Birmingham

The English Premier League transfer window closed today. Birmingham were unequivocally the busiest of the Premier League teams on the final day, completing three transfers in Alexander Hleb, Martin Jiranek, and Jean Beausejour.

Hleb, 29, joined the Blues on a season-long loan from Barcelona. The Belarus international has substantial Premier League experience, making 89 appearances for Arsenal before his transfer to Barca two years ago.

Martin Jiranek is 6'3'', and typically plays center half. The 31-year-old has made 31 appearances for the Czech national team, and joins on a one-year deal from Spartak Moscow.

Jean Beausejor is 26, and signed a three-year deal. The winger was signed from Mexican side Club America for an undisclosed fee, after impressing in Chile's World Cup run to the round of 16.

These three players join Ben Foster, Nikola Zigic, Enric Valles, and Matt Derbyshire as summer signings for the Blues. 

Birmingham has become significantly more active in the transfer market since Carson Yueng's takeover of the club in August 2009. The Hong Kong businessman is making a big statement by signing eight established professionals this summer.

It will be interesting to see how these new signings slot into manager Alex McLeish's plans. Considering their quality, I would expect to see Hleb and Beausejour make the starting 11 at the expense of James McFadden and Sebastian Larsson.

Scott Dann and Roger Johnson have formed a solid partnership in the center of Birmingham's defence since their promotion to the Premier League at the end of the 2008-09 season. If the veteran Jiranek does not replace them, he will certainly add depth to the Blues' bench and keep Dann and Johnson on their toes.

Birmingham missed out signing Armand Traore from Arsenal. The youngster instead elected to join Juventus on loan.

Two seasons ago, Birmingham manager Alex Mcleish found himself in a war of words with minor paper-contributor and boardroom element Karen Brady following some ill advised words regarding the average age of the Birmingham team from the latter.

Whilst the comments were unnecessary, there was perhaps a ring of truth about them. 36-year-old Kevin Phillips was one of our most important players and Lee Carsley was captain.

Indeed Mcleish still values experience greatly, as Bowyer, Ferguson, and Carr are testament to, but this season may be the season where some interesting youth prospects can begin to emerge. 

At 23, Craig Gardener is hardly a real youth prospect, but this is the first set of consecutive games he has been able to start in the middle and he has impressed.

He is strong, fairly quick, and intelligent. He has a real appetite for work and can be considered a box-to-box midfielder, chipping in with three valuable goals.

Birmingham fans have been hearing Jordan Mutch's name for years now as a real hot talent coming through the ranks, but having been away on loan recently, this preseason was the first time he was seen with any regularity.

Indeed he is out again at Watford for the next month at least, but if he impresses sufficiently, he may return to cover the ageing Bowyer and Ferguson as Mcleish seems to have lost patience with the uninspiring Michel. 

Another prospect is young Nathan Redmond who came on in the Carling Cup and impressed with good trickery and intent. Indeed he cut in to great effect and unleashed two decent drives at goal. Due to Birmingham's lack of pace, alongside the collapse of the N'Zogbia deal, Redmond may find himself getting more chances in the season.

Enric Valles is a newcomer but at only 20 years of age he certainly falls under the category of Birmingham youth. He is tall and athletic and has the easy composed passing ability which appears  to be part of the Spanish genetic make-up. 

Gardner aside, these players are not yet the finished articles, but should they continue under Mcleish's guidance and grab any chances with both hands then they might force their way into Mcleish's short term plans, not merely long term ones. Its a big ask, but one that can separate the men from the boys and may see one or more of the young players force their way past the likes of Keith Fahey into the peripheries of the Birmingham squad. 

Birmingham City fans might be a little mystified as to how their team left the Reebok with only a point, but Bolton's aerial bombardment proved effective enough to snatch a point. 

Roger Johnson opened the scoring early on following some brilliant build-up play from Birmingham. McFadden caused problems on the wing and spotted Lee Bowyer's bursting run and played the ball into his path. Without breaking stride Bowyer centred it from the left side of the 18-yard box and Cameron Jerome did enough to cause it to fall to Johnson who poked in-between keeper and defender.

