Birmingham

It all boils down to this weekend. All the hard work of the season comes down to this last round of matches.

Teams like Chelsea and Manchester United are slugging it out at the top of the table, whereas teams like Reading, Birmingham and Fulham are looking for survival.

I will however focus at the top of the table dog fight.

The form book says that in the last month Chelsea have had the better results compared to Manchester United. Both the teams won their matches last time out.

Man Utd brushing aside a lacklustre West Ham and Chelsea getting two at St. James' Park.

The last week sees Man Utd scheduled to play Wigan and Chelsea will face Bolton. Wigan are placed at a comfortable 13th position with 40 points. Bolton on the other hand have 36 points and face probable relegation if they lose by a big margin.

On the top, Chelsea will hope that Man Utd slip up, whereas Man Utd will be confident of winning against Wigan. The side managed by Steve Bruce, has performed wonders since his arrival at the JJB and have already got a point from Stamford Bridge.

Bolton are no no-hopers themselves. Last time at the Bridge they came away with a point in a hard fought encounter. This Bolton side, although weaker than last time on have Gary Megson who has already master minded a win over the reigning champions.

Chelsea will have the comfort of playing at home and Avram Grant will be praying for a slip up from Man Utd, his managerial record at the Bridge is nothing short of impressive.

Sir Alex will however not feel the heat as he has been in plenty of such situations. All that he will look to avoid are injuries. He will be hoping that they go into the UCL final with a positive result from the JJB.

So there is all to play for in the BPL and be prepared for nerve racking moments... not only from the top of the table but also from the bottom.

Four teams remain in the fight for Premier League survival. Two of Fulham, Birmingham, Reading, and Bolton will join Derby in returning to the Championship. All this will be decided on the final match day.

Three weeks ago, Fulham and Bolton looked sunk, but resilient fighting and surprise results have put both sides in the box seat going into match day 38.

If only Reading and Birmingham could say the same; both face an uphill struggle to retain their Premier League status.

Bolton's 2-0 win over Sunderland looks to have secured their place in the elite division for at least another year. That's some achievement considering they sacked one manager and the other is universally hated among fans—not to mention they sold their top and only goal scorer Anelka to Chelsea.

Gary Megson's side will be travelling to the glamorous stadiums once again—as long as there is no flurry of goals at St. Andrews or Pride Park.

Goal difference will keep the Trotters up.

Fulham's escape act kicked on from their sensational 3-2 comeback against Man City to defeat fellow strugglers Birmingham 2-0 at Craven Cottage.

Fulham, like Bolton, seemed dead and buried but their three-goal reply in Manchester displayed the confidence Roy Hodgson has instilled in the side.

The Londoners travel to FA Cup finalists Portsmouth, who despite Redknapp's claims will surely field a weakened team. A win on the South Coast is the minimum requirement, anything less and Reading will condemn them to the Championship.

Reading, as well, is suffering from the old "second season syndrome."

Their inability to score goals has damaged them this term and may ultimately cost them. Without a win or a goal in six matches, it would usually be goodnight Vienna but...

Derby are the opponents—officially the worst ever Premiership team and the worst defense in the league. Paul Jewell's side will attempt to go down with a bang, but Reading simply must win.

Birmingham City, how David Gold must hate Carson Yeung.

He refused to sanction a new contract for manager Steve Bruce and fellow strugglers, Wigan, snapped him up. The upshot is Wigan are safe and Birmingham face trips to Blackpool. 

Their final chance is at home to Blackburn and the only thing that has kept Birmingham in touch is their record at St Andrews. A win and no success for Reading or Fulham and they'll stay up.  

Forget the action at the summit of the league, the real 70 million pound questions will be asked to four clubs at the bottom this weekend; there will be plenty of mentions of "great escapes" and "heartbreaking."

It's the definition of do or die.

