Tues 4th November, 19:45 ko Where: St Andrews Stadium, Birmingham, B9 4RL Capacity: 30,016 How to get there? Nearest train stations: Birmingham New Street: 1.3 miles Birmingham Moor Street: 1.9 miles* By road: Probably your best bet from Watford is M1 to J19 - M6 to J4 – M42 to J6 – A45 to Birmingham. Or alternatively stick the above post code in your sat-nav, failing that do your own bloody work. Parking: As well as some street parking in the vicinity, there is a small car park at the ground next to the visitors' entrance. There is a secure independent car park near the stadium based at Birmingham Wheels which is located at Adderley Road South, Birmingham. B8 1AD. (There is a £5 charge)* *Courtesy of Birmingham City FC website. P***wammes are £3 Brief History of Birmingham City Birmingham City FC hasn't had a great deal to cheer about of late but it wasn't always the case for the midlands club. Their most prominent spell in the Premier League was in the 2003/4 under the stewardship of former Man Utd skipper Steve Bruce. In that season the Blues ended in the top-half of the table where they boasted notable players including Mikael Forssell and Christophe Dugarry. The Blues continued to do well in 2004/5 finishing 12th. Unfortunately for Birmingham, the following season saw them struggle and they were relegated but Steve Bruce was backed and he guided them back into the Premier League with the club finishing 2nd in the Championship. The following two seasons saw Birmingham yo-yo between the top two divisions until they were relegated in 2010/11. For the past two seasons of the Championship Birmingham have finished below Watford in the league table. In the previous season Birmingham survived through a last minute goal to avoid being relegated on goal difference. New manager Gary Rowett will do well to steer the side away from becoming embroiled in another relegation scrap this season. During the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s Birmingham City also enjoyed spells in the top tier, especially during the 50s and early 60s where they sparred in Europe. However between the 1986/87 season and 2001/2 season they had to settle for 2nd and 3rd tier football. Recently however has seen Birmingham City really struggle with Lee Clark previously scouring the free and loan markets for his players but the club have had some promising academy prospects come through the doors with one-time Watford target Nathan Redmond leaving for Premier League Norwich City in 2013/14. Birmingham City FC is up for sale but unfortunately for the Blues fans they are no closer to a takeover. Statistics Highest aggregate score: 7 Watford 5-2 Birmingham – 1993/4. Paul Ferlong notches a hat-trick against a Blues team that was eventually relegated. Previous season Last season saw the Hornets do the league double over Birmingham for the second season running: Opening game of 13/14 season was at St. Andrews which saw Watford run out 1-0 winners with forgotten man Iriney impressing on his debut. Troy Deeney got the decisive goal against the team he supports. Watford also won the return fixture 1-0 at Vicarage Road in February 2014 but this time it was with Beppe Sannino as head coach. Deeney again got the decisive goal. Notable matches between the sides Birmingham 0-4 Watford 12/13 – Troy Deeney nets a brace as the Hornets torment a poor Birmingham side. Anya and Abdi got the other Watford goals. Birmingham 3-0 Watford 11/12 – Jan 2012; the last win for the Blues against the Hornets was well over 2 years ago. Ex-Players One Ex-Hornet really needs no introduction and that is Paul Robinson. He will no doubt get many of you recalling him marauding down Watford's left side as he was often employed at left-back in his tenure at the club. Robinson was born and bred in Watford and enjoyed over 250 appearances for the Golden Boys before moving to West Brom for a paltry £250k plus add-ons. Watford's financial position was dire (mainly thanks to the overspending in Vialli's season and the collapse of ITV digital) hence why he was sold. He made his debut for Watford as a fresh-faced 17 year old coming on in Watford's 1-1 draw with fierce rivals Luton Town for Dominic Ludden. Darren Bazeley scored Watford's goal. Robinson stayed with The Baggies until 2009 chalking up almost 240 appearances for them. He was apparently subject to a £1.4m bid by Watford in June 2006 but the move never came to fruition. He is currently the club captain of Birmingham City and usually plays at centre-back. Ones to Watch Birmingham: City have produced some promising academy prospects and the latest in the line is 18 year old Demarai Gray. He follows former Blue Nathan Redmond in the tricky winger mould. Gray is renowned for his technique, pace and dribbling skills and at 18 has huge potential. Gray obviously has attributes he needs to work on; notably ball retention and by his own admission "I don't score enough goals." His current contract runs until July 2016. He scored his first goal for Birmingham against Blackburn last term and has featured in Lee Clark's plans until his departure, it'll be interesting to see how he fits into Gary Rowett's plans. Rowett will do well to fight off the interest in January. Watford: An obvious choice here; Troy Deeney. He loves to score against his boyhood team doesn't he? What are the odds on him scoring again? I'm sure Rowett and co will be wary of