It was a deserved goal for the quality of the move and Birmingham did well to not invite much pressure after it.

The next major event was the sending off of Jussi Jaaskelainen who reacted angrily to a Roger Johnson challenge and slapped the Birmingham scorer. The ref played advantage as Jaaskelainen went down and played on so Birmingham can feel aggrieved that they were not awarded a penalty as the Finn slapped Johnson.

In hindsight it was costly though this did not become apparent until the end.

Early in the second half Birmingham doubled their advantage as Jerome played the offside very well and headed to Craig Gardner to finish on his second attempt.

Bolton began to apply more pressure lofting balls to target man Kevin Davies and it was on of these that began the Bolton fightback. Davies and Johnson tussled under a falling ball and Davies flung himself to the floor and the ref, no doubt spurred on by the cries of the home crowd awarded a soft penalty.

Davies picked himself up and put away an admittedly very good penalty, hitting the roof of the net and leaving Foster (who has now faced a penalty in each of Birmingham's league games this season) with no chance.

Bolton continued to loft long balls forward and Birmingham's midfield became very sloppy, conceding possession far too easily.

Eventually Gary Cahill threw himself into a Birmingham player and then hit ground somehow winning a dangerous free-kick near the edge of the Birmingham half in the process. Ex-Blues striker Robbie Blake stepped up and curled a great free-kick into the top right corner, though some might question Ben Foster's positioning behind the wall.

Maybe most disappointing after this Birmingham totally regained control and should have won it as Bowyer sent Jerome through one-on-one but the front-man's low drive was saved by the foot of the Bolton keeper.

A point at the Reebok is nothing to be sniffed at, but considering the position of strength Blues came to it at, two goals up and a man to the good it still feels more like a loss.

A minor positive was the seeming potential of the five-man midfield, with Barry Ferguson sitting deep and Bowyer and Gardner given license to attack through the middle, as well as McFadden's trickery.

A more serious negative was of course the Bolton comeback, and Seb Larsson limping off in seeming agony   

Still unbeaten and Liverpool at home next and its probably as good a time as ever to play them.

KRO

Not long ago, Ben Foster was considered the next big thing in English football. He was going to be the future of the national team. Finally, England’s goalkeeping woes since David Seaman’s career came to an end, were over.

So where did it all go wrong?

In 2005, he was signed by Premier League giants Manchester United for a £1 million fee from Stoke City and immediately farmed out on loan to Watford in the Championship.

Then Watford manager Aidy Boothroyd said at the time, “He's better than current Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar and he is going to be the best goalkeeper in the world.”

In his first season, he was outstanding. He helped Watford to promotion to England’s top table, keeping a clean sheet in the playoff final, where they beat Leeds United 3-0. As a result he was re-signed on loan to help Watford stay in the Premier League.

He went on to be named Watford’s player of the season. Alex Ferguson decided that he would then remain at Manchester United rather than go out on loan again.

Things were looking rosy indeed for Foster, who was now on a mission to usurp Edwin Van Der Sar as United’s first choice shot stopper.

Unfortunately for Foster, in the summer of 2007, he suffered a cruciate ligament injury that ruled him out for most of the season.

He eventually made his debut in a 1-0 victory over Derby County in March 2008, putting in an impressive display.

Foster went on to play an important role in Manchester United’s Carling Cup win in 2009, which included a dominant display during the penalty shootout with Spurs in the final. Foster made headlines after he was seen studying footage of Spurs penalties on his iPod.

Next came the best chance yet to cement his place as No. 1 when Van Der Sar suffered an injury that ruled him out for the opening two months of the 2009-10 season. Unfortunately, he was not able to grab the opportunity. With a string of errors, he was replaced by the returning Dutchman and in turn lost his England spot and missed out on the World Cup.

It looked like Aidy Boothroyd’s predictions would never come to fruition, until Foster was offered a lifeline by Birmingham City.

Having failed to retain the services of Joe Hart after a fine season in '09/'10, Birmingham manager Alex McLeish pounced to capture Foster on a £6 million signing in the summer. 