At one time or another, we all make a mistake of gargantuan proportions.  When the wife asked for a potential destination for a short trip, I foolishly answered ‘France’.   I completely forgot that the place was almost exclusively full of the French. 

As soon as we arrived I appreciated the gravity of my error, as the locals made absolutely no effort to speak any English.  It appeared that they hadn’t been informed of our arrival. 

The language barrier actually led me to be being deported.  I popped into a café, but I didn’t fancy eating any strange French food such as ‘frites’ or ‘saucisses’, so I helped myself to a biscuit from behind the counter.

The owner went ballistic and called the police, and I was on the next plane back to England.  I still feel embarrassed about being kicked out of Europe thanks to a simple ginger nut.  Liverpool fans share my pain, they should console themselves with the 7/4 for a win over Birmingham. 

The police were on the ball over there though, unlike their English counterparts.  When a French person is reported missing, their filth launch an immediate search; but the Manchester police haven’t even begun their hunt to find poor Wayne.  United are winless (and goalless) on their last six visits to Stamford Bridge, I’ll struggle to find a better bet than Chelsea at 6/4. 

The North East of England is the one place on Earth that’s actually worse than France.  The locals are equally as undecipherable, and they take up twice the room.  15/8 is absolutely massive for a Newcastle win over West Ham.

The North East does have its redeeming features; it remains a Redknapp-free area.  Harry’s decision to stay in Portsmouth was warmly received by the Geordie Nation, as it decreased the probability of them ever bumping into Jamie.  I’m particularly thankful for the 23/10 for a draw between Portsmouth and Blackburn. 

Newcastle have taken a lead in the North East mini-league, which is a little bit like leading a race at the Special Olympics.  Sunderland will beat Boro at 13/10 in the battle for the silver medal, but they’re all winners really. 

There’s a real scrap going on at the bottom of the table, and Fulham are almost certainly relegated.  The chairman will most likely blame Prince Philip, MI5 and possibly MFI.  I’ve put together 9/10 for a Manchester City win over the doomed Cottagers. 

Bolton have all the momentum in the relegation battle, but they won’t receive any favours away at Tottenham.  I expect the 10/11 for a Tottenham win to last about as long as a Geordie in a beauty contest. 

Graeme Murty should hang his head in shame after his dying swan act led to a three match ban for Alexander Hleb.  Simulation is the unacceptable face of modern day football, alongside Steve Bruce.  Wigan v Reading won’t be pleasing to the eye, a draw looks the correct call at 12/5. 

If I was Robbie Savage, and I’m not (I’m quite good at football); I’d ask for Cesc Fabregas’ shirt after Derby’s ‘match’ against Arsenal.  Such an item of memorabilia could potentially raise a tidy sum for when he upgrades his caravan.  The 4/5 for Arsenal to beat Derby by two goals or more is remaining remarkably steady. 

I genuinely feel that Aston Villa will be right behind Arsenal at the top of the table next season - certainly in early August.  The Villans are on fire in their quest to make it into Europe; they’ll eat up and spit out the Toffeemen at 23/10.

To say I was happy about last week’s winning accer is an understatement; I felt like a Chelsea player after they practically booked their flight to Moscow.  When Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham and Arsenal oblige for this week’s 10/1 accer, I’ll be happier than Ashley Cole after an invite into the cockpit. 

Well it's happened again. Another week, another let down in the Arsenal camp.

After a brilliant start and passing every expectation, the Gunners have slipped at the last hurdle. After slip ups against Birmingham, Aston Villa, Boro and Liverpool, we've all but been eliminated from the title race.

And then on a cold Tuesday night, we were dumped right out of the UEFA Champions League by a tough Liverpool side.

This truly has been a season of ups and downs for the Arsenal. But in my heart of hearts, I think there's something sinister going on.

Is there some sort of conspiracy to stop Arsenal from succeeding?

Look at the decisions against us since Eduardo’s injury:

The free kick that never was v Birmingham.

Our penalty denied v Birmingham.

