Birmingham

In a memorable cup final at Wembley for all sorts of reasons, the world watched as Birmingham City stole the show against perennial underachievers Arsenal. 

Like the pre-2008 Spanish national team, the Gunners again failed to deliver when it mattered most, being infected by the corrosive tentacles of mounting psychological pressure.

Of course, Arsenal had many chances to win the game and didn't quite deserve to lose in the manner that they did, especially considering the performance of the excellent Jack Wilshere and the fact Ben Foster was forced into several saves. Also, had Tomas Rosicky's volley in the second half been a few inches closer to goal, it would've most certainly been a different story.

However, the fact remains that Birmingham City won the match, and deservedly so, taking into account the Blues had a penalty that wasn't called and Wojciech Szczesny should have been sent off within three minutes. Also, had Keith Fahey's piledriver against the post been an inch closer, Birmingham would've had that 2-1 lead much sooner anyway.

However, the main reason City deserved to win has to be the tactical genius (in this match anyway) of Blues boss Alex McLeish, who has now won nine trophies in his managerial career.

His tactics against Arsenal were perfectly formulated and very well executed by his players. 

Poor Man's Peter Crouch

Ahead of the match, Alex McLeish took the gamble of lowering the morale of his attacking options in the shape of Cameron Jerome, Obafemi Martins (initially), Kevin Phillips and Matt Derbyshire by going with only one centre-forward in his formation.

Serbian giant Nikola Zigic led the line for Birmingham City, with the gaffer hoping his summer signing's colossal height and brutal strength would work in winning headers, providing knock-downs and scoring goals. 

And it proved to a shining example as to why something as simple as team selection is as much value as hours of tactical work on the training pitch. 

Targeting the weaker Laurent Koscielny, who didn't have as much experience in the physicality of the Premier League as Johan Djourou, meant Zigic was able to hold the ball in the final third, press the Arsenal defense and bring the midfielders into play.

It allowed to McLeish to reap the rewards of a more refined "long ball game," bypassing the midfield and getting the ball straight to the attacker, causing a quicker and more effective threat to the Gunners' back line.

His height also made him difficult to mark from set pieces, and considering Arsenal have been proven to struggle from set pieces, it was the perfect chance to use that asset to get goals—much like Birmingham did when the big Serb headed home their opener.

It was a good bit of homework there from Alex McLeish, using who some call a "poor man's Peter Crouch" to golden effect. 

Hunt 'Em Down

Apart from the five minutes at the end of the first half and a 20-minute spell in the second half, Birmingham City were very good at pressing the Arsenal midfield, namely the attack-minded players like Tomas Rosicky, Samir Nasri and Andrei Arshavin to an extent. 

They also pressed down the Gunners' "double pivot," i.e. Jack Wilshere and Alex Song, when they needed to, and had regained enough fitness levels to do so. 

It was a brilliant ploy by McLeish, forcing the Arsenal midfielders into misplaced passes and sloppy mistakes, allowing the Blues to break up attacks and start counter-attacks of their own.

However, far more importantly than that, McLeish used the tactic to get at the minds of the Arsenal players, who went into the game expecting a win. Djourou, Wilshere and Bacary Sagna amongst others, all told the media prior to the match about how they'll use their Carling Cup win as a springboard for further success.

It would appear that whilst trying to guard against complacency, Arsene Wenger's men fully expected to turn up at Wembley, let their quality and game style do the talking, and go home full of confidence with a winner's medal—it'd be like just another Premier League match.  

Alex McLeish, it seems, tapped into this and let his players know their opponent's probable mindset.

And therefore, when it came down to the action on the pitch, Arsenal's idyllic version of events was disrupted by Birmingham's incessant pressing, frustrating the Gunners and making them work much harder than they would've liked for a win.

As the Arsenal players' body language demonstrated in the closing stages, they were deeply annoyed at having to cover such ground in order to beat an opponent they easily dismantled in the league.

Even with the help of their psychologist Jacques Crevoisier, the Gunners were unable to resist as Alex McLeish's tactics infiltrated their minds.

And as Szczesny and Koscielny proved, that led to some very deleterious mistakes.

Hit 'Em Quick

Hunt them down, then hit them quick, especially in the second half when they tire out a bit. That seemed to be McLeish's secondary plan going forward.

It was always going to be a risky ploy against the likes of Robin Van Persie, Arshavin and Nasri, committing men forward and leaving the back line threadbare, but it worked thanks to the effectiveness of subs Obafemi Martins and Jean Beausejour.

