Birmingham 2 United 1 - report

The Blades’ playoff hopes took a probable fatal blow as they went down to defeat at St Andrews. Relegation threatened Birmingham got a ***** three points. United started the game well and Mark Duffy scored against his former club after seven minutes. However, the visitors failed to build on this and Birmingham came back into the game and deservedly levelled thanks to Marc Roberts turning in a corner and then in the second half; the home side were the far better side and won it thanks to Jacques Maghoma who ran through unchallenged to score. It was a really poor performance from United who looked flat and tired. They did not create one chance in the second half and were rather limply beaten.

Leon Clarke was out with back spasms and so former Blues Leon Donaldson and Mark Duffy started. David Brooks was back to the bench. Moore (tonsillitis) and Wright (knee) were also not in the match day squad.

Birmingham began in front of a noisy crowd kicking towards the sold out Blades allocation and Jota had an early shot wide. United grew into the game and Evans and Fleck combined to play in DUFFY. He jinked back and hit a low shot that seemed to lack power but squeezed into the corner past Stockdale at his near post. He celebrated with real glee and was booked as the referee thought he was over exuberant in his reaction.

Evans then had a shot tipped over from range and Fleck then nearly got in after good work from Baldock as United made a decent start. Birmingham gradually came back into the game and Adams and then Maghoma combined. The latter won two fouls as Baldock was struggling with his pace and trickery. Birmingham then won a free kick that was blocked.

Kieftendeld had a shot deflected over and then Morrison had a free header that he should have done better with but Blackman gathered. Another long-range shot was deflected and this led to a corner. From the delivery United failed to win the first or second ball and ROBERTS turned home high into the net from close range. After this Birmingham started to dominate. They won a free kick again from a very fussy referee. The delivery went into the wall. Half time came with the home side now on the front foot after a good start from United.

The second half continued as the first half had ended. Birmingham were looking the more likely. Jutkiewicz had a header tipped away and then Adams and Maghoma worked another opening. The home fans willed their team on. United in contract looked slow and sloppy and were giving the ball away or not being positive enough when they had it. Sharp came on for Lundstram as Wilder tried to change the flow but it was not long before the second goal game for Birmingham.

It was a ball over the top and MAGHOMA beat the offside trap. He steadied himself and hit a low shot past Blackman into the corner to send St Andrews into raptures.

Brooks came on for Duffy but was down injured soon after. He needed a lengthy period of treatment but got up and was able to come on despite Holmes being readied for action. Wilson came on for Donaldson but United had not looked a threat at all. Birmingham came forward again and Jota was pulling the strings. Young full back Harding had a shot saved and then Birmingham won another free kick that was cleared. United had two openings via Sharp and Baldock but they were barely even attempts at goal.

Six minutes of stoppage time was played but even with Blackman up at the death United did not look like even having an attempt on goal let alone scoring and the final whistle came as the pumped up home side celebrated the win that in all likelihood will keep them in the division.

United – One of our poorest performances of the season. We have had a few bad ones away from home and this was not quite as bad as Hull but was somewhere like Millwall and Preston. We did not turn up. We got outbattled and out played and in the end looked clueless as we tried to get back into the game. We gave away two stupid goals but they could have had more. Second half I could not believe how bad we were. We looked the more nervous and they were more free and fluent. Barely one player had a good game. Fleck maybe but that is it. The rest were so poor. Our passing was not good enough and overall, we were not positive enough in what we did.

We got the early goal and you sensed the nerves round the ground. I felt we could go on and get another but it never happened. They came back into it and scored a poor goal from our point of view but then got another. They had more chances too. Other than one Evans shot I cannot recall another effort of note after that all game. Second half we were abysmal. We lost almost every tackle, never got our foot in, were timid when we did have it and looked the nervous team. Actually, nervous is the wrong word. We looked disinterested and like a mid-table side (which we now are) not one with a chance of the playoffs. Whether we were tired, or just had one of those days I am not sure, but only one team wanted to win and really cared today and it was not us

Felt we struggled at times to cope with runners and the midfield has to take the blame for this. Our defence concedes too many goals sadly. Individually all 3 of the centre backs have been ok but the ball goes in too often. You feel we need a big dominating centre back in the middle and that may mean one of Stearman or Basham coming out next season. May seem harsh as they have all done ok but soft goals go in every week and many are the same where the ball is straight through the middle (Millwall or today) or ball into the box (first goal or 2 at Barnsley for example).