The penalty given for Birmingham.

Agbonlahor offside in the lead up to Senderos’ OG for Aston Villa.

Adebayor given offside v Boro.

Aliadiere offside for his goal for Boro.

Drogba offside for the equaliser v Chelsea.

Hleb's penalty denied v Liverpool.

Cesc’s penalty denied v Liverpool.

Liverpool given a penalty that never was

That is 10 decisions. TEN.

They say it swings on roundabouts, you get some decisions for, you get some against, and they even themselves out. How the hell is that going to even out?

All of those could have gone Arsenal's way easily, all were denied. All have cost us 11 points in total, and being knocked out of the UEFA Champions League.

Its sad to say this, but our season has been decided by referees. Yes there job is hard, but it is clear that the refs we have had are simply not good enough.

Refs are there to officiate matches, to ensure the rules of the game are followed, they are not there to decide a teams season, and I am afraid this season that is what has happened.

Lets be honest, its been a disgrace. Even if we ignore the league decisions and just concentrate on the Champions League. Ours was a stone wall penalty. There’s was a bullsh*t decision.

If playing Liverpool and playing the Anfield crowd is not enough, we were also playing the referee. With the amount of dodgy decisions given against us, it does make you wonder, do the FA, Premier League, UEFA, FIFA, NATO and the KKK not want us to win the league?

Is it an upper level conspiracy to ensure we don't win silverware?

Yes, our players could have performed better but, when you are at a crucial stage in the season, all you can ask for is a fair and just referee. I am afraid over the last 10 or so games, we have not had that.

If this had of happened in Italy, there would be questions about corruption. If the decision were made in cricket, they would be talking about the match being fixed and the umpires being got at by betting rings.

It does make you wonder…

So well done to the men in black, you have royally screwed our season.

I know I sound like a bitter Gooner, just pissed off because my team has let this season slip. It's true, I am. We've slipped up.

But when you look at it, the referees tripped us.

Well it's happened again. Another week, another let down in the Arsenal camp.

After a brilliant start and passing every expectation, The Gunners have slipped at the last hurdle. After slip ups against Birmingham, Aston Villa, Boro, and Liverpool, we've all but been eliminated from the title race.

And then on a cold Tuesday night, we were dumped right out of the UEFA Champions League by a tough Liverpool side.

This truly has been a season of ups and downs for the Arsenal. But in my heart of hearts, I think there's something sinister going on.

Is there some sort of conspiracy to stop Arsenal from succeeding?

Look at the decisions against us since Eduardo’s injury:

The free kick that never was v Birmingham
Our penalty denied v Birmingham
The penalty given for Birmingham
Agbonlahor offside in the lead up to Senderos’ OG
Adebayor given offside v Boro
Aliadiere offside for his goal
Drogba offside for the equaliser v Chelsea
Hleb's penalty denied
Cesc’s penalty denied
Liverpool given a penalty that never was

That is 10 decisions. 10. They say it swings on roundabouts, and you get some decisions for, you get some against, and they even themselves out.

How the hell is that going to even out?

All of those could have gone Arsenal's way easily, but all were denied. All have cost us 11 points in total, and being knocked out of the UEFA Champions League.

It’s sad to say this, but our season has been decided by referees. Yes there job is hard, but it is clear that the refs we have had are simply not good enough.

Refs are there to officiate matches, to ensure the rules of the game are followed, and not there to decide a teams’ season.  I am afraid this season that is what has happened.

Lets be honest, it has been a disgrace, even if we ignore the league decisions and just concentrate on the Champions League.

Ours was a stone wall penalty. Their decision was not a good one. If playing Liverpool and playing the Anfield crowd is not enough, we were also playing the referee.

With the amount of dodgy decisions given against us, it does make you wonder, do the FA, Premier League, UEFA, FIFA, NATO, and the KKK not want us to win the league?

Is it an upper level conspiracy to ensure we win stuff all?

