A Hammering Should Never Be Acceptable - Notes for Birmingham Monday, 12th Dec 2016 11:00 by HarryFromBath HarryfromBath assesses the mood in the opposition camp ahead of Tuesday night’s game at St Andrew’s by delving into their forums. “Newcastle are romping it”, “We have got very urgent problems”, “This is gutless and embarrassing. Questions need to be asked after today”, “Our players have played above themselves in many games but we will always get found out against a quality team like Newcastle”, “Let the slide begin…” “We were abysmal, truly abysmal”, “We have been poor for a very long time”, “This drubbing shows how far we are from the top teams.” It has been a dire week for City fans. Saturday’s 4-0 defeat to the Magpies followed a 3-0 home loss to Barnsley seven days earlier and took them out of the top six. “Fantastic results and a great league position from average performances can’t last forever”, “Those defeats had been coming.” Many fans were not surprised by this downturn. City’s narrow 2-1 win at Brentford before the two losses typified a run where they have picked up results while playing poorly. “I am over the moon that we are around the play-off places but there is an underlying issue with the standard of football”, “We are what we are, an honest and hard-working team but our inherent lack of true quality is showing through. This is a mid-table at best side punching far above its weight.” “We have over-performed for two seasons. We have a team of triers without quality but that can only take you so far. We have nothing to spend and have to make do with cast-offs, untried hopefuls and kids”, “We must win on Tuesday. Losing is unthinkable now after the week we have just had.” Gary Rowett“I am loath to criticise Rowett given where we currently sit in the table but I feel we would have picked up even more points if he took a more positive approach rather than a cautious one”, “He doesn’t have the gumption to go out and attack poor teams like Barnsley when playing at home.”  “We have overachieved with honest, industrious players and Rowett has turned us into a team that compete rather than a laughing stock, but his failure to trust his creative players is a weakness.”, “If people don’t like his style then fine, but it is unlikely that a different manager would improve us.” Fans are divided over the 42-year-old former Burton manager despite the progress they have seen. He has been criticised for preferring industry over flair in his starting XIs and two of his high profile signings, Che Adams and Diego Fabbrini, have not been as successful as his cheaper squad additions. “I am happy with his basement buys and loans but when he has spent money he hasn’t improved us. I don’t want Rowett given more money to waste”, “For a manager who has propelled us from having one foot in League One to being in and around the play-offs, I think he deserves a bit more credit.” Formation“Oh, wow, Rowett has really gone for it. Don’t slaughter them today, guys, if it doesn’t come off”, “Props to Gary for going for it today, let’s see what happens”, “That team today is the one I would like to see against Ipswich on Tuesday, but that team today is the wrong one for this game.” KuszczakCogleyMorrisonShottonGroundsCotterillTescheGleesonStewartAdamsDonaldson
“That centre midfield is about as solid as blancmange.” There were no accusations of Rowett being overcautious when his starting line-up (above) was announced on Saturday. Although he stuck with his regular 4-4-2 shape, he included two wingers and only one holding midfielder in Robert Tesche. “We are under the cosh, it’s men against boys.” With Tesche still building match fitness after an ankle injury this was a recipe for disaster as the Magpies’ Jonjo Shelvey orchestrated a comfortable win for the hosts. “With a limited midfield, there was no service for the strikers and no creativity.” KuszczakCogleyMorrisonShottonGroundsCotterillTescheKieftenbeldDavisJutkiewiczDonaldson
In contrast, the starting XI against Brentford (above) had central midfielder David Davis stationed on the left both to protect full-back Jonathan Grounds and support a midfield which also included two holding midfielders. Maikel Kieftenbeld’s industry replaced the passing strength of Stephen Gleeson. Getting this balance right has been Rowett’s problem and the source of fans’ frustration. An industrious midfield quartet ground out a win at Griffin Park built on “an immense defensive effort with players throwing themselves in front of everything”, “We soaked up a lot of pressure and defended resolutely.” “Barnsley’s one-touch passing and fast counter-attacking is killing us.” The change at Newcastle was partly prompted by Barnsley pulling apart the same line-up which won at Brentford. The Tykes played at a high tempo and suffocated City’s midfield with the hosts struggling to build any rhythm. “The 4-4-2 of sorts has been getting us results. Having more gifted players like Greg Stewart, Adams and Jacques Maghoma coming off the bench has worked at giving us strong finishes to games”, “We lack width, partly due to our lack of pace but also down to our full-backs not being allowed to bomb on.” “It looks like we have just lost our way defensively and The Don isn’t hitting the mark often enough.” The trio of keeper Tomasz Kuszczak and centre-backs Ryan Shotton and Michael Morrison have been praised before this latest blip, but fans are worried about the declining form of Clayton Donaldson. “The worrying thing about this week is my fear that Rowett will revert to type