The counter-attack, amongst other things, was another good decision by Birmingham boss McLeish in the psychological warfare on that glorious Wembley pitch.

Dragging the Arsenal players back, providing another attacking dimension to threaten their defense and playing their own game against them, meant the Blues again could really get at Wenger's men, frustrate them and put more pressure on the inexperienced centre-backs and goalkeeper.

Birmingham's switch to a counter-attacking plan with more forward-minded players in the second half not only hindered Arsenal's own game plan and frustrated their team, but also instilled more confidence into the Blues as the match wore on.

Roger Johnson, Martin Jiranek and Ben Foster were all given a massive thumbs up by the Birmingham bench, being deemed capable enough to adequately deal with the threat of Nasri, RVP and Arshavin. Going forward, the likes of Lee Bowyer, Craig Gardner, Sebastian Larsson, Barry Ferguson, Stephen Carr and Keith Fahey were all able to get forward without worrying too much about being caught out in midfield on the counter.

It evidently gave Birmingham City more confidence as the game went on, and increasingly rocked the Gunners. Thus in hindsight, it seems inevitable there was only ever going to be one winner from the Wembley encounter—and it wasn't to be the team located a couple of minutes down the road. 

What a Catastrophe!

Of course Birmingham were aided massively by Arsenal's increasingly weakened mind state as the game progressed. Well, that and the comic blunder at the end (most likely caused by the aforementioned psychological pressure).

Such psychological warfare on the Wembley minefield, won by the Blues, lends its weight to the catastrophe theory in sports psychology, whereby an increase in arousal (technical term for 'stress') leads to heightened anxiety and after a while goes one of two ways—either the athlete or team improves and goes on to win the event, or they implode and it all goes pear-shaped.

Looking at Arsenal's performance on Sunday in the Carling Cup Final, it seems clear Birmingham City pushed them to their breaking point.  

With the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League still left to play for, can Arsenal avoid another catastrophe?    

It has finally arrived. Arsenal now have a glorious chance to diminish their notorious five year trophy drought that has continued to haunt the Gunners fans. The North London giants encounter Birmingham City in the Carling Cup final after an arduous journey in which Arsene Wenger's men overcame a number of tough opponents.

Their Cup campaign began with a 4-1 extra time thrashing over arch rivals and North London neighbours Tottenham in the third round. After advancing to the fourth round the Gunners continued to dominate proceedings with a 4-0 thrashing of Newcastle. This followed with an impressive 2-0 quarter final victory over Wigan Athletic before losing 1-0 in the first leg of the semi final against Championship side Ipswich Town.

However, Wenger's men bounced back admirably with a 3-0 win in the return fixture, ensuring a 3-1 victory on aggregate to book a place in the Carling Cup final. What has been most notable about Arsenal's triumph in the Carling Cup is the absence of premium youngsters.

Wenger has primarily utilized the Carling Cup as a breeding ground for his exciting array of young talent. Recent years have seen the Frenchman produce squads that boast an average age of 21—and what was more impressive was the entertaining fashion in which the young Gunners conducted their football.

But the hunger and desire to secure a long overdue piece of silverware has forced Wenger to rotate his squad and enforce a more experienced line up. Fans aren't complaining though, as the Gunners have shown tremendous depth in their squad and have continued to uphold their exceptional style of play.

But can they go one further and finally diminish their five year trophy drought against a tough Birmingham City outfit, or will injuries and pressure intervene? Let's predict the Arsenal starting XI.

Goalkeeper

In-form youngster Wojciech Szczesny is set to receive the honour of being selected as the starting goalkeeper in the Carling Cup final—and with good reason. The Polish shot stopper has been a tremendous presence between the sticks since predominant first choice keeper Lukasz Fabianski suffered a season ending shoulder injury in January.

Experienced campaigner Manuel Almunia will receive the deputy role on the bench whilst youngsters Vito Mannone and James Shea are on loan at Hull City and Southampton respectively.

Defenders

Wenger is likely to utilize his strongest defensive line, which of course boasts the centre half partnership of imposing Swiss Johan Djourou and Frenchman Laurent Koscielny.

Koscienly did not feature in Arsenal's mid week win over Stoke City but is set to be fit to play in the final. The duo have enjoyed a formidable partnership since late December and have been integral in Arsenal's recent form.

Bacary Sagna is expected to start at right back with Ivorian Emmanuel Eboue set to receive a role when the Gunners face Leyton Orient in the FA Cup replay next week. At left back, experienced full-back Gael Clichy will maintain his spot in the Arsenal XI with England international Kieran Gibbs set to appear against Leyton Orient.