Yes, our players could have performed better but, when you are at a crucial stage in the season, all you can ask for is a fair and just referee.

I am afraid over the last 10 or so games, we have not had that. If this had of happened in Italy, there would be questions about corruption.

If the decision were made in cricket, they would be talking about the match being fixed, and the umpires being got at by betting rings. It does make you wonder.

So, well done to the men in black, you have royally screwed our season.

I know I sound like a bitter Gooner just pissed off because my team has let this season slip. It's true, I am. We've slipped up. But when you look at it, the referee tripped us.

SCOTLAND NATIONAL TEAM

 

GEORGE BURLEY'S STRONGEST XI

FORMATION: 4-3-3

                        Gordon

     Hutton     Weir    McManus   Naysmith 

         Brown     Ferguson   Fletcher 

          Maloney     Miller    McFadden 

Gordon (Sunderland)

The difference at times between a draw and a loss he has that in his game a great shot stopper. Although, he should get his own style fashion wise, the Buffon trademark of cut sleeves is homage to a great, but time to make his own way now. Will feel the heat of McGregor pushing for his place, but Gordon is very much in his own league, could be with time a great.

Hutton (Tottenham Hotspur)

The move will be the making of him by getting away from Glasgow, no more "do you not know who I am you son of a..." lines to unimpressed Scottish bouncers. Hutton has improved already, a very good player who has a real shot at becoming a great player.

Weir (Rangers)

Peter Pan in real time and quite right to...

McManus (Celtic)

Can only get better, his European nights with Celtic have helped him when facing the best international players.

Naysmith (Sheffield United)

Against Italy he was solid but no more, Hutton's play makes him look like a journeyman, he is solid and can do the job.

Brown (Celtic)

"Canny score for toffee" I hear you sing, he will try all day and night for you terrific hunger and has a heat to his play, intensity and anger. Needs to settle into his game more, find his own style he is to anxious to impress "just to be the man who walked a thousand miles, to fall down at your door"... Will be a cornerstone of the Scottish 11 for many years...

Ferguson (Rangers)

The Captain of the ship, his delivery of the final ball has gotten even better this season. Must drive the midfield and take command more often, he has the goods to do so. 

Fletcher (Manchester United)

The real deal and all heart, he has no fear and has that little something extra to unlock denfences, shame about the injury, Man Utd were begining to find out just what he can do.

Maloney (Aston Villa)

Played on the wing against Croatia, gave Luka "whom everybody wants to buy" Modric a run for his money, great to see him playing gives us pace and hunger.

Miller (Derby County)

The white Drogba the white Eto'o, nah he is Kenny "gimme the ball and I'll hit it" Miller. Roma have had a look at him and it will be interesting what kind of summer he has.

McFadden (Birmingham City)

The Prince of Hampden and conqueror of the French on French soil, majestic, daring and modest to boot, unlike this description but it is earnt, he is the wild card and Scotland have not had such a thing for a long long time.

_________________________________

It is a young team, and one of characters the nucleus of which, will be together for some time, at last we have something to call our own. 

With the Premiership season in its twilight, it's not too difficult to sum up Birmingham City's season.

In a word, torture.

But it's with fond memories that we can look back and compare this season to that of 2003-04, when a couple of master strokes during the transfer window by then-manager Steve Bruce turned Blues' season around and ensured Premiership survival.

Back then, Bruce brought Stephen Clemence, Matthew Upson, and the French maestro Christophe Dugarry to the club. This season Alex McLeish brought in David Murphy, James McFadden, and Argentine wonderkid Mauro Zarate.

Having been denied vital points against the likes of Fulham, Reading, and Derby County—not to mention drubbings away at relegation rivals Bolton and Sunderland—it appeared the scrap for survival would go down to the wire. And it still might.

Encouraging performances against Chelsea, Manchester United, a double over Tottenham, and draws against Arsenal and a resurgent Newcastle United have given us Bluenoses a glimmer of hope.

