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post match analysis of a Birmingham fan


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http://www.joysandsorrows.co.uk/2014/09/view-from-the-south-birmingham-city-v-sheffield-wednesday-2/?

 

View from the South Birmingham City v Sheffield Wednesday

Sep 18th, 2014 | By KevB8ll | Category: Blues NewsLead ArticleMatchesPlayersReports By Bazza

Apologies for the delay posting this, I have been busy. Kev

 

I wasn’t originally going to go to this game being midweek and with work commitments it was going to be virtually impossible. Will called up and said he was going to drive up and could I join him. As fate would have it there was a cancellation in my schedule and time suddenly freed up and though tight we got away from Guildford around 15.45 and just missed the worst of the M25 build up prior to getting on the M40 and away free. We made good time and met up with Chris and Little Jack for a curry in Balsall Heath. There was time for a pint just before the game and into our seats for kick off.

 

The old cliche of a game of two halves came to the fore for this one. Blues played some decent stuff in the first half and should have been ahead. We missed a number of chances and our strikers particularly Wes Thomas was at fault for not putting us at least two goals to the good. I thought the build-up play was crisp with a decent tempo and Cotterill and Shea were delivering reasonable service into the box.

 

Neither Donaldson nor Thomas had their heading radar tuned last night; the shooting from everybody that attempted one was wayward and a number of decent chances went begging thus the score remained 0-0. Blues were unlucky when a speculative shot from Paul Caddis just after the half hour crashed off the post with the Owlís keeper beaten all ends up. The Owls for their part were largely second best in the first period but did have their moments and very early on should have gone one up with a side-footed volley by Atdhe Nuhiu from a neat chip into the box. The strike flashed across Randolph rooted to the spot only to clear the far post by a couple of inches. Blues were very lucky with that, but overall in the first half at least, they were the better side.

 

Chris commented that we were likely to rue all the missed opportunities and just like on Saturday, Blues ran out of steam in the second half as Sheffield Wednesday, a far cry from the shambolic outfit that visited St Andrews a year ago, gained confidence, upped their tempo and started to take control until we inevitably conceded because we failed to track runners as legs tired.

 

Everything that Blues produced in the first half evaporated as Wednesday showed intent with rapid attempts in the first five minutes of the second period with Chris Maguire shooting just wide and Jacques Maghoma striking the outside from of the post after Darren Randolph meekly parried a shot by Liam Palmer into his path; very lucky to escape again. Sheffield were all over us and Blues could not get any modicum of control and coughed up the ball cheaply when they did get it.

 

The inevitable finally happened mid-way through the half when Stevie May, the pick of the Sheffield midfield drove into our half played a simple one-two with Atdhe Nuhiu, who laid it back to him wide on the left. Instead of containing the danger Blues defenders backed off and allowed the winger to keep coming which he duly did. May dribbled across to get the ball onto his right foot in the area and drove a low shot past Randolph at the near post; a well taken goal but allowed far too easily. The writing was on the wall at this point as I couldn’t see Birmingham City scoring if they were still playing now.

 

I’m afraid it looked far more likely that Sheffield were going to add to their tally and sure enough it proved to be the case late on. Blues did have a fleeting chance to equalise from a free-kick from the left on 80minutes. The ball dropped down in the middle of the box to Paul Robinson who fiercely struck the chance goalwards from around the penalty spot only to be thwarted by a goal saving block from Semedo and that as the song goes was all she wrote as far as the disappointed home supporters were concerned. Blues finally succumbed to the sucker punch in the 89th minute. Caught on the break, the ball found its way out to the right to Chris Maguire who pulled it back to Jeremy Helan in splendid isolation 12 yards out. He gleefully drilled the ball into the bottom corner to spark ecstatic celebrations from the Wednesday fans.

 

In the end Blues were beaten comfortably by an improved but still pretty average and functional Sheffield Wednesday side. Over the whole game the teams were well matched but Wednesday took their chances when they were on top and we didnít and that was the difference.

