A mouth watering prospect this one. No doubt packed full of attacking flair, sublime skills, incredible ingenuity and two managers whose collective motto is 'to do is to die'. If only that were true. Deeney's boyhood love are dour as they come. No surprise with Aitor Karanka at the helm. Vladimir's long lost Spanish cousin. He replaced Pep Clotet and similarly loves to play five at the back but unlike Ivic also resorts to a back four at times. Sometimes he plays Hogan or Jutkiewicz together sometimes alone. Both decent strikers at this level though the service they get from a very defensive oriented midfield much like ours is minimal. The Blues may be scrapping the Academy that produced Bellingham soon but they spent some of the money given to them by Dortmund on the aforementioned Hogan and Neil Etheridge. I doubt Neil will experience the sort of drubbing he experienced while playing for Cardiff against us in the Premier League given that our attack is so anaemic. Karanka also went back to his former club Boro to bring in one of our former favourite transfer rumours George Friend and Adam Clayton and his favourite type of signing a dogged dog in midfield Ivan Sunjic. Ivan arrives in Birmingham: What can one say about us ? Not much. Despite our league position we are not playing freely. We do not create enough chances, sustain concerted pressure or dominate games for their entirety. The passing is often misplaced and incredibly negative not to mention slow. No wonder quick minded and footed players like Pedro and Sarr are struggling. The second half against Rotherham would have seen Graham Taylor raging inside the dressing room. It was a great opportunity to boost the goal difference, bring in some confidence and strike a little fear into opponents. If Brum have anything about them they will not sit off us and but press like mad. We simply have no one in midfield like an Abdi with the patience, cleverness on the ball to release killer passes and are devoid of creativity. Cleverly is workmanlike, Chalobah is done and Capoue and Murray seem to have disappeared into the London Colney gulag leaving us with Hughes who could be the solution and Garner who certainly is not given his age. We are a real mess. No clarity in deed or thought, no sense of identity and we are far into the season. It's not good enough from the coaching staff, players and hierarchy. The club shop can't even send my shirts because they have run out of numbers and letters apparently. No I did not want Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink on the back. It's a depressing time of year. It's been an awful year all round. Watford FC is depressing to watch. We have members like reids who know better than the coaching staff which no disrespect to reids shows they are not the collective wunderkinds we were led to believe they were storming the mighty Israeli league. Why they can't get reids in to help is beyond me. Actually experienced watchers of the game could do better. A shambles it is on the pitch. Awful and appalling in equal measure. If we are not careful we will not see Norwich, Cheats and Brentford's backsides for the dust while the club spirals from one crisis to another. Happy days where have you gone ? Dutch firm Mecanoo and young architect Patrick Arends created the new central library in Birmingham as a flagship project to rejuvenate the centre of the metropolis and like other landmark buildings build an archetypal image in the consciousness of the public locally, nationally and globally. All the functional areas are very accessible, well lit, environmentally friendly with an odd cuboid tiering meant apparently to reflect the hills round Brum with as is now usual a very decorative exterior. An afternoon at the library might be preferable to watching this on Saturday. At least you may learning something new and useful. Boulton and Watt members of the old local Lunatick society have their memoirs held there for future generations. Celebrity fan: The gorgeous Felicity Jones. Grew up in Bournville and is a dedicated hardcore bluenose. Record v Brum: https://www.11v11.com/teams/watford/tab/opposingTeams/opposition/Birmingham City/ Brum forum: https://www.smallheathalliance.com/ Three cheers for Bunny Larkin who played for both clubs with distinction:
Good preview Smudge. All I can honestly say right now is same old same old away. We will hardly venture forward and park the bus. Brum are very boring but not to our level of tepid football yet. If Deeney get's a golden chance will he take it? Or miss on purpose? Will Ivic shout at players for going forward, or will we fall asleep watching? I think we know all the answers and none of it we want to hear. 0-0
Good review Smudger, and I especially liked your point that our lot currently are "not playing freely" that does seem a big part of the problem. Lately we are questioning why Ivic says one thing and the players do the opposite.? I've been scathing but as days go by I think the issues are just more complex... 1) there's still a strong element of lack of confidence amongst the squad after being relegated. 2) the players not affected are the younger ones who just lack experience and game time. 3) after years of playing quick attacks and lumping it up to Deeney, I think the players are constantly worried about "playing Ivic's way and so constantly look to play it safe. 4) the championship looks far worse now than when we left it. Most managers seem to have adopted the Pulis approach, and the tactics and cheating, plus kicking skilful players in the air has got much worse... Sarr just gets kicked to bits with referees seeing it as fair game.? Then finally we have managed to gather a fairly arrogant core of players who think they're good but don't expect to break too much sweat, for too long... Our midfield is totally the wrong mix for this division with no real energy apart from Hughes and quina. So I think our current problems are far deeper than what we see with the current defensive looking approach to every single bl@@dy game...