We did not look a goal threat at all and looked susceptible at the back. Mix that in with the midfield losing the battle and you have three departments we were second best in. Today I felt we would have a real go but it was a really poor performance. I was so disappointed with the effort, skill and urgency. They wanted it more and we got what we deserved; nothing.

Now the season is pretty much done and it has been a really flat end to the season. We are struggling to win games and the form has really tailed off. Up too today the performances had improved; apart from Barnsley but today we looked a side nearer the bottom than the top. Too many players have been very inconsistent since Xmas and you can see why none of them have played any higher level than this – they might one day but until they are more professional and consistent week in, week out; we will be middle of the road at best. We are now in our lowest position since maybe 2nd or 3rd week of the season which is hard to take when we have gone from 1st, to then playoffs, to the brink of the playoffs to now a mid-table position. So many players look tired and as Wilder says like the race has run. Now I hope we can just put in a good performance at home next week to finish the season strong. It would be a shame to not see another win before the season finishes.

Birmingham – Fair play to them. They scrapped, fought and ran more than us. They showed more quality on the ball and created more chances. They attacked more and wanted to go at us. They fought back from trailing and showed a lot of character. They looked a hungry team and buoyed by a vociferous crowd got the deserved win against a lifeless United team. Their flair players showed some quality and turned us round. We never did that. It is odd they are so low down as man for man, they are probably as good or if not better than us and many others higher up the league but Redknapp and Cotterill made a right mess of things. Now they should be safe and will probably spend again in the summer but then again, I was chatting to a Birmingham fan post game and he said FFP could affect them. He said the lad Ndoye who came on is on 40-50 grand a week! Whatever happens, I am sure they will spend more than us and show more ambition than us.

Opposition Man of the Match: Maghoma caused problems for us all day with his running and trickery. Jota had a decent game too and looked more like the player from Brentford. Adams was hit and miss I felt but showed a few nice touches. No one played really badly for them and it was a decent performance individually and collectively.

Opposition Weak link: Not sure we tested a very ordinary defence. They have barely scored goals this season but looked threatening. The keeper was not good on the goal so maybe he gets this award.

Blackman 6/10 – Handling and general keeping fine but then second half a few soft shots/headers were parried or he looked less than convincing. First goal went in at near post but was close range so not sure he could do much but the second was not a hard shot and also seemed to go in near side.

Baldock 5/10 – That is the poorest he has been for us for me. He did not really get forward much save for one run first half but defensively he was up against Maghoma a lot and he caused him all sorts of problems. He gave away several fouls and was beat 2 or 3 times by him and Jota. Second half was the same story. Stevens will get a lot of criticism but Baldock was as bad today.

Stevens 5/10 – He has been poor for a while, save a few decent home performances and today that carried on. He gave his man too much room and made too many mistakes. He switches off at times and needs to be closer to his man. Did not offer much going forward. I felt both wingbacks were really poor today struggling both ways.

Basham 6.5/10 – Got caught square twice second half in trying to play an offside trap and on the second Maghoma got away and put in the winner. We allowed them too much space and time second half in and around our box. He tried hard when he had it to get forward but today not sure our wing backs or overlapping centre backs really overlapped or got forward much at all. I would have considered taking one of the centre backs off and changed the shape. He at least kept trying and one of few who won some of his battles. Most did not.

O’Connell 6/10 – Felt he was slow to react on the goal and that he should have got there on the second ball but just stood and watched really. A few other times he was a bit slow also defensively. Going forward he tried to carry it on but got crowded out quite a bit. He seemed another that looked a bit tired

Stearman 6/10 – Steady-ish but felt was not helped by midfield and wing backs allowing too many balls into the box. Also, he did not get there on the goal when the corner came in and lost the first challenge. Many came in too easily too. Stearman did ok but we only had one striker to mark as Adams kind of came off the front.

Fleck 7/10 -Our best player but that was not hard. He was maybe the only player today who actually put a real shift in, tried to make things happen and was positive. Many of our other players played safe or backwards and looked very nervous. He at least tried to play a forward pass or ran with it a few times. He made mistakes also and as I say below, our midfield lost the battle but I felt he got little help. So many times, he ran forward and looked up and there was no movement or options.