French defender Sebastien Squillaci will receive a role on the bench alongside Eboue and Gibbs. Defensive leader Thomas Vermaelen is still out with a persistent Achilles injury.

Midfielders

The Gunners have suffered dreadful news—captain Cesc Fabregas is set to miss the final with a hamstring injury. The Spaniard limped off in the opening 15 minutes against Stoke City, which leaves a gaping hole, from an attacking and leadership standpoint, in the Arsenal XI. However, as the competition has shown, Arsenal boast sufficient depth to replace their midfield maestro.

Wenger welcomes imposing Frenchman Abou Diaby back from suspension as he steps into Fabregas' role as the attacking midfielder. There is also the question of defensive midfielder Alexandre Song—the Cameroon midfielder played the full 90 minutes against Stoke City and, prior to that, 90 against Leyton Orient.

This could result in Wenger resting Song and instead handing Samba Star Denilson the defensive midfield role alongside teen sensation Jack Wilshere. The hugely in-form Wilshere will be forced to orchestrate most of Arsenal's midfield attack.

Forwards

The Gunners will be immensely boosted by the return of Robin van Persie, who missed the Stoke City encounter with a hamstring injury. The Dutchman is in incredible form with 12 goals in 10 games this year. Van Persie will receive the lone striker role and will be the focal point of the Arsenal attack.

However, the Gunners will be without speedster Theo Walcott, who limped off against Stoke City with an ankle injury. This ensures Czech Tomas Rosicky will receive a rare start on the right wing, enhancing Arsenal's experience and creativity. That being said, Walcott's speed would have been a huge asset to Arsenal.

On the left wing, Russian dynamo Andrei Arshavin, who is returning to form, will be given the task to torment the slow Birmingham back line. In-form French play-maker Samir Nasri is set to be demoted to the bench having recently returned from injury and playing 90 minutes against Stoke.

Imposing strikers Nicklas Bendtner and Marouane Chamakh will receive bench roles.

Substitutes

With seven places on Wenger's bench, Spaniard Manuel Almunia will receive the back up keeper role whilst Sebastien Squillaci, Emmanuel Eboue and Kieran Gibbs will be the deputizing defenders. Marouane Chamakh, Samir Nasri and Nicklas Bendtner are the impact attackers.

But will Arsenal's notorious five year trophy drought finally be broken, or will Fabregas' absence and the physicality of Birmingham prove too much?

The recent retroactive punishment enacted against Birmingham City’s Lee Bowyer has once again opened the FA up to allegations of giving special treatment to bigger clubs.

Alex McLeish, the Birmingham City manager, accused the Football Association of giving "bigger clubs" preferential treatment when deciding whether to take disciplinary action against players.

No one is defending Bowyer’s actions as they are indefensible, but how often do we see players from bigger clubs being given retroactive punishment? The FA and some referees are building a reputation for favoring bigger clubs when making disciplinary decisions.

"We're looking for fairness," McLeish said. "We're not defending anybody if they have made a bad decision on the field. But we're looking for fairness. If it's going to be the smaller clubs that are scrutinized, then you've got to look at the bigger clubs as well."

The Scot made his comments as he prepared to lose Lee Bowyer for at least three matches after television footage showed the midfielder stamping on Bacary Sagna's right leg and raking his studs down the defender's Achilles in two separate incidents during Arsenal's 3-0 victory on Saturday.

The FA has charged Bowyer with violent conduct after Peter Walton, the referee at St Andrew's, confirmed he missed both offences. Bowyer has received a three-match ban after the match referee confirmed to the Football Association that had he seen the incident he would certainly have sent Bowyer off.

McLeish has expressed serious misgivings about how the FA uses "trial by television" and cited an incident involving Alan Hutton at St Andrew's last month, when the Tottenham Hotspur defender apparently head-butted Birmingham's David Murphy but escaped any retrospective punishment, to support his argument that the governing body was not treating every club in the same way.

"I'll give you an example," he said. "Alan Hutton—I never said anything about this after the game—head-butted one of our players a few weeks ago on the touchline and there was nothing done about that. In fact, Match of the Day 2 laughed about it and called him a little bull, saying it was the way a bull would head-butt somebody. They had a good laugh about it.

"But ours is a big furor: 'Bowyer has got to get done'. We didn't hear anybody screaming about Alan Hutton that day. And Alan came into the dressing room and apologized to David Murphy for it after the game. I was quite happy just to let it be swept under the carpet. I could have come out at the time and said: 'Why's he not being done?' I don't like to see trial by television, but if we are getting tried by television, then everyone has got to get tried by television."

