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We've Dumped That Dreadful Home Hoodoo - Notes for Birmingham
Monday, 18th Aug 2014 11:20 by HarryFromBath

HarryfromBath assesses the mood in the opposition camp ahead of Tuesday's game by delving into their forums.

"The winless sequence is over, thank heaven!", "Let's just enjoy today. I forgot what it was like to go out up the town after a home win", "A good day, three points, a clean sheet and a happy buzz around the stadium. Let's have some more of that, please", "That'll do for me."

There was widespread relief among City supporters on Saturday. A 1-0 win over Brighton courtesy of a 49th minute Wes Thomas header gave the Blues their first home league victory since last October. "The football was poor, but it is the result that matters."

"Last season we would have lost that game. We wouldn't have pressed as hard and we wouldn't have worked as hard to get the ball back. We would have conceded and our heads would have dropped."

The mood on Saturday contrasted with the atmosphere after City's other two competitive games this season, a 3-1 extra time win over Cambridge United in the Capital One Cup and particularly after a 2-0 defeat at Middlesbrough on the opening day, in which they were comprehensively outplayed.

Lee Clark

"With the manager we have now, there is no consistency at all. He should pick on a formation he thinks is right and stick with it. The problem is that I don't think he knows it himself. We don't have a particular playing style, whereas other teams do."

"I just wish that Lee would decide his best line-up and stick to it. If his side loses, it's panic stations. I would love him to stick to his favourite side and formation, and give it a month", "Not many teams get good by constantly chopping and changing their system. Simple is good with lesser players."

Having found a winning formula on Saturday, City supporters are nervous that Clark will succumb to the temptation to tweak the shape or personnel for our game. "Consistency is the key now. Clark needs to stick with this team as much as possible and not try to be the tinker man."

"Who will come out of the tombola this week?" "It's such a shame that come the beginning of September, the starting XI and formation will not resemble anything like the one we saw today (against Brighton)." Some fans feel that his temptation to meddle is beyond reforming.

4-4-2

"Well done Clark, but please stick with the 4-4-2 system and a pretty sensible starting line-up", "At last, we play 4-4-2 in a home game and look what happens", "He didn't panic and stuck to his guns when Brighton came back at us, not altering the 4-4-2 system."

City supporters' eyes lit up when they saw their starting team on Saturday. "This is the most positive attacking line-up I've seen Clark put out. I hope to God we win, or it we will play 4-5-1 in the next home game", "It's the system and nearly the starting XI most of us wanted, so we can't complain."

"I think that we'll struggle to play with only two central midfielders." Blues have been split on playing this system or the 4-5-1 Clark used against Boro. The debate centred on the risks involved in leaving a two-man midfield exposed, against becoming hopelessly defensive with an isolated striker.

Saturday's game swung the argument heavily in favour of the two-man attack, at least for home games. "4-4-2 is brilliant with less capable players. At least they know their roles and where to be", "There's something to be said for working your backside off and getting organized and drilled at playing it."

Playing Too Deep

"When we played with one striker and a very deep defensive line at Boro, I thought that Clark decided that a 2-0 loss on the opening day was better than going for it and conceding four", "Middlesbrough was chastening, not because we lost, but because we showed nothing."

"The worrying thing about the Boro game was that we were set up to be very defensive from the kick-off. We dropped into our own half and let them have the ball. Yet after the game I heard Clark saying that he doesn't understand why we were so negative."

Concerns were also voiced over how withdrawn the Blues were in protecting their lead on Saturday. "One obvious thing was how deep we were playing to prevent Brighton scoring. Novak on the left flank was supporting the defence rather than attacking for much of the game."

League One Shopping

"A word of warning — we will lose more than we win this season, such is the team and the lack of our depth of talent. Better opposition than Brighton today would have exposed our poor midfield and put more pressure on the defence."

There is still the nagging doubt among many City supporters that their squad is not strong enough for anything other than relegation scrap. "We beat Brighton and the players we have are League One quality. That is where we are shopping."

"Perhaps I'm being a bit harsh, but I think this side will struggle despite the win. There just isn't the quality and the bench is so lightweight", "If we avoid a relegation scrap, we will have over-achieved with this squad."

Defence

"There is something about defenders playing competitive games together regularly for the gelling process to happen", "This back five needs to stay as it is for as long as possible. The more games they play together, the better they will get."


Blues were as pleased with the clean sheet on Saturday as they were with the victory and want their manager to give the defensive team game time to work as a unit. "It is good to see two proper centre-backs in defence", "There's plenty of height and we looked solid at the back."

Former Motherwell keeper Darren Randolph "kept Clark in a job with his Boro performance", "He was man of the match, and prevented a five or six-goal hammering." The 27-year-old "is consistency personified. He made for terrific saves in that game. We may be heavily dependent on him this season."