Lundstram 4/10 – Not great but not sure he was much worse than Evans and Birmingham picked up every loose ball and won the midfield easily. Him and Evans together has not worked in most of the games they have played (except Boro). They are both too slow and immobile and quicker, more nimble and stronger players pick them off and run beyond them. If they do not doo the nitty gritty I expect them to show some of the decent quality they have on the ball but they did not do this. They either gave it away or went backwards/sideways. I am not sure Lundstram has improved that much since we signed him and it is one step forward, two back at times. He needs to get much fitter and leaner for me. He is too slow and pedestrian to be effective at this level if he does not get on the ball.

Evans 5/10 – Thought he was really poor today. Did not get on the ball and was overran at times. Lost a lot of 50/50 balls and then when he did have it, he gave it away. Second half I barely noticed him. I got criticised for calling him and Lundstram flat track bullies a few weeks ago but today kind of emphasised why I felt like that. He had one decent shot saved but other than that very little. They have done ok in some games but too often they follow a good game by a poor one. Wildly inconsistent and do not affect games enough positively. It says something that as soon as Coutts is fully fit, it will still be him and Fleck. The new players have just not been consistent enough. At times Evans has looked good with some goals/assists but other times like today and Barnsley completely anonymous. Jury still out on him for me.

Duffy 6/10 – Started the game well and scored and clearly enjoyed it. After this he had a few moments where he set up some half chances but after this sort of got crowded out as they came into it. Second half he was not in the game at all but I still would have left him on and sacrificed a defender or even Donaldson. He at least can create things.

Donaldson 3/10 – Thought he was abysmal. He looked slow, off the pace and did not hold it up at all. Faced with a big chance against his former club who released him, he had a point to prove but today showed why he will be released in the summer in all likelihood. He looked disinterested and it was strange when you think he would be busting a gut. He did nothing and lost every header/ball up to him. Did not get much service but he has to work harder than that. Got a round of applause from his former club. My mate said no wonder; he has been one of their best players on the day!

Subs:

Sharp 6/10 – Given half an hour but he never was in it at all as we were defending for the most part. Had one half chance when he got a toe on a Brooks ball but it tamely went back to the keeper. Other than that, was just chasing loose balls.

Brooks – Came on and got a knock straight away and it seemed bad but after a long period of treatment, he got up eventually (stretchers were out at one point and lots of medical staff) and played on. All seemed a bit off. Maybe it was a dead leg or he was winded but seemed to be a knock to his calf. He did not really have an influence at all and barely had a kick really.

Wilson – Nearly got his shirt dirty in 9 (+6) minutes of stoppage time. He has been a poor signing and done nothing really in his spell (one goal at Norwich, a shot at Ipswich that hit the bar and an overhead wide v Villa is the sum of his efforts). Looks lazy and languid. Thinks he is better than he is. Like messrs Cofie and Twiss I am not even sure he will find a club much higher than League Two when he is released this summer. Nobody is going to be impressed with him what they have seen with his appalling lack of effort let alone no real ability on the ball when he has it. Maybe his Man Utd reserve record will get someone like Stevenage or Crawley to take a punt on him for a year.

Manager: Wilder 5/10 – With Clarke missing, he went with Donaldson which you could kind of understand against his former club but it did not work. The midfield combo did not work and not including Brooks was a mistake. He made changes but it did not improve things. To me he took off the wrong players and should have put on Holmes for me. He deserves a chance. He seemed honest enough post game and admitted that we deserved to lose. He seemed someone that knows the season is done now and it was interesting what he said about chances. I think we may see a few different players in next week as we do look a tired group. He may as well give likes of Holmes, Lafferty and Leonard a go. Seemed frustrated at the end and it was more an interview of resignation to our fate than anger. Glad he pointed out that the fans deserved more – you sensed when they came up to us at the end, you felt they knew they had badly let us down.