We always knew Derby would go down, even they knew it, and that the other two places would be fought out between seven sides.

The injury to James McFadden, unfortunate as it is, has seen the emergence of Mauro Zarate, who is settling into the Premiership very nicely at the moment. With three goals in the last two games he could well be one of the transfer coups of the season when safety is assured.

He's not too dissimilar to a player we had back in the mid-199's, Jose Dominguez, who liked to run at players, get round the back, and had great pace and a great shot.

The only criticism of Zarate is that maybe he tries to do too much—that and the fact that every time he scores his price tag increases! 

But at this late stage of the season, when defenders are tired after 40 or so games, the last thing they want to see is someone running at them with pace.

Alex McLeish did well to keep him wrapped up, limiting his appearances to 10 or 20 minute cameos before McFadden's knee surgery, and now we shall reap the rewards.

However, there are concerns that he'll end up with a big-money move to one of Europe's bigger clubs during the summer, one that can afford the ever-escalating fee set by his parent club, Al-Sadd of Qatar.

Fortunately, the lad has said he wants to stay at Birmingham, so we'll see what happens there. Every Bluenose I know has all fingers and toes crossed on this one, and I'll be discussing this more in the next week.

Zarate isn't the only Birmingham youngster to have caught the eye this season though. Sebastian Larsson and Fabrice Muamba, both bought from Arsenal, have matured beyond expectations this season, too.

Muamba, an England U-21 international, was hailed as the next Patrick Viera, and he's going some way to justify the tag with a string of spirited performances in the center of midfield.

Larsson, on the other hand, has proved highly accurate with the dead-ball in recent weeks, and his performances week-in and week-out have been enough to keep promising Dutch winger Daniel De Ridder (signed in the summer by Steve Bruce) restricted to reserve team football.

So, there's six games left. Away trips to Wigan, Aston Villa, and Fulham couple with tough home encounters against Liverpool, Everton, and Blackburn.

The away games should bring us a couple of points realistically, although many Bluenoses—this one included—will believe we can take all nine!

The home games will be a little bit tougher for obvious reasons. Liverpool are on fire, Everton will be hoping to consolidate the fifth position, and Blackburn on the final day could end up being a game with nothing to play for on either side.

Whatever happens, it's not over until the fat lady opens her mouth, and she's only just entered the building. However, judging by Bolton's run in, Premiership football could be assured at St. Andrews by the end of April.

This weeks action has proved to be vital at the bottom of the EPL. Away from the glitz and glamour of the title race, there are a number of teams fighting for the right to vist Old Trafford and Anfield next season.

It was a Saturday afternoon of thrills, spills, seemingly unassailable leads and late late winners.

The bottom two met at Pride Park with Fulham in desperate need of a victory. Derby County scored first thanks to January signing Emanuel Villa.

It was a vital game for Fulham and they equalized shortly after through Diomansy Kamara. Three points for Fulham would have put them level with Bolton Wanderers, four points from safety.

Fulham got the goal they needed with just 12 minutes left on the clock. Derby's Dean Leacock summing up a terrible season for Derby by gifting Fulham the lead.

Fulham's celebrations only lasted a matter of seconds however as Emanuel Villa popped up with his second of the game. The goal could well have relegated Fulham who sit six points from safety in 19th position.

The 2-2 draw was not enough though for Derby to survive another week. They've become the first side to be relegated from the EPL in March. Paul Jewell's men (11 points) are also in serious danger of snatching Sunderland's record (15) of least points in an EPL season.

In what was expected to be a one sided affair, Arsenal travelled to the Reebok Stadium to face Bolton.

It was Bolton however that took the lead through a Matty Taylor header. Arsenal's chances of getting back into the game went from almost certain to maybe not, thanks to a moment of madness from Abou Diaby.

