[jjamez]

Another game in quick succession for Town and its another game against a team in blue, this time the brummie version, as Huddersfield travel to a Birmingham side that are still not 100% safe from relegation, although a 16 point buffer does make safety seem more likely. Town come into the game on the back of a dramatic turnaround at home to Cardiff, but you really don't need my words to tell you what happened, have the video instead.



And just because quite a few of us might have been wanting to do this when that second went in

https://twitter.com/htafc/status/1496817...gr%5Etweet

But enough of all that, we move onto a Birmingham side that is still being managed by Lee Bowyer, but things are far from rosy at St Andrews, with protests being held against the current owners, whilst performances on the pitch have been somewhat patchy at best. The club sit 18th in the table and come into the game on the back of a defeat to fellow relegation threatened side Reading. The Royals, fresh from appointing Paul Ince as interim manager, ran out 2-1 winners, scoring all 3 goals in the second half. Lucas Joao and John Swift scored for the home side, whilst Tom McIntyre scored an own goal to give Birmingham a chance of saving a point, but they were unable to make a further breakthrough.

The return fixture between the two sides was back in October when the two sides played out a boring 0-0, the result saw Town in the playoffs and Birmingham sitting down in 19th, so not much has changed really since then. But looking at the results of Birmingham since the turn of the year, it makes for fairly bleak reading, with the Blues only managing two wins in that time, coupled with 4 draws and 5 defeats, not including cup games, but they have still to hit the heady depths of Town last season. They began the year off with a home defeat at the hands of a strong QPR side, Albert Adomah and former Town loanee Chris Willock on the scoresheet for QPR, with Chuks Aneke emerging from the bench to score for City. They suffered the same fate as Town did in the FA Cup last season as they were knocked out by Plymouth and followed it up with a 1-1 draw away at Preston. Patrick 'Jack' Bauer scored in the first half, before Scott Hogan headed in a late equaliser moments after coming off the bench. They were on the receiving end of a proper thrashing at the hands of Fulham as they lost 6-2. Former Halifax defender Marc Roberts got the Blues off to an ominous start as he put into his own goal after just 10 minutes, Neeskens Kabano doubled the lead before Fabio Carvalho made it 3-0 moments later. Tom Cairney made it 4-0 just before half time, but Ivan Sunjic got one back for Birmingham in injury time of the first half. Birmingham looked to mount a come back when Gary Gardner halved the deficit, but that last just the minute when Carvalho scored his the second of the game. Antonee Robinson scored the Cottagers 6th of the evening in second half injury time, the goal marked Fulham's 19th goal inside of a week, after they had beaten Bristol City 6-2 and Reading 7-0. Birmingham managed to put that result behind them as they got their first win of 2022 with a 2-1 win at home to Barnsley. The Reds, who are starting to look like being cut adrift from the chances of safety, were consigned to defeat when Onel Hernandez and Scott Hogan put Birmingham 2-0 ahead, Victor Adeboyejo pulled one back late on for the visitors but it wasn't enough. The game saw the Birmingham fans protest against owners Birmingham Sports Holdings before the game, but it pretty much fell onto deaf ears. A dramatic late comeback was required against Peterborough at St Andrews, as Jack Marriott and Jonson Clarke-Harris scored to put the Posh 2-0 up going into the final 10 minutes. But a goal from Gary Gardner in the 85th minute and one from Scott Hogan in the 88th saved Birmingham and gave them a vital point against a fellow struggling team. They started February off on the receiving end of a turn around at home to Sheffield United. Lyle Taylor scored his first for the club since joining on loan from Nottingham Forest, but the lead was short lived as only minutes later Billy Sharp equalised before Jayden Bogle scored the winner for the visiting Blades. It was another match that saw Birmingham fans protest, this time by wearing white, expressionless masks, as a symbol of what they believe is a faceless ownership of the club, as well as blowing whistles during the game. The Blues would then travel to the south coast on a Wednesday night to face Bournemouth. They would leave with nothing. Despite being reduced to 10 men, Bournemouth came away 3-1 winners. Ryan Christie and Dominic Solanke scored for the Cherries in the first half, before Jefferson Lerma was shown a straight red midway in the second half. Birmingham would pull one back through Hernandez, but Jaidon Anthony would put the game beyond the reach of Birmingham not long after. Back on home turf against Luton and another protest, this time the fans threw tennis balls onto the pitch in an attempt to delay proceedings, not long after the delay former Town show pony Juninho Bacuna would put them 1-0 up before Lyle Taylor and Hernandez scored after the break, it would be Birminghams first win in 5 games and first clean sheet since November. The last game before they faced Reading was away at Stoke. The two midlands sides would play out a 2-2 draw with Jordan James opening the scoring for the Blues before Tyreese Campbell pulled Stoke level. He would score again after the break to make it 2-1, but that lead was short lived as Gardner scored his 5th of the season.