 

I am running out of ways of saying that we are not good enough. The players cannot help the fact that they are of limited ability at this level but Lee Clark has to figure out a way to keep clean sheets even if it means ugly stuff and 0-0 score lines. Even poor quality players can be organised and drilled to prevent the type of goals that we conceded last night. Tracking runners is basic and the least expected of professionals. Whilst we are creating chances we are not taking them and with our defensive frailties more results like this will occur. I’m still undecided whether to go to Norwich on Saturday; I fear we are going to get thumped like we did at Wigan and I’m not sure I can bear to watch my team get humiliated.

 

The Good: The curry before the game; excellent, paying for it this morning though! (Too much detail Baz! Kev)
The Bad: Our finishing in the first half and the defending for the goals in the second.

The Ugly: The flat slaphead at the front of the away stand with his top off making rude gestures to the home support to his right; what a fine figure of a man with a face that only a mother could love!

 

Birmingham City (4-4-2) Darren Randolph 6, Neal Eardley 6 (Jonathan Spector 16, 6), Jonathan Grounds 6, Paul Robinson 6, David Edgar 7, David Cotterill 6, David Davis 6 (Stephen Gleeson 79, 5) Paul Caddis 7, Wesley Thomas 6, Clayton Donaldson 6, Brek Shea 6 (Demarai Gray 54, 6).
Subs not used: Colin Doyle, Callum Reilly, Mark Duffy, Andy Shinnie.

 

Sheffield Wednesday (4-4-2): Keiren Westwood 6, Liam Palmer 6, Joe Mattock 6, Glenn Loovens 6, Tom Lees 6, Chris Maguire 7, Jose Semedo 6, Giles Coke 6 (Drenthe 63, 6) Stevie May 8 (Jeremy Helan 81, N/A), Atdhe Nuhiu 6 (Gary Madine 73, 6), Jacques Maghoma.
Subs not used: Chris Kirkland, Lewis Buxton, Kamil Zayatte, Claude Dielna.

 

Referee: James Adcock 7; I thought the referee had a decent game; hardly noticed him which tends to be a sign that the officials have done OK.

Attendance: 14,085 (1,589 away fans)

Edited by modboy
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When did Stevie May become a midfielder??

 

he did play pretty deep tbf to the author. Not like he is really well known

In the end Blues were beaten comfortably by an improved but still pretty average and functional Sheffield Wednesday side.

 

sums us up fairly well

 

yup

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In the end Blues were beaten comfortably by an improved but still pretty average and functional Sheffield Wednesday side.

 

sums us up fairly well

That's what I thought of Burnley last season when they beat us at Hillsborough. They ended up going up with a pretty average and functional side. Putting our chances away(or not), will determine how we finish this season. If we're clinical, there's no reason why we can't finish in the top 6 this season. Defensively we seem to be strong.

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In the end Blues were beaten comfortably by an improved but still pretty average and functional Sheffield Wednesday side.

sums us up fairly well

I'm not sure. To be honest, I think we're a bit better than just "functional". I'd have described us last year (at least the second half of it) as functional, and I think we are better than that this year. We're not just grinding out results or relying on a rigid, unattractive system to frustrate other teams.

The first half at Birmingham is the worst 45 minutes of the season so far for me. Coming back from that took more than just being functional, even accounting for how poor Birmingham are.

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Giving Loovens and Lees a 6 out of 10 :ghoulguy:

 

"I don't have a clue who most of their players were so I'll just award a random score"

 

 

How can he give Lees and Loovens the same score as someone who only played the first 16 mins.

 

Yup.

 

Fairly decent review of the match, but would be better off leaving the player ratings.  Clearly just thought give all the opposition a 6 apart from guy who scored a goal and someone who made a nice assist.

 

Caddis and Edgar 7, but Semedo, Lees, Loovens only 6...?!?!  If by any chance he reads this thread (you never know!) - good review of the match, but just leave the ratings, at least for the opposition if you don't really know who's who!

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