our talismanic front man. General team news, predictions and general ramblings from me Birmingham suffered an embarrassing 8-0 reverse at home to Bournemouth (who seem to be riding high) which both club and fans will want to forget quickly. Gary Rowett was appointed on the 27th October from Burton Albion, he takes his backroom team who all played for Birmingham City during the 1990s. Rowett's first game in charge is Wolves at Molyneux on Saturday and he faces a tough run of fixtures during November culminating in Nottingham Forest at home on the 29th. If the Blues fail to win at local rivals Wolves then he will definitely earmark the Watford game as a winnable fixture to give the home side a boost. No doubt Watford will encounter a different proposition than Bournemouth did. Slavi*a Jokanovi* will most likely choose either a 4-3-3 or 4-3-2-1 formation which seems to accommodate Vydra, Deeney, Fessi and Ighalo nicely (with obviously one being on the bench). Also, with Mensah and Ikpeazu returning from injuries, we have options up front. Whilst it appears that going forward Watford will always score goals it's at the back where we need to improve. Seb Bassong has been a shrewd signing however and both he and Joel Ekstrand seem to be improving as a unit. Watford Team News Watford Line-up Vs Millwall: Gomes; Paredes, Bassong (Hoban), Ekstrand, Pudil (Doyley); Andrews, Munari, Tozser; Ighalo, Vydra (Dyer), Deeney. Doubtful: Almen Abdi, Gabriele Angella, Seb Bassong. If Abdi is still out which looks likely we'll probably stick with a midfield three of Andrews, Toszer, Munari. McGugan, Anya or Murray could come in depending on how Jokanovi* wants to counter the threat of an overcrowded Birmingham midfield, he could opt for a different formation entirely. Tommie Hoban may come in central defence for Bassong. Definitely out: Gabriel Tamas Birmingham Team News Gary Rowett managed to notch a point against Wolves in the midlands derby and played a 4-5-1 formation to stifle the home side. Whether he opts for a defensive formation against high-flying Watford is anyone's guess but he'd probably be more positive at home. Birmingham Line-up Vs Wolves: Randolph; Caddis, Morrison, Robinson, Grounds; Gleeson, Davis; Cotterill, Shinnie, Arthur; Donaldson. Injury and suspension news: David Edgar should be available for selection after serving a one match ban for being sent off against Bournemouth. Demarai Gray didn't play against Wolves due to an ankle injury but may return. Definitely out: Mark Duffy. The form table shows that following Birmingham City's draw with Wolves, their Last 6 form is (1W, 2D, 3L) however they have lost their last three games at home. Watford move up to third with 12 points from the last 6 (3W, 3D, 0L) scoring 12 and conceding 6. Prediction: Given Watford's recent showings against the Blues and the form table, you'd probably plumb for an away win. Rowett will likely want to see a vast improvement in his first home game in charge and the fans may be content with a spirited defeat. I'll go for a 2-1 win to Watford (with Deeney getting on the scoresheet obviously). Famous Fans Brum I bet you didn't know that Brum is a Birmingham supporter? In his heyday you'd regularly see Brum donning the colours of the Blues honking them on from the stands (when he's not after the local riff-raff). Brum is now retired to the Cotsworld Motoring Museum in Gloucestershire. Troy Deeney You'd be forgiven for thinking that Troy loathes Birmingham City FC as he likes to score against them but Troy is Birmingham born and bred and still commutes from England's second city. Despite this Troy came through Aston Villa's academy and played for local side Walsall before moving to Watford Thanks for reading and I will update this preview after this weekend games.
Bloody first home game with a new manager! lets hope they have their freak result against wolves on the saturday and return to losing ways against us lot!
Both teams will want to win here, so we need to make sure we score more goals than they do, to ensure we claim the three points.
As they call it in the region, L'architecture locale: Ay Discow Ball A clock shaped as a phallus. 'Arrys Fantasy
Thanks for the preview although I was tempted to 'dislike' for reminding me of the hell that was watching 'Brum' when kids were younger.
I love Robbo but surely we should be beating teams where he is the centre back. The second of two wins in four days I reckon with this the easier of the two.
Doesn't Deeney always score against Brum?? Feels like a yearly tradition when he score against them, then celebrates in front of their fans whilst they call him Judas.
I apologise. I too was a victim of watching Brum with my eldest - must have watched every episode about 50 times. Carlos - forgot about the Bullring - looks like a giant misshapen golf ball
Great memories of Birmingham, went to Uni there. A city that would have great potential if it wasn't confined by an idiotic ring road.
Kojak loved Birmingham. Apparantly. [video=youtube;GxZ1xn2ml10]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxZ1xn2ml10[/video]
Got a few days extra holiday left to use up before the turn of the year, so have booked tuesday off and got tickets to this one. Hopefully another happy trip home from St Andrews afterwards. Will have to go some to top sharing a cab there last year with Cassetti's agent though! Birmingham 0-2 Watford.