All clubs and players should be tried in the same manner. If smaller clubs are being targeted with retroactive punishment and bigger clubs are not scrutinized in the same way, things should be changed.

"You know in a split second something can happen on the pitch and a player can see red," said McLeish, who felt Samir Nasri should have been sanctioned for a "bad tackle" on Stephen Carr on Saturday. "But Bowyer has been pretty mature in his time with us. I've not had any problems."

An FA spokesman said: "The FA apply retrospective action only to incidents that are deemed off the ball and have clearly not been seen by the referee. The application of this is consistent to all incidents that are brought to our attention."

Do you think that the FA are using retroactive punishment properly? Should it be used at all?

Retroactive punishment would not be necessary at all if the referees used video replays during the matches. All disciplinary action would be enacted during the match in a fair and balanced manner. A referee would be hard pressed to fail to give a free kick or a caution after a bad tackle or a foul is committed, it would clearly expose their bias, (here’s looking at you Mr. Webb). It would force players to cut down on cheating, because they would not get away with it.

What do you think of retroactive punishment, or trial by television?

Fulham vs. West Brom

This is a clash between two teams that come into the game in the worst possible manner, with Fulham once again back in the drop zone and West Brom fresh from a defeat at the hands of Manchester United. While drawing matches has been the problem for Fulham, the Baggies recently have found it difficult to score goals at the right time.

West Brom played well against Manchester United throughout the match, but had they scored the penalty, along with being more clinical with their other chances, they would have come away from the match with all three points. However, as it is, West Brom is at the bottom of the form table going into this match and so is Fulham.

Mark Hughes will be hoping that they get something out of this game, because failure to do so will result in the gap between them and safety stretching out.

West Brom is now just three points above the drop zone and Roberto di Matteo will be very cautious about not ending up in the slog war that is the relegation battle. Mark Schwarzer is the major casualty for Fulham, as he joins up with the Australian team for the Asian Cup.

Fulham vs. West Brom kicks off at 21:00 CET on Craven Cottage.

Blackpool vs. Birmingham

Blackpool will be hosting the first game at Bloomfield Road in over a month, and they could not have asked for a better fixture as they prepare to host a struggling Birmingham City side.

Blackpool has been promising as of late, but their last defeat against Manchester City did not do them any favours. If you thought that Blackpool's situation worsened as a result of the Manchester City defeat, Birmingham City is in an even deeper mire after a 3-0 home loss to Arsenal put them into the bottom three for the first time this season.

However, Alex McLeish will be confident going into this match, having already beaten Blackpool in the reverse fixture this season. If they can repeat that result, then Birmingham's troubles will be put aside for at least one week.

Even though Blackpool is in a comfortable position at 11th place in the Premier League table, Ian Holloway will be hoping to avoid consecutive defeats within one week. David Carney is the prominent absentee for Blackpool, while James McFadden is still not back for Birmingham City. However, that aside, McLeish has a full strength squad to put out.

Blackpool vs. Birmingham kicks off at 21:00 CET on Bloomfield Road.

Man Utd vs. Stoke City

Manchester United will be very happy to come back to Old Trafford once again, as they have endured a torrid time away from home this season. The weekend victory against West Brom was just one win among a sea of draws, which does not make for good reading if the club wants to challenge for the title.

Stoke City has also been unspectacular over the past few months, and Tony Pulis has not been able to put in a steady run of results. Hence, they find themselves unable to challenge Sunderland and Bolton for the European qualification places.

Alex Ferguson will be boosted by the return of Wayne Rooney on the scoring sheet, but he has revealed that Rooney will be facing a late fitness test in order to determine his participation in the game. Likewise, Patrice Evra is also a doubt for this game. Stoke City has been boosted by the return of Robert Huth, who returns to the side after a one-game suspension. Apart from the injury to Mamady Sidibe, Pulis has a full-strength squad to play in this match.

Man Utd vs. Stoke kicks off at 21:00 CET on Old Trafford.

Xavier @ mysportshub.co.uk

    That Birmingham City got away with a 1-1 draw is perhaps as much a reflection of the spirit Alex McLeish has instilled in his side, as it is of the quality the FA possesses in terms of referees. Indeed, it is not often in the Premier League that one gets to see a game that is not marred by some sort of refereeing controversy. While refereeing blunders are not uncommon in football the world over, the Premier League somewhat specializes in refs who claim all the back page headlines more often than not.