Some Blues fans were skeptical, but the chance for Foster to fulfil his promise away from the pressure of Old Trafford appeared to be a mouth watering proposition.

Could Foster fill the void left by Hart?

Could Birmingham’s goalkeeping coach work the same wonders on Foster as they did with Hart?

The early signs suggest yes.

Despite conceding three goals in his opening two fixtures, he has produced assuring displays.

Against Sunderland, he conceded a penalty from Darren Bent and a freak own-goal from Stephen Carr—neither of which could be blamed on the goalkeeper.

Against Blackburn, the headed goal he conceded was one he could do nothing about and was more the fault of the defenders allowing N’Zonzi to out jump them.

In fact, Bluenoses will hope the Blackburn game is a sign of things to come. Foster was immense throughout. He produced a string of fine saves, including a penalty save that could easily be considered for a save of the season award.

Although it was the "perfect height for a goalkeeper," it was struck with such venom that the fact he reached it at all was impressive. He tipped it onto the bar and sparked the game into life.

He is now back in the England squad and looks set to battle it out with Joe Hart for the job as England’s No. 1 for the foreseeable future. The future certainly looks bright. Foster finally looks like the commanding future star he did back in his days at Watford.

He’s got the sparkle back and hopefully it’s here to stay.

Birmingham City have today confirmed the signing of former Blackburn Rovers striker Matt Derbyshire on a season long loan from Olympiakos.

It has been a summer full of peaks and troughs for Alex Mcleish in the transfer markets. Having started with a bang signing goalkeeper Ben Foster and striker Nikola Zigic for £6 million a piece at the start of the window.

Since then it has been continued disappointment for the Blues as he has seen a host of targets come and go. Having come close to signing Moussa Dembele, Fabrizio Miccoli and Mauro Camaronesi in recent weeks, Blues have failed to sign any of their targets and despite continued interest in Charles N'Zogbia, Wigan are holding firm

As a result, it was nice to see how swiftly the Derbyshire deal was dealt with, seemingly going from rumour to signature in a matter of days. Now the next question is, will Derbyshire fit the bill?

The former England under-21 International had a frustrating time in Blackburn, struggling to get a continued run in the side despite showing real pedigree in the Premier League.

18 months ago he was shipped out to Olympiakos in the Greek league where he has excelled despite an extended injury layoff last season.

On paper it seems like an excellent acquisition for Birmingham City, as Derbyshire is a proven finisher and will provide competition for Cameron Jerome and Garry O'Connor to act as poacher alongside big man Nikola Zigic.

Derbyshire is hoping to prove himself and turn the loan move into a permanent transfer next summer and I believe he will be an excellent signing.

He is exactly what Blues needed, even more so now that Kevin Phillips has been ruled out for an extended period of the season.

The signing will hopefully relax the nerves of Birmingham fans who have been disappointed with the lack of activity this summer, and if Big Eck is able to push through a deal for the unsettled N'Zogbia then the squad will be looking just about ready to build on last seasons heroics.

Even so, it seems that Blues still need to bring in a few more new faces before the window closes at the end of the month.

With the loan signing of Matt Derbyshire for Birmingham City, the old cliches about giving the manager a "pleasant headache" are in full swing, given that he has a good batch of strikers to choose from. 

Less documented is his difficult decision regarding Barry Ferguson's midfield partner. Lee Bowyer had held this position almost unchallenged for much of last year with little competition, but with the signing of Craig Gardner, this has changed. 

Both are combative attacking midfielders with a penchant for a crunching sliding tackle as well as an eye for the odd goal, but there is only room for one in the middle, and the growing noise with some fans is that Gardener should be the first choice.  

The question we might ask then, is what would Gardner bring to the set-up that Bowyer currently does not?

Bowyer is an assured passer of the ball and it was his attacking input that allowed Birmingham's remarkable unbeaten run last season. More than that, Bowyer is one of the many leaders at Birmingham, his seniority and experience are appreciated and understood by his teammates and as such these traits are key to his value in the midfield. 

Gardner, 23, represents a newer and more youthful approach by Mcleish, and it is likely hoped that he will develop further under Bowyer as a player. Gardner is a good passer, a strong character, and he has what Bowyer's age has largely taken from him—explosive power and acceleration). 