FIFA Predicts... Birmingham 1 - 1 Watford 4' - Deeney - A shot by Deeney is saved but he heads in the rebound 43' - Arthur - An unbelievable volley from the edge of the box sails over Gomes and goes in off the post Watford substitutions: 45' - Andrews off/McGugan on 68' - Forestieri off/Fabbrini on Man of the match: Fernando Forestieri Odds: TBC --------------------------------- P16 W11 D2 L3 Pts35 GD12 We would be 1st in the table Top scorers: Vydra (4) Deeney (3) Ighalo (3) Most assists: Abdi (4) Ighalo (3) Tozser (3)
Well, having registered on the forum to express my dissatisfaction with Harry The Hornet (see separate thread) I'm guessing I'm the only bluenose in these parts, so let me mark your card. A standard Blues performance (8-goal cave-ins excepted) goes pretty much as follows: a reasonable first half display in which chances are squandered by the bucketload. We will come out after the break a shadow of our former selves and get battered until we inevitably concede. At this point the only two players who've looked likely to score for us will be substituted and we will go on to lose with barely a whimper of resistance. The number of points we've lost from winning positions doesn't bear thinking about. We've won one home game in 13 months. Now I'm hoping the arrival of our new manager might at least sort out the substitution business, but otherwise I think any improvement is some months in the future. After their first training session with the new boss our players were all over twitter saying how knackered they were, which just goes to show that the basic level of fitness is nothing like it should be. If you can't compete with the best in the division on the basis of skill you have to make up for it physically and we just can't do it (hence the inevitable second-half decline). That ain't gonna get fixed by Tuesday. Going forwards we can cause problems: Donaldson looks to have goals in him but needs better (or indeed any) service, Gray is a good prospect but isn't yet strong enough to impose in midfield, and the winger Cotterill is the stand-out player but struggles to keep it going for 45mins let alone 90. At the back Randolph is a perfectly adequate keeper left horribly exposed by Keystone Cop defenders of which Grounds, Eardley and Edgar are the worst culprits. Robinson at least knows where he should be even if he can no longer get there in time: I reckon I'd run him close in a 20 metre sprint, and I'm 58 and (conservatively) a stone and a half overweight. And, in answer to the question that will inevitably be posed by your travelling support at some stage in the evening, this is indeed a library. Our Chinese owners show no signs of departing despite the fact that the club is bleeding to death and enthusiasm is at a pretty low ebb. Hopefully Gary Rowett's arrival will mean a bigger and noisier turnout on Tuesday, but even at a tenner sales don't look particularly great at this moment. Result? New manager syndrome might just give us a chance here. A win (what are they?) is unthinkable, and a clean sheet almost as improbable so the optimist in me says 2-2.
Your issues of not lasting 90 minutes and missing too many oppurtunitie sounds a lot like Watford circa last Season... and the season before. And maybe even this season depending how it goes.
Train tickets booked. Could have booked 24 hours ago and got tickets for seven quid return, but noooooooo..... we had to wait until today and get shafted by what currently feels like an African elephant. See you there.
Robbo made his debut for us coming on in place of Dominic 'leaden' Ludden. There's a name I haven't heard in a few years, so I was tempted to google him. 1 career goal. Finished career with unsuccessful spells at Halifax Town and Leigh RMI. We've come on some way.
Ludden was OK. Good even. Might not have done well elsewhere, but I thought he did a good job for us. From the dressing room: "Obviously we're riding high at the moment but the gaffer has told us to keep our feet on the ground and we realise that nothing is won in November, so we've got to keep going out every game to get a result, hopefully starting with a result up at St. Andrews on Tuesday. Obviously Brum are a massive, massive club and have a new manager so they'll be looking to get a result, but hopefully we can stop them from getting a result and in the process, get a result ourselves."
My first game of the season. Im back home for a few days so going to both this and ipswich. Cant wait.
Brum away is same as today could have been; our biggest enemy is complacency. They held Wolves to a 0-0 draw and will be looking for a result after their hiding by Bournemouth. New manager, new hope. Lets play steady and go for a 1 or 2-0
I watched the game and to be honest Wolves should have walked it, Brum were lucky. Joka won't let them get complacent, if we're professional our class will be too much for them.
initially i couldn't attend this, but have managed to rearrange things, but now see that its sold out; will tickets be available on the night??
Bought a ticket for this a week ago Thursday but got appendicitis on the Friday and although I'm allowed to drive from Monday, if anybody is driving up from Reading that can give me a lift I would be greatful as currently it's still a bit sore. Did think about not going but sod that, missed today already
Tickets still available. http://www.watfordfc.com/news/article/141101-watford-fc-ticket-office-daily-update-1823385.aspx
We had sold 777 by yesterday morning. Really looking forward to this, which means we'll get whacked 3-0.
Brum are a poor side, they have no money & have had an terrible start to the season. And as if all that wasn't bad enough, their next game is against THE LEAGUE LEADERS I wonder how their fans feel about that.
Looking at the championship fixtures for Tuesday, this could be a big opportunity. BirminghamvWatford DerbyvHuddersfield 19:45 IpswichvWolves 19:45 M'borovNorwich 19:45 Sheff WedvBournemouth 19:45 Some tough games for the teams around us.