Darren Randolf

"The pairing of Edgar and Hall stood out against Brighton. They are two big lads that can dominate in the air, and yet they are pretty mobile. They have a good understanding between them", "looked strong and composed", and "worked well as a team at the back."

Lee Clark played former Burnley defender David Edgar in midfield at the Riverside, but the 27-year-old struggled. "He lacks the mobility for a midfielder", "He's better in defence with the ball in front of him. He has a physical presence and is a brilliant tackler."

"Grant Hall plays more steadily alongside Edgar." The 22-year-old is with the Blues on a season-long loan from Spurs. "He looks decent with the ball at his feet and is very composed", "His heading seemed weak (at Boro) and his aerial game definitely needs working on."

"Paul Robinson was awful at Middlesbrough. Far too many times he was drawn out of central defence into midfield areas, which left massive space for them to work in." The 35-year-old former Bolton centre-back "is a great leader, but it's time for him to step back and be a dressing room influence".

Right-back Neal Eardley was dropped after having a "nightmare" at Boro. The 25-year-old ex-Blackpool man "was shocking, absolutely shocking. He was slow, ponderous and couldn't defend". "As insane as some of Clark's selections have been I am certain he won't start. If he does, I give up."

"Jonathan Grounds and Jonathan Spector add solidity to the wide areas of defence, but do lack a bit going forward. However, this is what we may need for a bit, a solid base to build wins from." These two full-backs were solid, if unadventurous full-backs against the Seagulls on Saturday.

"Jonathan Grounds is a no-nonsense defender that will grow into that back four unit, barring injuries and mad personnel shuffles." The 26-year-old left-back joined from Oldham this summer and is "okay, but limited", "He did get caught out once or twice by the Seagulls, but the defence was able to cover for him."

Jonathan Spector

"A magnificent goal-saving tackle topped off an outstanding man of the match performance." The former West Ham right-back "contributed massively to our clean sheet", and "played a blinder" against Brighton. "He was tenacious and competent", "This puts Eardley out of the picture."

The 28-year-old "looked past it last season, but today he was the best right-back we've seen for a while", "His distribution can be questionable and he can struggle to keep up with our attacks", "Spector's problem is that he has spent the last two years recovering from injuries and been behind on fitness."

Central Midfield

"We'll be okay in the middle. We need to keep it solid and deny the opposition space and time. We should hit the flanks and let the wide men do the creating when we're in possession", "We should use our two-man midfield to mop up the danger and get the ball out wide."

Former Inverness playmaker Andrew Shinnie and ex-MK Dons man Stephen Gleeson struggled in the Boro defeat and were dropped. "Shinnie seems so fragile mentally. When he knows things are going badly, his confidence visibly drains and he gets worse", "Gleeson was like a frightened rabbit at Middlesbrough."

"We might not be able to say that Paul Caddis is out of position in midfield for much longer now. He looks very composed there", "He offers mobility and passes well." The 26-year-old former Swindon Town man has been used by Lee Clark in a variety of defensive and midfield roles.

"Caddis has shown he can get forward and been effective", "There's work to do, as I feel that he didn't impose himself in the Cambridge game", "With him moved from right-back, very little was worked down that flank", "He and Davis worked hard and made us difficult to beat (against Brighton)."

David Davis

"Davis is a more than able replacement for Tom Adeyemi." With the ex-Norwich City man departing to Cardiff earlier this month, Lee Clark has moved quickly in bringing in the 23-year-old Davis from Wolves. He made his debut against Cambridge, and has greatly impressed the City faithful.

"That was one of the best ratting midfield performances I have seen since the Savage days. He gave Brighton's midfield no time to rest and broke up almost everything they tried. We only looked like conceding when he went off."

"Davis is aggressive, tenacious and quick, and is turning out to be everything we were promised", "He's a crisp passer, a quick and natural footballer", "I think we've got a real player on our hands. Well done, Lee Clark for picking him out."

Wide Midfield

"The four midfielders did their jobs well (against Brighton), and the wide men not only attacked but supported their full-backs when necessary, stopping crosses coming in to the box at source. This is something we failed to do for most of last season."

"I'm not sure about Lee Novak on the left in a 4-4-2", "He worked hard but is not an out-and-out wide man." The 25-year-old former Huddersfield striker played on the flank on Saturday. "He's not quick, but he gets around the pitch well enough and covers every blade of grass every week."

"Novak contributed most out wide in support of Clayton Donaldson", "He is best a getting hold of the ball, retaining possession and bringing others into play." Many Blues see Novak at his best when supporting colleagues. "He was the foil for Jordan Rhodes when he was prolific at Huddersfield."

"We all want Demarai Gray to do well, but it's too soon at this moment in his career. He's not yet ready to play regularly." The youth product "always wants to beat his man twice", "He tried to beat the same Cambridge man three times", "He is called arrogant because he tries things an 18-year-old tries."