Both are capable of an attacking enforcer role and both can thrive, but it comes down to experience and guile vs. power and youth. 

So far, Mcleish has been a fan of experience. The likes of Bowyer, Ferguson, Phillips, Carsley, and Carr are testament to this, but one cannot help but feel that there is a large-scale change due to take place at Birmingham soon. This is evidenced by the purchases of Michel, Gardner, Valles, the emergence of Mutch on preseason. 

As of today, Bowyer has remained one of the first names on Alex Mcleish's team sheet, but youthful players and obvious alternatives are being acquired and those older players who slip up might find it very difficult to find a way back onto the pitch.  

 With the Premier League season now rapidly approaching, I have decided to take a look at each of the 20 sides which will be playing at the top level of English football during this upcoming season.

I have decided to actually go in reverse order, with Wolverhampton starting the list off, and Arsenal concluding it, right before the start of the Premier League season.

In the 18th installment of this series, I will look at Birmingham City, who finished ninth in the Premier League last season in their first year after spending a season down in the Championship.

Review of Last Season

After getting an automatic promotion into the Premier League, Birmingham City were able to have a great season by getting points against the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham, and Liverpool.

But, the Blues were able to have this great season thanks to the efforts of on-loan goalkeeper Joe Hart from Manchester City, who was nothing short of spectacular last season.

Transfers

Incoming Players

Ben Foster (Manchester United), Nikola Zigic (Valencia), and Enric Vallès (NAC Breda).

Departing Players

Artur Krysiak (Exeter City), Gary McSheffrey (Coventry City), Jake Jervis (Notts County), Robin Shroot (Cheltenham Town), and Colin Doyle (Coventry City).

Birmingham City Fixture List

All times are GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)

Major Questions Going into This Season

No. 1: Can Ben Foster Effectively Replace Joe Hart?

Last season, Birmingham City were powered by a great season in the goal by Joe Hart, who is now back at Manchester City with his loan stint over.

 

Of course, Ben Foster now is the starting goalkeeper, but he is a very inefficient goalkeeper (as he proved with Manchester United last year when he started for Edwin Van der Sar).

And for that reason, I don't think Ben Foster can effectively replace Joe Hart.

No. 2: Will St. Andrews Remain a Strong Home Fortress?

Last year, Birmingham City were a fantastic 8-9-2 at St. Andrews, as they were able to pick up 33 points at home, more than neighboring rival Aston Villa (who finished sixth in the table), as they got points against Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, and Tottenham, all at St. Andrews.

I don't think that Birmingham City will eclipse 33 points earned at home again, but they will gain somewhere between 25-30 points at home this year.

No. 3: Will Birmingham City once again have strong success against clubs at the top of the table?

That success against the top of the table will probably not be as great as it was last season as Joe Hart will not be in the goal replicating his heroics.

Instead, the inconsistent Ben Foster will be in the goal, and that will cause Birmingham City to lose to these top sides.

No. 4: Can Birmingham City contend for a European spot? 

If Joe Hart was still in the goal, Birmingham City could contend for a European spot and would finish higher than ninth in the table.

But with Ben Foster, I don't see Birmingham City doing as well as they did last season, and they will subsequently finish without a European spot.

For a preview of Blackburn's Premier League season, please click here.

For a preview of Blackpool's Premier League season, please click here.

For a preview of Bolton's Premier League season, please click here.

For a preview of Chelsea's Premier League season, please click here.

For a preview of Everton's Premier League season, please click here.

For a preview of Fulham's Premier League season, please click here.

For a preview of Liverpool's Premier League season, please click here.

For a preview of Manchester City's Premier League season, please click here.

For a preview of Manchester United's Premier League season, please click here. 

For a preview of Newcastle's Premier League season, please click here.

For a preview of Stoke City's Premier League season, please click here.

For a preview of Sunderland's Premier League season, please click here.

For a preview of Tottenham's Premier League season, please click here.  

For a premier of West Bromwich's Premier League season, please click here.  

For a preview of West Ham's Premier League season, please click here.