    Sir Alex Ferguson was scathing in his post match interview, but in doing so, the Scot shielded his side, which was at full strength against the relegation battlers, from criticism for letting the Birmingham side have so much space to attack United in the dying moments in the first place!

Here's a part by part review of a game which had the potential of letting United finally ending their dreaded away run this season.

    Saturday's 4-4-2 turned into a 4-3-3, but it was a completely different version that the ones United fans have been accustomed to in the recent past. Indeed, it was a throwback to the days of Cristiano Ronaldo, with Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs on the flanks and Dimitar Berbatov playing as a central striker.

    The only change from the weekend on the team-sheet was Darron Gibson in place of Park. The Irish international seemed to have vindicated Fergie's faith in him when just before the hour mark, Gibson collected a pass from midfield, drove up field and slid in a cool pass to Berbatov just within the box, with the Bulgarian, under pressure from two men, ending the play with a cool finish between the keeper and the near post, putting United 1-0 ahead, away from.

    It wasn't the first time United had lead away from home this season. One goal was always going to be a nervous lead, especially given United's tendency of conceding late goals. For some time, United remained in complete control though. Rooney did well to get the ball into the box time and again, whether via crosses, or dribbling it along the left channel. Giggs' mazy runs meant United's front three were always fluid, all three interchanging places as the game progressed, but the game-killer never arrived. Instead, as soon as the clock read 80 minutes, Birmingham seemed to come alive, as if by magic. The home side dominated possession in the last ten minutes, and exerted pressure on the United defense.

    The goal eventually did come, at the 90^th minute. The manner of the goal though left much to be desired. As Ferguson later fumed, there was a foul at the half way mark, a handball by the Serbian striker Nikola Zigic which eventually fell to Lee Bowyer, who was marginally offside. That the referee and the linesmen failed to pick up on even one of these is hard to digest from simply a football point of view, let alone with the proverbial red tinted glasses on!

 

The Tactics

    Ferguson went into the game with a formation that came as a bit of a surprise to many. With Park Ji Sung off to Qatar for the AFC Asian Cup, and Nani down with flu, Ferguson decided to switch his team around, with only one change in personnel from the weekend game against Sunderland.

    It was indeed surprising that Ferguson didn't go in with a more attacking line up. Birmingham are a good team, but in the relegation zone, with not nearly the same amount of quality that United possess, especially with a fit and firing Oliveira Anderson. With Giggs on one flank, one has to wonder if the likes of Chicharito and Obertan would have had greater impact on the other instead of the largely invisible Darron Gibson.

The Opposition

    McLeish set up his side to give United a proper go. Their midfield of Barry Ferguson and Lee Bowyer was largely outplayed, with United players often getting fouled or harassed off the ball in order to keep them in check. Nevertheless Sebastian Larsson and Jean Beausejour made good use of the space afforded to them by United's lack of any natural width, often sliding behind their full backs in order to supply the cross. Their final product lacked any sort of impact though, as Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand had a largely easy time dealing with them, except when the controversial goal arrived.

    At the other end, Liam Ridgewell again gave a good account of himself, being the rock of the City defense, and playing his margins like a pro. Ben Foster too had an impressive outing, with some key saves, especially one curling effort off Ryan Giggs in the first half, from the right flank, which Foster was good enough to parry onto the inside of the far post, the ball eventually staying out.

The Officials

     Lee Mason had a largely disappointing game. The official failed to keep the game flowing, and branded out far too many yellows, a Ryan Giggs effort in the second half resulting in an especially baffling one. Apart from the disability to award advantages at crucial junctures in the game, Mason made sure that this game will only be remembered for the refereeing blunders rather than a pretty game of football.

The Players

    The United team had a largely positive game. While they failed to convert their early game domination into a bigger score-line and get a shut-out win, a few of the players would be especially proud of how they did away from home against a competitive Birmingham side.

    Berbatov was easily United's best player of the game, constantly creating chances from nothing. This is probably the most lively Berbatov has been in front of goal in all his two and a half years at the club. There was a mild danger of Berbatov turning into a bit of a home-game bully, but this goal and performance in general should certainly persuade the manager to consider the number 9 for the bigger games in future.

    Anderson again kept the ball pinging about the field with great efficiency. He did seem a bit stifled for space with two more midfielders alongside him, not being able to burst through the middle in his usual fashion. Michael Carrick was a good foil, keeping the ball in United's control. Gibson's lack of positional awareness again let him down. He didn't see much of the ball at all, and his only contribution to the game apart from a good assist was a blazing shot which went well wide of the target.