and properly shut up shop.” Fans are concerned that he might revert to the counter-attacking 4-2-3-1 system which was seen last season. “We don’t have the balance for a midfield two and we lack ball-carrying players.” Newcastle 4 — 0 Birmingham“I’m currently nursing a brandy in Newcastle station. We were hapless for a second week in a row”, “I genuinely thought after Barnsley we would get a reaction today. How wrong I was”, “The first half was especially dreadful. Newcastle played as if they had two or three more players on the pitch.” Dwight Gayle opened the scoring on 18 minutes when he headed home a Mo Diame cross, adding a second six minutes later when in the right place to prod home a low cross. Yoann Gouffran fired in a third shortly after the restart before Gayle completed his hat-trick on 77 after great work by Shelvey. The West Midlanders were indebted to keeper Kuszczak for a series of fine saves as the Magpies carved through their midfield with little hindrance at times. “We couldn’t find space, we couldn’t pass and couldn’t get a tackle in”, “Best to get this out of the system against Ipswich on Tuesday.” “Why play an attacking team and then play a defensive game”, “We were too lightweight in midfield. Gleeson, Stewart and David Cotterill were brushed aside too easily”, “I never expected anything up there but the team selection was all wrong”, “That was a bad, bad loss today. Thank God it’s over.” Birmingham 0 — 3 Barnsley“On the train now, that was atrocious”, “That was garbage of the highest order”, “We make a habit out of losing to out-of-form teams”, “We always struggle against teams who move the ball well and tease us out”, “That was one hell of a bad day at the office”, “That defeat had been coming.” Tykes’ defender Marc Roberts headed home the opener on 38 from a freekick but the game was lost for City when David Davis was sent off for a second bookable offence on 71 minutes. Conor Hourihane set up Sam Winnall on 84 and 87 minutes to seal victory and hand City a first defeat in five games. “We were unable to hold on to the ball in midfield and up front. This meant that the ball was coming back constantly to the defence time after time”, “All three central midfielders were nowhere near as tenacious as usual to help us keep control. We were working as individuals rather than as a team” “Notwithstanding how poor we were, Barnsley deserved their three-goal margin. Their movement, energy and pace breaking forward coupled with their defensive solidity belied their lowly position”, “Football is a simple game and we have to take this reality check on the chin”, “A disaster of a day.” Brentford 1 — 2 Birmingham“An excellent win against an awkward side”, “We were under the cosh quite a bit for most of the game but a 2-1 win away against a decent side is promotion form”, “A great result, we rode our luck a bit but there was some great defending which is a big part of the game”, “We’re good, aren’t we?” Clayton Donaldson opened the scoring against his former club from the penalty spot on 14 minutes after he was fouled by Bees’ keeper Daniel Bentley. Shotton fired home a second from a Donaldson flick-on after 63 before the hosts’ Scott Hogan pulled a goal back with a header after 77 minutes. “I just want to keep a little perspective here. Despite being delighted with fourth place today, are we really a top-four side?”, “Nice to see good-humoured stewards and coppers on Saturday. QPR, please take note”, “I’m well happy with the result and Griffin Park is a gem among football grounds.” Goalkeepers and Defenders“We have fluked results mostly down to our keeper playing out of his skin”, “Tomasz Kuszczak to the rescue again. It could have been six today against Newcastle.” Fans have praised the 34-year-old ex-Wolves and Brighton man “surely must be one of the best keepers in this division at this time”.  “You could see the Brentford players rolling their eyes to the heavens in disbelief after yet another unlikely save by Kuszczak”, “Some of his saves were simply top drawer”, “He has pulled off some of the best saves I have ever seen. I just don’t feel too confident around the six-yard box and catching.” “Jonathan Grounds has always been a streaky player, ranging between the pretty good and bloody awful.” The 28-year-old ex-Oldham left-back “had had a lot of stick but has worked hard and put in some better performances lately. I have not seen him make big errors as he did in earlier games”. “Grounds has been better but as soon as he comes up against a half-decent winger his form will dip again as he can’t tackle”, “He backs off when he should be closing down, allowing his man to cross the ball”, “Newcastle targeted our left side time and again with Davis not there to protect Grounds.” “Jonathan Spector has been great all season.” The 30-year-old right-back and ex-Hammer has missed the last three games through suspension. “He has had a few bang average games but when on form he’s dangerous going forward”, “A sign our back four are playing well is seeing him advancing more.”  “I like Spector for his height at set pieces”, “He has been adequate. He would be OK as a covering right-back but it’s over the top to say he has been solid all season”, “A good utility full-back but he lacks pace and he can get caught out of position”, “He’s a more cautious full-back than Cogley.” “That’s the first time I have seen Josh Cogley and he looks great.” The 20-year-old youth product replaced the suspended Spector and made a very positive impression. “I like his pace going forward. “He looks refreshing and can pass the football. He showed a lot of confidence with nice touches.” “We have a star in Cogley, enthusiastic, fast, hard-working and he doesn’t shy away from getting forward”, “He is quick and right-back is his natural position”, “Forget the overlaps, he was playing one-twos and taking people on. It quickly became obvious that he didn’t need Davis covering him.” “The less said about Paul Robinson the better. It’s getting to be a joke now.” The 37-year-old former Bolton man has made a few substitute appearances. “He dithers, misses tackles and gives away very dangerous freekicks”, “He is just past it. All players have a sell-by date and he has gone past his.” “Michael Morrison was at fault for Newcastle’s first goal, misjudging the flight of the ball. He is not as hot as he was last season.” The 28-year-old former Charlton centre-half “didn’t dominate against Barnsley and his distribution was poor. He just wasn’t on his game, whether we had 10 men or not”.  “Morrison has looked much weaker recently although he has been a rock since he came here”, “He’s a proper centre-half who consistently delivered through last season with some heroic performances, a brick in the defence and in leading the team”, “The vast majority of fans rate him very highly.” Ryan Shotton“There’s not a chance Rowett will split up our best centre-half pairing of Morrison and Shotton, not a chance”, “Shotton is a calm head who heads everything clear”, I love his aerial and physical strength but he worries me with his wooden-leg left-foot clearances”, “He looks now like the senior partner.” The 28-year-old former Ram “imposes himself on forwards and steps in to tidy things up. No last-ditch heroics and no showboating, he’s just a solid centre-back”, “He can deal comfortably with big physical number nine strikers. He has speed, and more importantly speed on the turn for a big lad.” Central Midfielders“Diego Fabbrini is far more talented than the whole of our midfield but isn’t trusted.” The 26-year-old former Watford man has been absent lately for family reasons but has hardly featured lately. “Where would you realistically put Fabbrini in? He’s not much of a passer, finisher or assister.”  “We know Fabbrini has creative flair and talent in abundance but he’s a pale shadow of the player we signed on loan first time around”, “He’s style over substance and his return as a number 10 is nowhere near good enough”, “He was excellent when we had ball-carriers and in the right system.” “Watching Maikel Kieftenbeld trying to control the ball is like watching a man with glass hands trying to juggle wet soap”, “His energy is great and he’s athletic and a competitor, but watching him try to get a simple pass under control is a feat in itself”, “He’s a hard-working, technically limited player.” “Kieftenbeld remains a very poor footballer.” The 26-year-old ex-Groningen man “adds some steel and presence and was missed early on against Newcastle”, “I cannot believe he learned to play in Holland, he is technically inept”, “He is a disruptive presence who is horrible distributing passes.” “I can’t look at Stephen Gleeson. He totally gave up for Newcastle’s fourth goal, no desire in the man and questionable ability to put it mildly.” The 28-year-old former Milton Keynes man “spreads play well when we are on the front foot and there is space on the wings. He’s our best passer of the ball”.  “If there is no space to play in, Gleeson becomes non-existent”, “He is awful without the ball and has always been light as a feather”, “He can’t tackle or run”, “He is neither strong nor imposing. He does not charge about with any energy and he does not have the silky skills to create space for himself.” “Reece Brown needs to bulk up as he is far too lightweight for a midfielder.” The 20-year-old youth product “is technically good. His decision making has been poor and because of that he’s not ready to play full games every week. He might make costly mistakes throwing him in at the deep end”. “We are not going to see him take off while he’s so meek and mild. He is being totally overpowered. You do not need to be massive and beefy to succeed but you need great core strength and to be tough to knock off the ball. Brown has neither of these things yet and looks like a boy on a man’s pitch.” “If we need a tough athletic destructive player in central midfield we have such a player in David Davis. He has proved himself over and over again in this respect.” The 25-year-old ex-Wolves man “is a passionate, effective midfielder but he’s an idiot”, “His red card against Barnsley was brainless.” “Davis adds vital muscle in midfield.” He was missed at St James’ Park. “We have no Davis which we desperately need in this game in particular and this starting XI”, “He’s technically poor but he’s the best of us in a way, in that he does the aggressive stuff well and helps us be a tough team to beat.” Robert Tesche“The sooner we get Tesche to pre-injury form the better.” The 29-year-old ex-Nottingham Forest man “was clearly not fully ready at Newcastle and looked way off his game”, “He looked awful and lacked fitness against Barnsley. He had a very poor game and showed little of his usual quality.”  “We can’t drop Tesche. We rely on him”, “He needed to be more imposing and he was one of the reasons we were overrun in midfield in the last two games”, “He has looked rusty and offered no protection to defence, but that’s only to be expected after a two-month layoff with an ankle injury.” Wide Midfielders“Greg Stewart looks a natural winger, a tricky clever player with the ability to beat a man.” The 26-year-old summer addition from Dundee “is a live-wire with energy and skill from the bench. He probably does more damage coming off the bench to kill off the opposition when they are tired”. “Stewart was far too pedestrian at Newcastle and was giving the ball away.” He has regularly played from the bench but started at Tyneside and many felt this was an error. “He overcomplicates things when he starts, but he has huge potential and I like the whip he manages to get on his crosses.” Former Owl Jacques Maghoma missed the Newcastle debacle through illness although many City fans would like to see the 29-year-old feature more often. “I like him a lot, he’s industrious, hard-working and with excellent pace”, “He knows where the goal is and is not afraid to run towards it.” “Maghoma can dwell on the ball but he has been decent for us, scoring come important goals and he makes things happen”, “He’s probably our best player in terms of combined ability, application, pace and threat. If he threatened the goal more regularly, he would be playing at a higher level.” David Cotterill“Cotterill does deliver some quality balls in and we don’t have many others that offer this.” The 29-year-old former Doncaster wideman “works hard, he gets himself in the right positions defensively and his crossing and set-plays are menacing”, “A hard worker who doesn’t like the physical stuff.”  “Our best hope of creating anything, we lose so much when he goes off”, “A 4-4-2 with two strikers’ heads to aim at with his crossing suits Cotterill’s game”, “He can play on both flanks which gives us the chance to mix things up during a match. It gives full-backs something different to think about.” Strikers“Che Adams gives us something different in attack. He is quite mobile.” The 20-year-old arrived this summer from Sheffield United. “He’s bulky, energetic, strong and tenacious. He has a decent touch and knows where the goal is”, “He scares defenders, you sense their panic when he’s on the ball.” “We should play to Adams’s strength and instruct the midfield to play the ball behind the opposition defence for Adams to run on to”, “His pace and movement could be the key”, “He plays on the front foot and tracks back and hassles defenders. Quick, strong and a cool finisher, he is some prospect.” Lukas Jutkiewicz“Jutkiewicz is one of those players who defenders must hate playing against. He doesn’t give them a moments rest.” The 27-year-old is on loan from Burnley until January. “His hold-up play is great, he puts himself about and is a real presence up front. He wins everything and he is as strong as an ox.”  “There is a tendency to go direct when Juke is up front”, “He is not really mobile at all. He was never in the Barnsley game from the off. He couldn’t get into a single decent position all game long”, “He’s a presence, at his best waiting to burst into the box for crosses or facing up to run across his man.” Clayton Donaldson“Does Donaldson need to be replaced now? Yes, I think he does”, “I think Clayton is finished. He has lost half a yard of pace and it looks half a yard too much”, “His finishing is costing us but he seems to be undroppable”, “His first touch isn’t great and his finishing, if I am being polite, is below average.”  “The team is evolving past him.” The 32-year-old former Brentford frontman “needs to be jettisoned into the sun. He is an atrocious finisher and Juke holds the ball up just as well”, “He runs around and chases lost causes, and probably gets the washing in when it’s his turn but he’s not a great player at this level.” “If he could finish, with his work-rate, he would be at a top flight club”, “Today [against Barnsley] was the day I finally lost patience with Clayton, missing a straightforward chance then diving and falling over for the rest of the game. We have had the best out of him. Time to upgrade in January.” City Fans’ Thoughts on ITFC and the Game“We must win on Tuesday. Losing is unthinkable after the week we have had”, “We need to be more confident and adventurous against Ipswich. We constantly let poor teams come to St Andrew’s and play”, “I have this feeling we will dust ourselves down and get back to winning ways on Tuesday.” City supporters see Tuesday’s game as being vital in getting their season back on track after such a difficult week. With 88 per cent forecasting a home win - and most of those predicting a minimum of two goals for the hosts — expectations are high. I could not find a Town victory predicted on any poll. “Ipswich are near the bottom and very beatable, like when we thumped them last season. Get the win, cheer everyone up and go on to finish the year in the top six”, “I expect us to get something and want us to be more attacking”, “A win in this game is so important if we are not to go on a slide.” The minority of pessimists are forecasting a 1-1 stalemate. This based more on their belief that it may take more than one game to get their season on track as opposed to any threat we might carry. “It's got a draw written all over it”, “I would agree with that, 1-1 all night long.” As ever with Tuesday fixtures, if there is any additional comment worth mentioning I will post this up on the forum on Tuesday afternoon and link this on Twitter. WebsitesThere are three active Birmingham message boards. Small Heath Alliance carries links to local news stories while the Official Message Board and BCFC.freeforums.org also have some interesting discussions.
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