So what business did they do during the winter window? To say that the fans are unhappy with the way the club is being run, they did make a few signings, but then they are still feeling the effects of selling Jude Bellingham to Dortmund the other season. Sure the incomings didn't cost much in way of a transfer fee, but then nor did the players Town have signed this season. In terms of incomings, the Blues managed to loan Taylor Richards from Brighton but he has yet to feature since signing after picking up a freak injury during his medical. They also managed to sign Onel Hernandez from Norwich on loan, the Cuban winger has had a fair impact since arriving in the midlands, scoring 3 goals and setting up a further 2 and he has usually featured for over 80 minutes in every game, barring the defeat to Bournemouth. Also coming through the door was young defender Tenden Mengi who joined from Manchester United's under 23 side. He has played 8 times since joining on loan, but has not featured in the last two due to injury. The main two signings however have been those of Lyle Taylor in on loan from Nottingham Forest and Juninho Bacuna on a free transfer from Rangers. Montserratian Taylor has scored 3 in 6 games since joining on deadline day, whilst Curacao international Bacuna has also featured 6 times with 1 goal and 1 assist since signing his two and a half year deal.



In terms of outgoings, loanees Dion Sanderson, Matija Sarkic and Riley McGree all saw their loans end, whilst Chuks Aneke returned to Charlton on a two and a half year deal, just half a season after joining Birmingham from Charlton. Juan Castillo also saw his loan at the club end and he too went to the Valley to play for Charlton. Fellow winger Ivan Sanchez returned to Spain to Real Valladolid on loan with a view to making the deal permanent. Sam Cosgrove's miserable stint in the midlands continued as he was now sent on loan to AFC Wimbledon, it was only last year that he was bagging for fun in an Aberdeen shirt, it just hasn't transferred with him into a Birmingham shirt, or any English sides shirt for that matter. Finally Harlee Dean, one time club captain, left to join League One side Sheffield Wednesday after being told by manager Lee Bowyer that he didn't have a future at Birmingham whilst he was in charge of the club.

So who has been their leading performers and who should we be looking out for?

Scott Hogan leads the goal scoring charts for Birmingham with 10 goals this campaign, however he has been out injured recently but has just started training back on the grass so he is due back to first team action soon enough, but Saturdays game against Town could be too soon. Gary Gardner is second with 5 goals and he will be likely to line up in the middle of the park for the Blues, Troy Deeney sits 3rd with 4 goals, but he has been out injured with a thigh injury since November and a return has yet to be disclosed by the club. In terms of assists Jeremie Bela leads the way with 4, but due to injuries in the Birmingham squad, he has been forced to play out of position at left back. Deeney is in second with 3, whilst there is an extensive list of players on 2 assists including the likes of Hernandez and Jordan Graham, who has also been forced to line up out of position at right back.

In terms of who to look out for, well it bodes down to who is actually available. Going on their last line up Bacuna will be someone who needs to be watched, Town fans and a lot of the players know exactly what he is like, on his day he can be a game changer, but when he is rattled or off his game, he can be somewhat of a passenger. A returning Toffolo could be used to push Bacuna further into the defensive half where we know he can be somewhat suspect to a clanger as he tries too much, a player like Duane Holmes could be useful to try and wind him up as we know he is very prone to biting.

Gary Gardner has proven himself to be a consistent performer at this level and he is showing it once again this season despite the troubles that Birmingham are facing at the moment. A dependable box to box midfielder, he will need to be watched by the likes of Hogg, Obrien and Russell, as a quiet Gardner will mean a weaker Birmingham performance.



Lyle Taylor is likely to be leading the line on Saturday and has shown he too is capable of performing and scoring at this level during his recent career. The move from Forest seems to have given him the spark that he has been missing of late, mainly due to being slightly out of favour at Forest, the reuniting with former manager Lee Bowyer has made him start to feel loved and wanted once again and resulted in an upturn in his performances.