For a preview of Wigan's Premier League season, please click here.

For a preview of Wolverhampton's Premier League season, please click here.

Following the unmitigated success of last season, ending with a top-10 finish for the Blues in their first season back in the league, Birmingham has high hopes regarding the target of this season.

The number one goal is absolutely this: avoid the dreaded "second season syndrome" that caught out the likes of Reading and Hull in recent years. 

Talk of European places are undoubtedly exciting, but unrealistic for a club of Birmingham's current stature.

The twenty-to-forty million pounds that were bandied about at the beginning of Carson Yeung's reign seem a long way off the mark now. Nevertheless, Alex McLeish has once again plucked some seeming gems from the transfer market.

Lee Bowyer and Barry Ferguson were two such characters, pariahs of football who became integral to Birmingham's fortunes in the last season, forming a dynamic midfield partnership.

This time there are no such controversial characters in the pipeline, but the new batch of signings look promising. Nikolai Zigic looks to be a player capable of making things happen, if not a 20-goals-a-season man.

Ben Foster has suffered a rather stagnated career of late, but a rejuvenation at Birmingham, in much the same way Bowyer and Ferguson rebuilt their reputations, might be in the cards. It is easy to forget that Joe Hart was once a rough diamond; the same Birmingham coaching team who helped him improve could do wonders for Foster.

Enric Valles has also been featured in pre-season and is a decent prospect as a composed left midfielder, something Birmingham lacks. He is no winger—lacking the pace—but at 6'3", he can offer power and very good technique.  

Not since Christophe Dugarry has Birmingham been credibly linked with a World Cup winner, but it is looking more and more likely that Italian/Argentinian Mauro Camoranesi could be a Birmingham player next season.

This is interesting on two levels.

First, does this mean Seb Larsson might be on his way out? Or will Camoranesi be assigned a central attacking midfield role.

Secondly, does this represent a lack of funds for McLeish when he is following aged players? Or does it represent a boost in Birmingham's transfer policy.

I fear only time will truly tell on this part, but unlike some, I see this as a rather interesting and certainly positive signing.

Regardless, Birmingham critically needs a left-back. Liam Ridgewell deputised admirably last season, but the better wingers were too agile for the defender. This would have the dual effect of freeing up Ridgewell to challenge for a starting CB role, which he clearly wants, and pairing him with Roger Johnson, which has shown on little evidence to be highly promising.

Goal scorers tend to be in short supply at St. Andrews, thirty-eight goals in thirty-eight games last season are testament to this, but Mcleish is looking to remedy this with his pursuit of Belgian striker Moussa Dembele, and this might be the signing that gives Birmingham the best chance to equal their positional record of last season. Videos of him on YouTube assure me that he is quick and a good dribbler, but only experience will tell us if he can make the step up to Premier League.

To conclude, Birmingham will not challenge for a spot in the Champion's League this season. To expect title challenges and the like is simply too much too soon.

Even the Europa League spots will be fiercely contested by the likes of Everton, Liverpool, and Aston Villa (note. since writing Villa have been left in turmoil by the shock resignation of manager Martin O'Neil, perhaps they should consider a return to O'Leary based mediocrity) . Birmingham will still have to take several steps to catch up with such 'esteemed' company.

Ultimately, mid-table mediocrity should be considered success for a couple of years at least. Blues fans must accept the reality of the situation and just look forward to one day growing yet another level. Whether Yeung can offer this is of course a different matter, but for now just have faith.

KRO     

Birmingham kicked off their pre-season with victory in the 'prestigious' Xtep Cup in Hong Kong.

This victory put me in a thoughtful frame of mind, following Blues stellar season, finishing 9th in the league, with everyone ahead being established clubs and big spenders, and a good cup run in the FA cup--what more can we expect?

Alex Mcleish has overachieved, bearing in mind most Birmingham fans at the start of the season would have taken a 17th placed finish, but success breeds pressure for more success.

To emulate this season would be a remarkable achievement, and to better it would be a minor football miracle.