"I would prefer to see Mark Duffy on the left, as this would give us a better attacking option." The 28-year-old played alongside with David Cotterill at Doncaster before both moved to St Andrew's this summer. Several Blues believe that they have a natural understanding.

"The first thing Duffy did when he came on (against Cambridge) was to spray a cross-field ball to Cotterill, pick up a return pass and land the ball on Clayton Donaldson's feet. There was more invention there in 30 seconds than Demarai Gray managed all game."

Duffy is praised for being "quick and nippy", "He's a similar player to Chris Burke, with a good range of passing. He looks like he's up for it." However, he was another played who struggled at the Riverside. "He barely put a foot right when he came on at Boro."

David Cotterill

"Cotterill is direct and always looks to stretch the game, but by the sixth cut-in and smash over the bar, I started to get weary", "The cutting in and thundering a wild shot gets tiring." The 26-year-old Wales international "is very impressive with his direct running and getting into good positions."

Despite the occasional frustration, Cotterill is highly rated. "He and Duffy have to start on the wings", "His game lifted when Duffy came on (against Cambridge)", "He played in a great cross for the Brighton goal and did everything in defence that Chris Burke didn't do, on a fraction of the salary."

Strikers

"The two forwards worked hard and gave the Brighton defence a tough time with their pace. They will do this to most defences if they carry on in the same vein", "We went from no shots on target at Boro to five on target this week", "We need two strikers up top, as we're not good enough to lead 1-0 and hold out."

Wes Thomas

"I couldn't really judge Thomas against Middlesbrough as he had so little service", "He isn't and never will be a lone striker, just like Novak", "He's quicker than Donaldson and a willing worker."

The 27-year-old former Rotherham striker has been praised for his tireless work rate: "Thomas was awesome. He chased down lost causes, defended from the front and bullied Brighton's defenders into giving the ball away. He took a fantastically executed goal and put in a great shift", "He wasn't on the same page as his team-mates (against Cambridge) and generally looked poor."

"He can't play the lone role because he's not great in the air and his touch is not a strong point. He's a willing runner, but is less good with his back to goal", "He combines hard work, some pace and control with very, very poor technique at times." He is by no means seen as the finished article.

Clayton Donaldson

"Clayton Donaldson has to start." The 30-year-old joined from Brentford this summer. "He's strong, holds the ball up well, has pace and power and looks a handful", "Donaldson looks like a unit who can get about", "He can hold up the ball well and bring others into play."

His touch has been discussed several times. "Sometimes he looks as if he would struggle trapping a bag of cement", "While the ball seems to bounce off his feet, he keeps possession more often than not. He won't be prolific, but offers pace and power that bullies defenders."

Birmingham Supporters' Views on ITFC and the Game

"I'm glad that we have another home game quickly. If we can get another result, with another solid performance like today's, it will do the players and fans the world of good when it comes to dealing with the nerves at home", "Ipswich are not a great away side, and should be beatable."

Blues have had very little to say about tomorrow's game, barring a few generalisations. "We need the same line-up, barring injuries, and have a good go at Ipswich", "The next visitors — Ipswich — have a gaffer who would probably keep our squad in the division."

I will update the forum tomorrow afternoon with any useful feedback if it emerges. One Blue summed up the buoyant mood after the Brighton win with this offering: "Ipswich will be crapping themselves on Tuesday. Here we go boys. We're on a roll — just a point from the play-offs."

Websites

The busiest Birmingham website is Small Heath Alliance, which is quite low-tech, but has good discussions and links to other City news and blog sites. The other site worth looking at is the quieter BCFC Free Forum.


Photo: Action Images



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Tractamatt added 11:52 - Aug 18
As always Harry, excellent stuff. As for 'crapping ourselves' at the thought of going to Birmingham, I feel this might just be a touch deluded. This is one away game I would expect 3 points from.
5

Marcus_Evans added 13:02 - Aug 18
At least they have broken their hoodoo before we play them. That normally is our job....
5

bluemagic74 added 13:24 - Aug 18
Got be 3 points I hope. Thanks for the read Harry.
3

Nthsuffolkblue added 13:32 - Aug 18
Tractamatt - I may be wrong but I read that quote as very much tongue in cheek especially when you add in the "only a point away from the play-offs" after 2 games!
2

Tractamatt added 13:56 - Aug 18
Nthsuffolkblue: fair point but I just get the impression that it was only semi in cheek. I've got a feeling Birmingham fans just might fancy this one. Just hope we can find the back of the net tomorrow night because we know we will create chances.
2

Ebantiass added 15:51 - Aug 18
I see no reason why we could´nt give them a headache and win. I hope Mick is a little optimistic in his thinking and we take the game to them. Andersen has to start as does Henshaw on the other wing.
1


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