Noble ironically can do both but you never know which day he will do it on! It's all very frustrating and that's why apart from Parker and collison who I think deserves more time , I personally wouldn't mind if we lost some of them provided we get more rounded players. I'd particularly like a wide player who could cross the ball and work back. Rant over!
Good blog SJ. I think we have to conclude that the relationship with the board and Zola has broken down and all we are waiting for is to see whether Zola jumps or gets pushed
Sadly I have to agree with your view. I think we are about to expierience a period where anyone who is considered over priced by Sullivan will be removed. That will include managers , players et al. We are going to buy cheap imports recommended by Silkman's scouting network and hope the academy continues to produce premiership players. The management will be happy to survive in the premiership whilst they get the books straight. I just hope we do not have to suffer a manager who subjects us to watching the dross we had with Curbs.
I wonder who discovered and tracked the Paraguayan. Is it the reason Nani is still here? On a slightly different note it seems Birmingham are threatening legal action against our joint chairman.
Tom , I think you are spot on to talk about the better balance. Up front Mido worked hard and while he is a bit limited it allowed Cole to shine. Behrami at RM allowed Faubert to overlap and he got more dangerous crosses in last night than in a long time. The left was less balanced with Ilunga struggling first half . Spector did OK but he isn't a natural at crossing from the left. Diamanti equally hasn't got Behrami's speed or stamina. That said Diamante has to play right now because we lack any real goal threat from midfield without him. I think Daprella is a better option than Spector going forward but we need to be careful as Diamante is not the fastest at covering an attacking left back. Who would be a manager!!
Fishy , I think a lot depends on Birmingham's state of mind. They have reached 37 points they may just be thinking they are already safe for this season. Let's hope so. Being midweek they may not have too many fans there . My worry is Sullivan has stirred them up - I hope not! An early goal for us would help. Surely Bowyer cannot score against us again.
COYI
It looks like the penny has dropped for Sullivan. On Sky Sports he is saying he will give Zola 100% support and will not be doing any more interviews until the end of the season. I doubt that will happen but the contrition is welcome.
Frankie I wouldn't be too upset with your suggestion but I would like to see a 4-4-2 relatively early in order to crank up some pressure. Birmingham have one of the best defensive records and outside of Cole the only goal threat looks like Diamanti from free kicks.
It's difficult not to like Zola and the football he try's to get the team playing. I think both Cole and Upson to name but two have improved on an individual basis because of him. After Curb's turgid reign he has been a breath of fresh air. I felt under Curbs we were very effective but very negative and I didn't always look forward to attending home games. Blackburn was dire but most of the other home games have been entertaining. I didn't think Zola should get appointed because he was too unproven. Now we have him I hope he proves me wrong and we can play winning and entertaining football. It's not his fault he got offered the job or that he is over paid. Sullivan needs to keep his thoughts inside the club for now and deal with the issues he can affect rather than show his frustration at those he can't. COYI
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