The midfielder flew into a challenge on Gretar Steinsson with his foot and studs well in the air. It was a sickening hit and one red card not even Arsene Wenger bothered to complain about.

Should he be banned for life Arsene?

Bolton took full advantage and scored a second before half time. Matty Taylor again, this time with a deflected shot from the edge of the area.

Bolton were surely heading out of the relegation zone! Or were they?

Arsenal staged a superb fightback in the second half to score three goals with ten men to snatch the desperately needed points from the Trotters. William Gallas, Robin Van Persie and a late Jlloyd Samuel own goal gifting the Gunners three points.

Bolton now lie four points from safety after the two teams above them earned valuable wins.

One of those sides was Birmingham City who last week lost star player James McFadden to a knee injury. Well the old saying goes "one man's loss is another man's gain." The man to gain was Mauro Zarate.

Zarate bagged two for the Blues against Manchester City, but at 2-0 and the Birmingham faithful sure of three points things took a turn for the worse.

Birmingham's Franck Queudrue was sent off and a penalty awarded to City. Elano stepped up and fired City back into the game.

Luckily for the Blues this is not the City side from earlier in the season. They were able to hold their lead before adding another thanks to a Gary McSheffrey penalty. The decision looked harsh but Birmingham will take them any way the come.

Alex McLeish's men move four points clear of Bolton but stay just one place above the drop zone.

One point above them sit Wigan Athletic who got no joy at Fratton Park with Jermain Defoe scoring the games only two goals.

Wigan themselves slipped to 16th place thanks to the late late show at the Stadium Of Light.

Sunderland jumped four places in the EPL thanks to a dramatic win over West Ham United. The London side had taken the early lead through Freddie Ljungberg. Sunderland's player of the season Kenwyne Jones equalized shortly after.

The game seemed to be heading for a draw but just like last week, Sunderland snatched all three points in injury time. Andy Reid was the hero this week with the goal that pretty much guarentees survival for Sunderland.

Is it all over at the bottom of the table? Can you see either Fulham or Bolton hauling themselves out of trouble?

I have my doubts and it looks like relegation could already be set!

The teams that I predict will be relegated are named in bold.

Derby County I start my article with them because I feel Derby are surely going down this season.

It's a fact now that all Derby fans and players alike have been forced to believe this is because they are currently placed at the bottom of the table and have no hope of survival. Now that one spot appears occupied,there are two more spots available that will be taken up by the teams who will be relegated to the Championship.

The likely contenders include as many as six clubs (Newcastle United, Sunderland, Bolton Wanderers, Fulham, Birmingham City, and Reading).

Of these, Newcastle is surely the one that you feel have enough quality to overcome the drop.

The Toon have the likes of Owen, Viduka, Martins, Smith, Barton, Duff, Milner, N'Zogbia, Taylor, and Butt in their squad.

Certainly,the Magpies have had their fair share of problems with Kevin Keegan yet to win a game, but after the game with Birmingham, I feel they are collecting the positives and surely at some point the Newcastle Fans would hope King Keegan to work his magic and at least save them from relegation.

Birmingham manager Alex McCleish has come out saying they are not even thinking of relegation, and it is a positive statement.

City only came up last year and they certainly do not want to be going down again. Keeping their performance in the 4-1 win over Spurs in mind, I feel even Birmingham should be safe come the end of the season.

Fulham, on the other hand, have not had overwhelming success either at Craven Cottage or away. 

Roy Hodgson has the international experience, but i feel he has not settled well into the English game, this time round. Bullard, Davies, Dempsey, and Murphy are the only rays of hope that the Cottagers can cling on to.

Now that they have McBride back and Kamara looking good for goals, one would expect them to be safe, but I do not agree with this. Personally, I reckon Fulham will be the second team to drop this season, entirely because they are unable to put out a winning combination on the pitch and are very inconsistent.

Roy Keane took over as Sunderland boss around a year ago, and the United legend has enjoyed overwhelming success as he brought the Black Cats back into the Top Flight of English football.