One of the line managers working under me at my workplace is a blue-nose and assures me they are just as awful at home as we are away. One to miss. 0-0
Having won their last two, I think Brum might just have a bit more ambition than to pack the defence and go for a 0-0 against us. That might just work in our favour.
Deeney’s shop window game. He knows he’s shot in the EPL. Impress the blue nose owners with a goal and good display and he could get his dream move when his contract runs down..
As I didn't read Steve Leo Belecks preview properly I'll do the same for you Smudge. Apparently Bunny Larkin played for both teams. 0-0 written all over it.
I smell a bit of boasting. Those same line managers must all wonder how you are still in employment with the number of comments you post here during working days. As some think of a couple of our strikers, your employer needs to get rid and stop you stealing a living!
Players who played for both Teams Matt Sadler not often mentioned on here, still playing for Walsall made 30 appearances for us 2008-2011, now age 35!
Vlad keeps telling us it's the players' fault for taking their foot off the gas. I no longer believe him - I think they're told to keep possession at all costs once we've scored. The traditional Italian policy of making sure nothing interesting happens once you've gone ahead. I once upset an Italian fan by saying that I didn't think I would have developed a love of football if I'd grown up in Italy in the 60s.
The next couple of games for me are real indicators as to where we're going to be this season. Top two or vying for the play offs. For a top two position, we have to start winning on the road. Birmingham is no different to all the other away games. We seem to play the same team every week, just with a different shirt. Should we win the next two then we're on course for a top two place, under 4 points then I think we're likely to be only a play off contender. We're well into the season now, only 6 games off the halfway stage. The league is shaping up. Norwich are getting results and Bournemouth are right up there too. We cannot afford to drop too far behind these sides. Norwich 4 points clear, and if we lose and they win on Saturday a 7 point gap will look formidable, even at this stage.
Bizarre post. Didn’t realise this forum had specific hours you’re allowed to post. But for the purposes of transparency - you realise we are in the middle of a pandemic right? I could be furloughed, I could work night shifts, I could work part-time or I could simply have worked my nuts off to this stage in my life that my employers allow me the grace to treat my time as my own and know that my workload will always get done on time...suggesting that someone you don’t know loses their job in the middle of a pandemic?! You stay classy over there pal. But sure, for your sake, can everyone stop posting between 9-5 in case this bozo takes exception please. EDIT: Just looked at your profile - you’ve made 40 posts in your whole time on this forum and the vast majority are aimed at me. I’m flattered.
From the nature of his posts, I’m pretty sure he’s thick as two short planks so I’m happy to take the risk on that one...
We are an utter, utter shambles and are sure to be relegated after yet ANOTHER loss on Saturday. I know the table has us third, but it's WRONG because we are obviously RUBBISH. The table claims we have only lost three times all season, but this is WRONG. The table claims we are better than 21 teams in this league, but this is more POZZO LIES. Stoke, Middlesbrough, Preston etc are all better than us. Prediction Birmingham 6-0 Watford Deeney (og 34, og 45+1, og 67, og 72, og 81, og 90+3, sent off 90+6; missed pen 23, missed pen 28, missed pen 44)
Their confidence will be high after their two good away wins over the past few days. And we are gash away. So I’d be pleasantly surprised if we get anything from this one. Most likely another depressing away day under the Antichrist to enjoyable football.
How have you done all that with no Mention of Tony Coton, nightclub fights, GT vouching for him, Paul Robinson, 'that night at St Andrews (thanks Clive)', Paul "£$!""(* Pescholido getting Furlong sent off, Craig Cathcarts volley and of course Barnes wonder goal.
Watford's Vladimir Ivic nominated for Championship manager of the month. If he wins do we still get the MOTM curse. Or has the curse already arrived?
Shocking performance. Played for the nil nil again. Need to actually attempt an away win at some point. Why Ivic why.
They are nearly as bad at home as we are away. This should be a nailed on 0-0 with two safety first managers. 3-4 Watford (Hughes, Sarr x 2, Perica) Or we yet again don't start Hughes and Capoue and lose 1-0.