In regards to team news, the Birmingham squad is a little short on players at the moment through injuries. A number of defenders are out at the moment in the form of Marc Roberts, George Friend and Tenden Mengi. All are back outside on the grass now, with Roberts most likely to be back first. Hogan too is back outside but his timeframe has yet to be mentioned, Taylor Richards also looks likely to miss out. Another loanee and proper bright spark Tahith Chong has been out of action for a couple of months, but the Manchester United youngster returned to under 23 action this week and could be in line for a return to the bench for the weekend. Troy Deeney looks likely to be missing yet again with his long term injury. Left back Kristian Pedersen looks likely to fill in as an auxiliary central defender alongside Maxime Collin who usually finds himself lining up as a right back with wingers Graham and Bela once again looking likely to line up as fullbacks. Ginger Ninja Ryan Woods will likely lineup alongside Gardner whilst Jordan James is probably favourite to keep that spot, unless Bowyer sticks Bacuna there in order to bring Lukas in and go 4-4-2.

So 5 players who have a foot in either camp, and a little clue as into their identity, see if you get them.

Answers for Cardiff

1-Jazz Richards (Scott Malone)

2- Oumar Niasse

3- Anthony Pilkington

4- Emyr Huws

5- Anthony Gerrard

6- Jon Parkin

7- Martyn Margetson

8- Alan Alan Lee



And now for the Brummies

1- Began his career in another home nation, but was soon snapped up by an English Premier League club where he spent 5 years, including a short loan out to Nottingham Forest. Signed for Birmingham for £50,000 and spent 8 relatively successful years at the club and played a lot of his games in the Premier League. He moved south from Birmingham but was plagued by injuries and didn't settle into the club. His career saw him have two loan spells at Town, both were season long loans, but both saw him pick up injuries which restricted him to teen number appearances both times. Finished his playing career in Lancashire where he still resides today but in a coaching role.

2- A bit of a journeyman midfielder who began his career in Lancashire and probably who probably saw his time there and at Birmingham coincide with the answer to number 1. He played a bit further up field to begin with and saw his time at his first club being spent largely out on loan at the likes of Blackpool. He left Lancashire and went south to Colchester where he really made his mark and teams started to take notice. He lasted 2 years at Colchester before a recently relegated Birmingham came knocking. He would struggle to make an impact at Birmingham as they returned to the Premier League and was told he had no future at the club and so left to go to London. This would be where he settled the most, making over 100 appearances in his 3 years in the capital. He soared away from London to join another team who play in Blue. It started well there, even becoming captain for a time, but a reckless challenge saw him sent off and not selected again, instead being sent on loan to Bristol City and then Town. He spent half a season at Town but missed the end of the season through injury. That would be the end of his time at Town and he would move on loan again to the other side of the Pennines for the next season. At the conclusion of that loan he would move to that part of Lancashire permanently and spend a further 2 years. It would be from there that he became a proper journeyman, playing again on loan at Blackpool, as well as the likes of Bury, Connahs Quay and Macclesfield.

3- Spent a short time on loan at Town and had an impressive scoring record whilst wearing the blue and white stripes. Started his career in his native homeland before being spotted by a former England international. He moved to these shores and endeared himself to his new clubs supporters by scoring against one of their main rivals. He moved to a Championship Birmingham side and made over 100 appearances for them and scored just over 20 goals. His time at Brum included the loan at Town, but they recalled him, played him another couple of times before releasing him. Instead of resigning for Town as some expected, he would move elsewhere and play 135 times for his new club. He would move closer to home to finish his career before moving into coaching, he had two brothers who also played professionally alongside of him, one of whom died in a car accident in which this player was the driver, receiving serious injuries as a result.

4-A local boy who played over 100 games before leaving for a southern based club. His son too came through the academy, but never really made the mark, but can still be seen playing locally. The player in question played over 100 times again on the south coast before being loaned and then later sold to Birmingham, after a two year spell in Brum he moved back up north to the wrong side of the Pennines and would spend 4 years there before moving to play in a horrible yellow shirt. That spell ended with him feeling scapegoated and he returned to finish his career in the north of England.

5- Began his career at Preston but soon moved to Newcastle where a 2 year spell yielded just 3 appearances and a loan to Birmingham which would later be turned into a permanent transfer. He would have 4 goalless years at Brum and play 60 odd games before leaving. His time at Town saw him play over 100 games in a 4 year period and score a prolific 2 goals before moving to finish his career at the likes of Boston and Southport.