    The defense, Vidic and Rafael da Silva especially, would feel extremely hard done by the referee. They seemed to be heading towards yet another clean-sheet, with Edwin Van der Sar barely troubled throughout the night, until the fateful goal.

The Verdict

    It was a disappointing result for the Red Devils' fans considering United were the better team for 90% of the game. They were superior in all departments, and even got the goal that should have been enough to see them through.

    The draw continues United's dreaded run of just one away win in eight attempts, the rest all resulting in draws. Of course Arsenal's failure to claim all three points softened the blow, and the fact that United go in to 2011 as table toppers is extremely promising.

The title could still go either way, but United seldom throw away the title from a position of strength in January. Ferguson though, will continue to use the memories of 1998 to spur his team on for their first league title since the departure of Ronaldo.

As a Birmingham City fan I have had to put up with a lot of disappointment over the years.

When I first started taking football seriously, the Gold Brothers and Mr. Sullivan were the owners of my club and, although they did improve the team to an extent, there was always something to moan about.

One of the biggest gripes was always that they weren't very ambitious in the transfer market and, as a result, we suffered two Premiership relegations under their watchful eye.

When I think back over some of the players we've bought in, I really can't remember a single time we made a significant profit on anyone.

As Birmingham fans, as things are right now, we need to accept that players capable of taking us to the next level are likely to move on if a big club comes in for them. As much as loyalty is a big deal to fans, if one of the top four or five teams in England comes in for you, you don't turn them down.

Time after time I see teams around us pick up players on the cheap and then two years later sell them on for a significant profit. Why can't it ever be us?

As far as I know, the best profit we've ever made on a player was Jermaine Pennant. Signed for £3m and sold for £6.25million. Hardly a record breaker.

The most frustrating example was Wilson Palacios. The Honduran was on loan to Blues when Steve Bruce was in charge and when he left for Wigan, Alex Mcleish had the first option to buy the combative midfielder for just £1million.

The Scot decided he wasn't worth it and let him go. Steve Bruce paid the £1million to take Palacios to Wigan and a year later sold him to Tottenham for £12million. Cue teeth grinding at St. Andrews.

Andrew Johnson was another one. We gave him away to bring in Clinton Morrison, who flopped. Two years later Johnson joined Everton for around £9million.

However, according to recent form and subsequent speculation, it looks like Birmingham finally have the man that can create a substantial profit when he inevitably moves on.

Scott Dann has been a revelation since his £2million move from Coventry last summer and has formed a rock solid partnership in the Blues defence, which spearheaded the side's excellent season in the Premier League last time out.

After another magnificent display against Liverpool at the weekend, Dann has been linked with a January move to Manchester United.

Now, although it may well just be media fabrication based on Manchester United's poor defensive display against Everton, the figures that have been suggested are around the £8million mark. Happy Days.

The likelyhood is that Big Eck will do his best to hold on to Dann, and £8million is unlikely to be enough to tempt Birmingham into selling. This is excellent news.

Considering the failings of the English defence of late, Dann looks like he could soon come into consideration for a place in the squad and, at just 23, he is only going to improve. If he does win an England cap, then his price will continue to rise.

Blues may finally have a player on there hands that could command a £10million plus profit.

It came as something of a disappointment to read that instead of England manager Fabio Capello attending the Liverpool vs. Birmingham game and observing a number of potential England candidates, he chose to attend the Italian Grand Prix instead. 

Ben Foster, though a spectator for much of the match, kept a clean sheet with aplomb, doing the things he was called upon to do competently and with no fuss. A near-post piledriver from Torres? Divert it out. Edge of box curler from Gerrard? Smothered and held. This is not the same Ben Foster who let Paul Robinson's clearance bounce over him, but a more competent and confident goalkeeper. 

Foster's relatively easy afternoon came about because of the contribution of the two men in front of him. Roger Johnson and Scott Dann were at their imperious best, shackling World Cup winner Fernando Torres and limiting him to one or two pressured shots. The same with Gerrard, who could never quite find the time to set himself to shoot without one of the two charging him down.

Their tackling skills are well documented, as is their never say die attitude, but both, and Dann in particular are good passers, unphased by charging forwards.

Liam Ridgewell is another outside option, the previous two's attitude having rubbed off on him. Ridgewell has been playing left-back but still considers himself a centre back. Judging from his performances at the tail end of last season, he has not forgotten how to play it. He is an utterly uncompromising tackler with rather good distributing skills and has been underrated time and time again. 