Now obviously the key word to bear in mind is to be "reasonable"... but, if Birmingham were to have a chance of beating their best league finish since Trevor Francis was a player, they would need to make the following changes:

Goals: Obvious and yet devilishly difficult at the same time, Birmingham need a regular goal scorer. Last season Cameron Jerome scored 11 goals and he will need to advance this again.

Long term injury plagued striker Gary O'Conner is a good player when fit and might have an important role to play, leading the line with his strength and work rate.

New signing, 6'8 foot Nikoli Zigic will have pressure to deliver on him immediately. His size and strength means that there are alternate combinations to mix and match with. With Jerome he will be target-man looking to unleash Jerome's pace with flick ons. With O'Conner Blues will have two brutes smashing through defences.

Veteran Kevin Phillips is another player with a role to play. At his age he is resigned to 'super-sub' appearances but as long as he keeps delivering he will be given longer run outs. 

Mcleish is seemingly after a foil to his target men, and he is specifically after a small and agile striker. Time will tell whether he manages and/or it is successful.

Goalkeeper : Losing Joe Hart to Man City was a bitter blow when for a while it looked as though Blues might have been able to make it a permanent signing.

To those who are worried about the signing of former England international Ben Foster I say remember this: Hart was far from confidence inspiring in the beginning. If our keeper coach can improve him so much hopefully he can do the same with Foster and his sometimes dubious decision making.

Left-Back : Liam Ridgewell deputised at left-back for the majority of last season and did very well, but he is a centre-back and lacks the agility and acceleration to play wing-back against the better teams.

A new left-back would offer the dual benefits of both giving Blues a proper linking wing-back and offer Ridgewell the ability to properly challenge for a centre-back slot. At the end of the season he played with Roger Johnson in the middle and they linked highly effectively, Scott Dann watch out.

Ultimately if Birmingham don't do as well and come lower mid-table, I will not complain, survival is the byword in your second season and the dreaded 'second season syndrome' must be avoided at all costs.

If Birmingham do in fact manage to go one better and finish 9th or even above then Alex Mcleish should immediately be given Manager of the Season and probably a Knighthood because he will have overachieved two seasons running, and we will have to call it something other than overachievement.   

So, Ben has popped off another one of his ridiculous posts, which I suppose I need to refute. Since I am still too frustrated at everyone's John Calipari hatred (ESPECIALLY Kentucky fans, who owe this man a LOT) to actually form my own thoughts, I thought I'd give you guys a taste of what other writers have said:

• William Wesley in the Spotlight -- This is a fantastic article by True Hoop writer Henry Abbott, who was hired by ESPN in part because of his ability to provide answers about Worldwide Wes when no one else could. In the article, he details his 5+ years of work trying to figure this man out, and explains Wes' relationship with Cal. Apparently, Wes funnels kids to Calipari because Wes sees Calipari as the only coach in the game today who actually puts kids first.
• More Silly Calipari Criticism -- From one of the best Kentucky blogs around, A Sea of Blue. Lead writer Truzenzuzex explains the term "hyperbole" to people who seem not to understand it (Ben).
• Calipari Wasn't Talking To You -- Did you read that last article from Tru? Still don't believe Cal was being hyperbolic? Neither does this guy, Kevin Scarbinsky, of the Birmingham News. He thinks Calipari is the most honest guy in sports (even when saying that draft day was the greatest day in UK history), and explains why that's a good thing, especially for Kentucky fans.
• Do People Hate John Calipari? (ESPN) & Why Does Everyone Hate John Calipari? (SB Nation) -- These two articles belong together. The SB Nation post explains why the Cal hate is dumb, and explains Calipari & Kentucky's inevitable rise to championship status, while calling out the hypocrites who jumped on the Bledsoe situation. The ESPN article goes a step further, calling the Cal haters (especially the ones in the media) selfish for hating on Calipari, and explains why we ALL ought to be grateful that this man is at Kentucky.
• Coach Cal Back From Haiti -- And then, just for good measure, here is a story from WTVQ 36 about Coach Cal's trip to Haiti with the Red Cross and Samaritan's Feet. Here we are, bashing a coach who raised $1 MILLION for charity DURING THE SEASON. Shame on us.