Birmingham City - On The Up And Up!

[nirvaanfc]

After just two seasons in the premiership Birmingham City have solidified their premiership status.

This past season finishing in the top ten has confirmed this premiership status and their willingness to spend and clear ambitions have made them a potential European club.

They now are able to sign high quality players and as such seem headed for much greater things than in times gone by......

[nirvaanfc]

SIGNings of Ambition:-

Emile Heskey (Liverpool) - NOT NECESSAILY A GOOD SIGNING
Muzzy Izzet (Leicester) - Savage and Izzet in centre of park, good stuff.
Julian Gray (Crystal Palace) - Unkown quantity to me, but highly rated.
Mario Melchiot (Chelsea) - Good international defender.

[pething101]

SIGNings of Ambition:-

Emile Heskey (Liverpool) - NOT NECESSAILY A GOOD SIGNING
Muzzy Izzet (Leicester) - Savage and Izzet in centre of park, good stuff.
Julian Gray (Crystal Palace) - Unkown quantity to me, but highly rated.
Mario Melchiot (Chelsea) - Good international defender.

And you got rid of Jovan Kirovski.

[dbiesecker]

I voted for 6th-8th. Trying not to jinx the team or set my expectations too high. A plethora of good signings. Now they need to learn to work as a team, which shouldn't be too hard considering Brum is now Chelsea North. And please, Jovan played well for Birmingham and made a significant difference in their first season in the EPL.

[rymannryan]

Don't forget about Jesper Gronkjaer. I must say that I'm extremely jealous of what your team has done over the summer. I wish Everton would bring in players like Melchiot and Gronkjaer. You guys are looking good for next year.

[nirvaanfc]

JESPER GRONKJAER
Denmark
Midfielder
Chelsea TO Birmingham
2.2 million pounds

http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=112881&page=3

[nirvaanfc]

SIGNings of Ambition:-

Emile Heskey (Liverpool) - NOT NECESSAILY A GOOD SIGNING
Muzzy Izzet (Leicester) - Savage and Izzet in centre of park, good stuff.
Julian Gray (Crystal Palace) - Unkown quantity to me, but highly rated.
Mario Melchiot (Chelsea) - Good international defender.
Jesper Gronkjaer (Chelsea) - Good winger, povides a threat out wide.

[Catfish]

BC has made some very good signings this off season. Everyone will be expecting a lot from them. Good luck.

[sokkerluver]

Steve Bruce has made *SOME quality signings this year.The fact his that Liverpool have already the last Champions League place,sorry.The important point is that Newcastle barely raided the transfer market,EVEN THOUGH they bought Kluivert from Barca. So, you guys are going to make 5th place,definitely!!









*Emile Heskey??????? What has Steve Bruce thinking??????????

[nirvaanfc]

The season is underway!

Birmingham held to a 1-1 draw by Portsmouth!

[nirvaanfc]

1-0 and Birmingham lose first game of season to Chelsea.

[chriswalk27]

I still think you are going to have problems breaking the top 6 this year.

Hesky isn't going to help your already woeful offense and you guys were already solid in the back so it is up to Izzet, someone who is known for rash challenges, along with Robbie Savage, another player known for elbows and rash challenges working together and staying on the pitch for as many games as possible for you guys to stay in the top ten.

Saying that if someone can get these guys to play well together it is Steve Bruce, who I really think highly of. I would really love for him to get the England National Team job after Sven leaves for some big name club, would love to see what he can do with top talent.

Anyway, good luck guys and hope things work out for you.

[nirvaanfc]

Birmingham 1 - 0 Manchester City

Emile Heskey (yes, believe it or not Heskey) scores.
Birmingham have got 4 points from 3 GP.

Next up for the BLUES.......a trip to White Hart Lane and the Tottenham Hotspur team. which is 1-2-0 with 5 points.

[GitongaSimba]

Anyone have updates on the Bruce-Magpies rumors? This really worries me, b/c the gaffer's got a fondness in his heart for North-East. If Bruce leaves, my prediction is Blues in the bottom half of the table, right around that above-relegation-Spurs-zone. He's the glue pulling everything together.

[dbiesecker]

Anyone have updates on the Bruce-Magpies rumors? This really worries me, b/c the gaffer's got a fondness in his heart for North-East. If Bruce leaves, my prediction is Blues in the bottom half of the table, right around that above-relegation-Spurs-zone. He's the glue pulling everything together.

All of the denials worry me. There's more talk coming out of Brum than anywhere else. Why? If Bruce wants to leave, I say let him. I'd like for him to stay, but I don't want him running a team that he doesn't want to lead.

[GitongaSimba]

The numerous denials from St. Andrews worries me too, and I agree the man's got a right to choose, but who are we gonna get to replace him? Glen Hoddle? If we lose Bruce, we're going to lose momentum and it will take another few years before Brum can realistically gun for Europe.

[PokerNSoccer]

Your team has to bond together first. With the likes of Mario Melchiot,Jesper Gronkjaer,Muzzy Izzet, Darren Anderton,Emile Heskey,Dwight Yorke, and Julian Gray your team is going to do very well this year.But, Steve Bruce has to gel your team together first and form bond between the players.With 7 new players that might take a while.But, when they learn to work with each other your team is going to be BIG.

[nirvaanfc]

David Dunn returns, he could be the ket to this team becoming a seriosu contender for Uefa cup spot.

Savage...Dunn...Izzet...Gronkjaer
thats a pretty decent middle.

Unfortunately, Forssell out for season means Dwight Yorke has got to scorea bunch.

[nirvaanfc]

At season's beginning i predicted a 6th to 8th place finish.

However, with the loss of Forssell for the season, Morrison and Yorke simply not producing and the sale of John. Things do not look good up top. Defensively the team are playing very similiarly to last year, being quite stingy but without Forssell banging in goals like last year, previous 1-0 wins are now 0-0 draws and 1-1 draws seem to be 0-1 reverses now.

Shame that to get Morrison, Birmingham gave up Andy Johnson as part of the deal!
How times change, to get Johnson now Birmingham woudl probably give an arm and a leg and Morrison, but c'est la vie!

AT present, with lack of firepower a top 10 finish would be quite an achievement!

[GitongaSimba]

nirvaanfc, given your connection to T&T, perhaps you can shed some light on the Dwight Yorke controversy? What really upsets me is that Blues management have come out and said Yorke can leave if he wants--what?! Look, there was a time in English football where if you weren't English and you weren't white, there was a distinct lack of "friendly" teams to support. Blues were one of those clubs, and back in my (dark) days of living in Birmingham, me and all my colored friends (the Pakistanis, the Blacks, the Chinese) in school supported Blues for this very reason, and hated Villa all the more because of it. Yeah we got stick for supporting Division 2 Blues, but we knew diversity was supported both on and off the pitch at St. Andrews. Is B'ham City regressing?