The likes of Drogba, Rooney, Van Persie, Torres, and Lampard have all come to St. Andrews and none have left with more than a point in the last year. These defenders are capable of playing top-quality footballers and are capable of shackling them. 

It is also well worth mentioning that four games into the season, all three defenders have scored. 

As Jamie Redknapp mentioned in the punditry of the Liverpool Birmingham game, when a player hears he is playing at St. Andrews, it's not one to get his blood pumping.

Indeed it is a very modest ground, but on a good day it is a hostile place and difficult for any player to come to, and this is because of the blood and guts defenders who repeatedly wholeheartedly throw themselves into challenges and blocks and who will simply never ever give up. 

These are traits that I like to see in international level defenders, and hopefully one day Capello will give one or more of these players the chance to prove their quality for England.  

Birmingham City were unlucky to take all three points as they continued their unbeaten start to their season, playing out a 0-0 draw with Liverpool.

The result confirmed Blues' status as Liverpool's bogey side - they haven't lost a league game between the two in seven years - and showed Alex Mcleish's side look to have what it takes to produce a season similar to last season's heroics.

If it wasn't for the superb Pepe Reina, Birmingham may well have taken maximum points. Reina saved expertly from Cameron Jerome and Craig Gardner in a first half dominated by the home side.

However, after the break it was the visitors who looked the more likely to create a chance as they dominated possession, but never really looked like scoring.

Blues almost took the lead when Lee Bowyer's pinpoint cross was met by Jerome. The striker's powerful header looked destined to find the back of the net, but somehow Reina got down low to his right to tip the ball behind.

Soon after the 'keeper again denied Jerome, punching the ball off his head when it looked like he would head home Seb Larsson's whipped cross.

The Spaniard was at it again before half-time, making a great reaction save when Craig Gardner met a Stephen Carr cross with a powerful headed that looked sure to make the net bulge.

Liverpool looked devoid of ideas as Birmingham continued to press after the break, Scott Dann's downward header narrowly bouncing over the visitor's cross bar.

The Red's best chance fell to a quiet Fernando Torres, whose stinging shot from a tight angle was tipped wide by Ben Foster.

Birmingham had another chance to grab all three points when a backtracking Jerome headed wide a cross from the right hand side, but in the end the spoils were shared.

Despite having chances to win, it will be Birmingham who go home happier with the result as they extended their unbeaten home run to 17 games and moved into fifth position in the Premier League. Meanwhile, Roy Hodgson's men will be wondering if it will ever get better as they sit in 13th

  

Weather forecast, doesn’t matter.. its indoors.. But for bar hopping and tailgating… We will post it closer to the weekend..

Florida Atlantic is a better team than the Western Michigan Broncos..

But they did lose their Star QB Rusty Smith.. and have a new signal caller who has had 3 and half years as a back up (behind Rusty), so this isn’t his first rodeo.. but it is his first at the helm…

By the way, Rusty Smith made the final cut with the Tenn. Titans.. Hes playing with our beloved Javon Ringer... 

During preseason, I thought FAU was going to be good, possibly good enough for the share of the Sun Belt crown.. now, maybe No… FAU’s Game one, is any indication of their season… Whoa.. they are in a for rough sledding…

The Owls went to one of my favorite city’s, Birmingham Alabama and took on the UAB Blazers.   In a contest of hapless confusion.. The did beat the home Blazers 32 – 31..  From what I read, not too impressed..  Sure went 14 of 24 passes for 254 yards, but they gave up 31 points to UAB... They gave up  424 total yards. And they gave up 370 yards rushing, Isabelle from UAB , ran 22 times for 214 alone... Looks like Spartans should be able to run all day long on these guys...

FAU’s offensive line is having issues.. Jordan Sessa, a redshirt sophomore was expected to be the starting center but is out indefinitely with an injured right knee. Jimmie Colley, a redshirt freshman and the backup center is day-to-day with a right knee injury.  They were able to piece it together enough to help give the skill players enough time to score 32 points…

The Owls relied on big plays to beat UAB…  An interception for 38 yards for a touchdown,  a 77 yrd touchdown pass, and the last play of the game for a blocked kick to win…

FAU’s Lester Jean did have 164 yrds receiving, so Spartans will have to work on the Pass “D”…

True, they did score points.. but they played against a UAB defense.... Not a Big Ten Defense... 

The Owl defense has 9 returning starters. But, its the same group that allowed an avg. of 33 points per game last year... They will be improved for this season, but you couldn't tell by their game against UAB...