Sunderland have the players, they have the support, they have the manager, and they have the belief. In short, this is the formula to survive, but it is of no value if the players do not go out and perform on the pitch. With Chopra, Yorke, Leadbitter, Read, and Richardson in their ranks, I feel they have the quality and the ability to stay up for next season.

Reading come next here. Steve Coppel and his Royals have not had as great a season as they had last season, but they still appear to be defying all odds.

As a team,they have the potential to play exciting football, and with players like Kitson and Doyle who have the hunger to succeed at the top level, I think even Reading will be amongst those competing for glory in the Premier League next season.

Bolton Wanderers are a huge club and they have numerous fans who pack the Reebok Stadium every week.

This is because they have a great team that includes some very talented players like Nolan, Diouf, Taylor, and Campo. Gary Megson has been very inconsistent since he took over from Sammy Lee. He's gotten some big results, but Bolton has been very poor playing against lower ranked clubs.

This is why i feel Bolton will be the "surprise" drop-outs this season. 

Newcastle United traveled to Birmingham tonight, desperate to avoid defeat against relegation rivals Birmingham City.

The match at St. Andrew’s is of up most importance to both sides, as they’re both hovering above the drop zone.

Birmingham will see this as a game with a high potential for three points. They may only have won one game recently, but it was a fantastic display last time out at St Andrews. The Blues beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-1, thanks mainly to a hat trick from Mikael Forssell.

A win today would see Birmingham leap frog Sunderland and Newcastle, away from the danger zone. Well at least for another week.

Newcastle are without a win since Kevin Keegan returned to the club. Four defeats on the trot and no win in 12 games make’s the Magpies league position precarious.

The Toon sit just three points above the relegation zone in 15th place. With more difficult games coming up and Fulham’s surprise 1-0 win over Everton, it’s just getting tighter at the bottom of the EPL.

Birmingham's James McFadden was restored to the starting eleven in place of Zarate. For Newcastle, Mark Viduka and Obefemi Martins, both returned to the starting line up.

Both teams started the game strongly but it was Birmingham who had the first sight of goal. McFadden with a long range strike that was deflected agonizingly wide.

The Blues continued to look the more likely scorers with McFadden having a very bright start. Forssell and Radhi Jaidi missing further early chances.

Fabio Capello was an interested spectator and was obviously casting his eye over Newcastle's Captain Michael Owen and Steven Taylor.

It was Owen who had Newcastle's first shot in anger after 23 minutes. The forward finding himself just outside the box with a site at goal. Maik Taylor in the Birmingham goal wasn't troubled by Owen's effort as it sailed over the bar.

By this stage City were playing some fantastic 'Arsenal' style football with the Scot, McFadden at the heart of it all.

The opening goal came after 33 minutes and it was that man McFadden who scored it. He spun off his marker before poking the ball home past Steve Harper in the Newcastle goal.

The goal came after some sustained play from Newcastle, who had been starting to get back in the game. The Nigerian Martins played out wide instead of his normal strikers position but looked the Magpies biggest threat.

At halftime Birmingham were seemingly in control of this one. I hate to pick out McFadden again, but what a game he's having!

Newcastle came out for the second half knowing they needed something from this game. Defeat was unthinkable for the Toon.

A better opening to the second half was rewarded with an equalizer. Michael Owen (who had just missed a sitter) diving in to slide home the rebound from a Martins shot in the 55th minute. The goal gave Newcastle some much needed confidence, and it was they, who looked more likely to score a winner.

The clocked ticked by in the second half without either team going ahead and with only the yellow card count mounting.

The final whistle sounded leaving both teams with a point and a missed opportunity to claim all three points in this relegation battle.

A tale of two halves with the points shared is probably a fair reflection, but I doubt either team will be too happy.

Both sides move up a place in the EPL, but it's still a long long way from top-flight survival!