Officials – The referee was appalling. An utter disgrace. Maybe the worst we have had this season and we have had some bad ones. To say he was a homer was an understatement. He gave them pretty much everything and even when he gave us stuff, he kept stopping it and bringing it back. 6 times he stopped the game when we tried to take it and pulled it back. He did not book any of them when he wanted to stop it. It was all about him. He gave numerous 50-50 challenges to them and must have given them about 4 or 5 rights on the edge of the box. He did everything but nod one in for them. O’Connell seemed to get the ball on the one he was booked. Duffy’s celebration saw him booked. How often do you see that and players do not get booked? He was so fussy and wanted it all to be about him. I am not wasting my time on him anymore. Surely the assessor will mark him very lowly as the key too good refereeing is good game management, let it flow and try and make sure the game is not about him. He failed in every regard.

Crowd/Day Out– 24,000 crowd and the home fans were loud and passionate and got behind their side. I felt the United fans did their best but the team gave them nothing to shout about really at all after the decent start. The home crowd willed them on and I felt were one of the louder visiting stadiums we have had this season (been bigger crowds). They could have turned at 0-1 but they did not and kept with them. The ground is in a pretty bad area with industrial units and council houses and is an odd ground. 3 sides are ok but then one smaller stand. It reminds me of Hillsborough in and outside the ground, in that it looks a bit tired and the areas near the entrances and in the concourses are not great at all.

The rest of the day out was great; once again spoiled nearly by 2 hours between 3pm and 5pm ish! We got to Birmingham at 9.30am and had a lovely stroll along the canal and up to the Jewellery quarter. We then went in the Clifden and sat outside having a lovely Cumberland sausage sandwich with a few local ales. The sun was shining and it was tempting to stay there but we went to the Rose Villa Tavern and had a beer before going to the Button Factory and sitting right on the terrace and drinking here for a few hours – we had a cocktail (why not) and soaked up the sun. Walked past all the jewellers and various shops in the area but resisted to urge to buy the wife a ring for a few grand (the cheap ones!) before heading on the train to Bordesley from the Jewellery Qtr. stop. Took 10 minutes and then walked up to the ground. After the match we went and had a few beers in the Custard Factory at the Clink bar before grabbing some food and heading home. A lovely day despite the result. Birmingham is not my favourite city (the accent does not help) but some of the locals we chatted to were friendly and we discussed the game and respective futures of our two teams. The city has had a lot of work done to it and a lot of money invested and is much nicer than it used to be. Still prefer London, Newcastle, Liverpool and Manchester for day outs and things to do but it is better than it was.

Absolute bang on report db , as tradition always applies to us , help a team struggling with 3 easy points, its always been the blades way, found a few more pubs than we did in the centre mind after the game, thought it was a 'dry centre zone'.hey ho its been a good run but we were always lacking that extra bit of bite needed for a play off spot, frustrating as its been these last few games , weve ended up in a position we'd have snatched at in august, get shopping Chrissy boy or tell to the board to shove it.

Spot on report and it makes for very depressing reading. It makes me laugh to hear players are tired and the season is catching up on them. Absolutely nothing to do with that, Birmingham man for man have a stronger quality squad and it is really starting to tell. Effort alone without quality is not enough in this Division.

No player yesterday was worthy of a 5,really poor performance after a dream start

That's what we're up against in this league. Brum have spent £25million + in the last couple of years, we've spent abut £4m. Pigs have spent £45 million and recouped £400,000, so it's maybe not all down to money.

I think its clear that spending money isn't the be-all and end-all. Good players tend to cost more, but not all players that cost more are better. Its so hard to tell. I would have thought Rhodes would have been at least decent for the oinkers, but he's turned into a poor joke.

We need maybe half a dozen new faces. We will have to accept that whatever funds CW is given to work with, he is going to have to turn over a few stones and unearth a gem or two. And...there's little point railing against the transfer kitty. It will be what it is, and like any business, we've got to do our best with the resources available.

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Originally Posted by mahatmafoot

That's what we're up against in this league. Brum have spent £25million + in the last couple of years, we've spent abut £4m. Pigs have spent £45 million and recouped £400,000, so it's maybe not all down to money.

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in the case of Birmingham and the Pigs large sums of money were spent in a short space of time with the focus on individuals and not the balance of the team. That is why it is taking longer for the quality to come through. In the case of CW I think he would not make that mistake.
We don’t need that level of money but we do need more than a fresh air budget.