As an opponent, I don’t want to under estimate anyone, but, FAU is not very good…

The Spartans should eat them up for Lunch..Don't really need to go into details...  Lets plan on the Spartan faithful enjoying a Detroit Victory to go with the excellent tailgates, bars crawls.. 

Spartans should think about heading over to the Detroit Tiger game after the Spartan Win for a double dip of Detroit Sports !!!

Sunderland have had an exceedingly strange beginning to the season with a draw at home that should have been a win, a halfway decent performance away that ended in defeat and a spirited display at home for three points that could have easily been a bad loss. Throughout these three performances Steve Bruce's side have shown that at times they can be a well drilled unit that can play football with the best in the league. 

Though they stumbled to a painful draw at home on opening day, this match could so easily have been a solid victory that gave them the start they needed. Instead Lee Cattermole was sent off for two silly bookings, the second, a totally unnecessary tackle on Lee Bowyer. Birmingham, and in particular Sebastian Larsson, who twice delivered excellently precise set pieces to set up their goals, did show excellent resolve in grabbing the requisite goals. However, Steve Bruce was understandably annoyed with his side throwing away a two goal lead.

The second match was away to WBA, who had been torn apart on opening day by a rampaging Chelsea. Again in this match Sunderland did play well for a reasonable portion of the match, meaning Albion keeper Scott Carson had to be on his game, though over ninety minutes they again let themselves down with new Baggies signing, Nigerian Peter Odemwingie, grabbing a goal on debut with nine minutes left to play.

The third match against Manchester City's millionaires was another patchy performance from the Black Cats and realistically, Steve Bruce would have been pinching himself on the sideline at the end to make sure that it was not some wonderfully quirky dream.

Yaya Toure and City had been so dominant in the early stages of the match that it looked like being a long afternoon for Bruce,  who would certainly have been emotionally charged considering his time as captain of City's greatest rivals, Manchester United. Ivorian Toure was in a different class early on and set his team mate Carlos Tevez up for the simplest of finishes as early as the sixteenth minute, the Argentinian inexplicably missing an open goal after getting his foot too far under the ball.

City were however in excellent mind and consistently pressured the home side before going into the break with the scores level. Steve Bruce was able to shake his lads up after the break and they came out with a bit more fire in their belly and a lot more confidence than they had shown previously. City started to make hard work of it and even the hugely impressive Toure began to look a slightly different player. Sunderland's new vigor ended up propelling them to the points, with the impressive Egyptian star Ahmed Elmohamady putting a dangerous ball in for the hardworking Darren Bent, only for Micah Richards to drag the Sunderland front man down on the edge of the six yard box.

Bent stood up to take the penalty and though it was certainly not the best spot kick you will ever see, just sneaking under the dive of City custodian Joe Hart, it hit the back of the net and Sunderland had the points. 

In the aftermath it is obvious that this result could be the watershed moment for Steve Bruce and his side. They have shown that they can definitely play, though inconsistency that has dogged them in the last few seasons has already been evident in their opening three matches. The signing of Ghana star Asamoah Gyan is a credit to the ambition of the club and gives Darren Bent further reason to play well. As well as potentially giving Bruce another option when arranging formations that could incorporate both of these powerful strikers. 

Anton Ferdinand made an impressive return against Manchester City as well, underlining the quality that made him such a high profile signing for the club. It is high time he really delivered on the promise he has shown earlier in his career.

Egyptian Ahmed Elmohamady, his cross on the weekend proving the undoing of City, is known as Egypt's ''Beckham' and gives Sunderland excellent service from wide positions, something that Steve Bruce will hope comes to the fore with the size and ability of his two main strikers. 

Steve Bruce is a very consistent and competent manager and will always be hoping for a chance to eventually emulate his former boss Alex Ferguson. He has assembled a side here that could finally give Sunderland the ability to end the terrible away form that has dogged their success in recent years. With a solid spine and creative players throughout the squad he will hope the morale boosting victory over the most star studded side in the premier league will galvanize his team with the steely resolve that is needed for them to be consistent performers in the EPL. 

The ingredients are there for them to make some waves this season, and to knock over more of the leagues big guns. Certainly this season there will be a trepidation for high profile visitors that does not come at other grounds with the result that the weekend gone has shown. Sunderland can and should build on this result and Steve Bruce will do everything in his power to make sure this happens. It would not be at all surprising to the this writer to see more of the leagues more fancied sides falter against this team, the question will be, can they perform on their travels as well? 

If they can, they could quite easily push for a Europa league spot, and take more points the bigger sides can simply not afford to give away.