Blues boss Paul Jewell says summer signing Jay Emmanuel-Thomas is unlikely to get into his best form for a few months yet. The 20-year-old looks likely to be amongst the subs when Town travel to Blackpool, one of the midfielder or striker's former loan clubs, on Saturday after suffering an ankle injury in the victory over Leeds.
Jewell said: "He did a bit of running [for the first time on Wednesday], which was unfortunate because we would have liked to have got a really good two weeks’ hard work into him. Perhaps that’s why he’s taken so long, I don’t know!" he joked.
"He’s going to feel the benefit of intense training in a few months’ time. I think the training here has been a bit of a shock to his system.
"Not that it’s a boot camp here, but he’s got into a bit of a habit at Arsenal of not playing every Saturday.
"I know he was at Cardiff and on loan to Blackpool and Doncaster. But this is where he earns his corn now. There’s no going back to Arsenal.”
Speaking at yesterday’s pre-match press conference, the Blues boss says he has spoken to the Londoner, who cost £1.5 million rising to £2 million, about working on his fitness: "I’ve had a long chat with him and he’s aware of the fact that he’s got to get in good shape and we will get him in good shape.
"He will probably be training with the physio again this morning. We’ll see how he the injury is and he might play some part in the game.”
Jewell says no manager likes to see his players go away on international duty for a fortnight — with Carlos Edwards not due back at the club until today - but admits the break has provided an opportunity to work with some of the other players who are short on fitness: "It’s no good me moaning about it, it’s there, so we’ve got to use it as best that we possibly can.
"Thursday was the first time we’ve seen Keith Andrews, David Stockdale, Damien Delaney and Tamás Priskin since the Leeds game. But that’s what international football means, there’s nothing we can do about it, we just have to get on with it.
"In a way it’s been good because we’ve had a few players who have missed a lot of pre-season, such as Jimmy Bullard, and Lee Bowyer missed a little bit.”
Meanwhile, Bowyer has been criticised by Birmingham acting chairman Peter Pannu, along with former team-mate Cameron Jerome, who is now with Stoke.
Bowyer incurred his wrath after apparently calling his former club "unprofessional” after a pre-season trip to the Far East last summer.
Pannu says the duo played their part in his club's drop into the Championship: "Their comments are very disappointing. Both Bowyer and Jerome should take a look at themselves for the fact we went down. There were mistakes in matches and Jerome only scored three league goals last season.
"Bowyer wanted a new contract which he didn’t get. Jerome phoned me up from America in June and spent 25 minutes pleading to sell him and give in to his demands, which I refused to do.”
Bowyer left the Midlands club at the end of last season and joined the Blues in the summer on a free transfer.