Town have a fairly healthy record when it comes to facing Birmingham, with the Terriers winning 42 games, drawing 35, and Brum winning 39. The last meeting was a 0-0 at the John Smiths earlier this season, whilst last season we lost at St Andrews 2-1 thanks to scrappy late goal from Lukas and drew 1-1 in Yorkshire, with Fraizer Campbells goal being cancelled out by Marc Roberts. The year under Cowley saw Campbell and Lukas score once again at the John Smiths, whilst a relegation troubled Town ran out 3-0 victors at St Andrews with Karlan Grant, Campbell and Elias Kachunga all on the scoresheet. Recent history has seen the two sides play out a couple of FA Cup ties, the last one being back when we were in the Premier League. The original tie was drawn 1-1 in Yorkshire with Lukas scoring yet again for the Blues, whilst Steve Mounie scored for Town. The replay saw Town win 4-1 after extra time, with goals coming from Mounie, Van La Parra, Tom Ince and a Marc Roberts own goal. Even more years back and Town would cause an upset as Peter Jackson's League One side knocked out Steve Bruce's Premier League outfit. Luke Beckett got Town off to a flyer before Garry O'Connor pegged the Terriers back, but a late Chris Brandon effort put Town through, where they would meet money bags Chelsea in the next round. Since Town returned from the doldrums of what is now League Two, both sides have won 4 league games apiece and drawn 7.



Now for the managers








how to get there

By Car

From the Town Ground the quickest way seems to be going down the M1 down to the A42 which then takes you onto the M42 and the M6 into Birmingham.
Alternatively you can go on the M62 around the top of Manchester and down the M6 past Walsall until you reach the A38 and on into Birmingham.
The ground is a mile and a half from the City centre so it is a relatively short distance.

By Train
Nearest train stations:

Birmingham New Street: 1.9 miles
Birmingham Moor Street: 1.4 miles
Bordesley Station: 0.6 miles

You can get the train from various stations around the Midlands including Birmingham Moor Street, Solihull, Longbridge and Redditch.

The last train before the match gets into Bordesley for 2.28pm, with trains arriving at 20 minute intervals before that.

The last train leaving Bordesley is at 5.52pm. We advise that you give yourself at least 15 minutes to walk from the stadium to the train station.

The prices from local stations, in case you'd rather park there and travel the rest are:

Birmingham Moor Street and Snow Hill - £2.30 Solihull - £4.20 Sandwell & Dudley - £4.20 Longbridge - £4.40 Dorridge - £5.20 Wolverhampton - £6.30 Redditch - £8.30

By Bus

The ground is served by a number of bus routes. Buses which travel to the stadium are the number 17 & 60 buses.

And now for the return of Snooties faves

1- Hustle On Bees

2- Boil No Rainwater

3- Sherry Or Tar

4- All Inhale Camels Hat

5- I Grim Clerk

6- Bowl At Batter

7- Rum Zest Tent

[ritchiebaby]

4 is Small Heath Alliance (well, at least 75% of it fits)

[jjamez]

All 100% fits according to my anagram assistant Ritchie

[Lord Snooty]

Nice one, jjamez. Only just got round to reading it, let alone have a go at the quizzes. I'll have a go tomorrow.

[theo_luddite]

Nice one jjamez

I did consider the knee slide on Wednesday, but carpet burns at my age can take some recovering from, so decided to go with a loud cheer that had my neighbour wondering what the noise was about.

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By the way - the trains from Snow Hill and Moor Street (+3 or 4 mins) are now at 13:36, 14:07, 14:36, returns at 16:57, 17:28, 17:47 per the National Rail Journey Planner today rather than every 20 mins.

£1.70 return with a railcard.

[jjamez]

Nice one ritchie.

I did consider the knee slide on Wednesday, but carpet burns at my age can take some recovering from, so decided to go with a loud cheer that had my neighbour wondering what the noise was about.

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By the way - the trains from Snow Hill and Moor Street (+3 or 4 mins) are now at 13:36, 14:07, 14:36, returns at 16:57, 17:28, 17:47 per the National Rail Journey Planner today rather than every 20 mins.

£1.70 return with a railcard.

It's just what the Birmingham city website said, but why am I not surprised to see them getting it wrong?

[theo_luddite]

Those times likely were correct when they put them on the website, they were mostly shown as cancelled this morning.

And, er oops, wrong name.

[theo_luddite]

It's no wonder this ground is falling down. You order a bottle of Peaky Blinder Gold, pay for it, then, yes then, they tell you they don't have any.

Muddled England at its finest.

Oh that and West Midlands police have a drone up on the roundabout taking images without permission.

[Lord Snooty]

Number 3 is Peter Ndlovu.

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A goal for the birthday boy

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2nd in the as it stands table.

[Lord Snooty]

Well. So far, so good.

Tommy Smith scoring against Bournemouth to put Town into an automatic spot. Once a Terrier....

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7. Muntz Street

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Enough is enough! CARLOS OUT!

What do I know?