Form
Considering that they had just been promoted, Birmingham had a cracking season last time out, with a ninth place finish and some sterling performances. Alex Mcleish will be looking to build on this impressive achievement this time round, and has spent a fair bit of money over the summer reinforcing his squad.
Star Players
Birmingham struck gold last season with the loan acquisition of England keeper Joe Hart. His stellar performances between the sticks for Birmingham earned him a seat on the plane to South Africa and a recall to big-spending Manchester City. New £5m signing Ben Foster has some mighty big shoes to fill, but he will be hoping that a run of first team football will have the same effect on his career as it did for Hart last season.
Birmingham’s biggest signing of the summer, in more ways than one, was the towering 6’7” Serbian striker Nikola Zigic. While he doesn’t have a stellar scoring record, he should bring an intimidating physical presence to Birmingham’s forward line, which looked lightweight at times last season.
Last season, veteran midfielders Barry Ferguson and Lee Bowyer turned in some superb performances to drive Birmingham into the top half, and they will be crucial to Birmingham’s chances this season. Birmingham could boast one of the Premier League’s meanest defences last season, largely due to the contributions of Scott Dann and Roger Johnson, and that defence will be bolstered by the return of David Murphy from long term injury.
The Gaffer
Birmingham have one of the best managers in the league in the form of Alex Mcleish, and it came as no surprise to see him linked with some of the big jobs that were available over the summer. While he has a patchy record in the transfer market, which may make Carson Yeung a little nervous about handing him huge sums of money to play with, his coaching skills are beyond question, and Birmingham would do well to hang on to him.
The Outlook
A strong finish last time out, coupled with a sizeable investment in new players, should see Birmingham pick up where they left off this season. A lot depends on whether Ben Foster can live up to his billing as a future England number 1, whether Lee Bowyer and Barry Ferguson can continue to roll back the years, and whether Nikola Zigic is able to cut it in the Premier League. If all of these things go Birmingham’s way, then it could be a great season for them, but if not, they could suffer from second-season syndrome.
FIXTURES
Saturday, August 14 2010
Sunderland - Birmingham City (15.00)
Saturday, August 21 2010
Birmingham City - Blackburn Rovers (15.00)
Sunday, August 29 2010
Bolton Wanderers - Birmingham City (13.30)
Sunday, September 12 2010
Birmingham City - Liverpool (16.00)
Saturday, September 18 2010
West Bromwich Albion - Birmingham City (15.00)
Saturday, September 25 2010
Birmingham City - Wigan Athletic (15.00)
Saturday, October 2 2010
Birmingham City - Everton (15.00)
Saturday, October 16 2010
Arsenal - Birmingham City (15.00)
Saturday, October 23 2010
Birmingham City - Blackpool (15.00)
Sunday, October 31 2010
Aston Villa - Birmingham City (12.00)
Saturday, November 6 2010
Birmingham City - West Ham United (15.00)
Tuesday, November 9 2010
Stoke City - Birmingham City (19.45)
Saturday, November 13 2010
Manchester City - Birmingham City (15.00)
Saturday, November 20 2010
Birmingham City - Chelsea (15.00)
Saturday, November 27 2010
Fulham - Birmingham City (15.00)
Saturday, December 4 2010
Birmingham City - Tottenham Hotspur (15.00)
Sunday, December 12 2010
Wolverhampton Wanderers - Birmingham City (13.30)
Saturday, December 18 2010
Birmingham City - Newcastle United (15.00)
Sunday, December 26 2010
Everton - Birmingham City (15.00)
Tuesday, December 28 2010
Birmingham City - Manchester United (15.00)
Saturday, January 1 2011
Birmingham City - Arsenal (15.00)
Tuesday, January 4 2011
Blackpool - Birmingham City (19.45)
Sunday, January 16 2011
Birmingham City - Aston Villa (12.00)
Saturday, January 22 2011
Manchester United - Birmingham City (15.00)
Tuesday, February 1 2011
Birmingham City - Manchester City (19.45)
Saturday, February 5 2011
West Ham United - Birmingham City (15.00)
Saturday, February 12 2011
Birmingham City - Stoke City (15.00)
Saturday, February 26 2011
Chelsea - Birmingham City (15.00)
Saturday, March 5 2011
Birmingham City - West Bromwich Albion (15.00)
Saturday, March 19 2011
Wigan Athletic - Birmingham City (15.00)
Saturday, April 2 2011
Birmingham City - Bolton Wanderers (15.00)
Saturday, April 9 2011
Blackburn Rovers - Birmingham City (15.00)
Saturday, April 16 2011
Birmingham City - Sunderland (15.00)
Saturday, April 23 2011
Liverpool - Birmingham City (15.00)
Sunday, May 1 2011
Birmingham City - Wolverhampton Wanderers (12.00)
Saturday, May 7 2011
Newcastle United - Birmingham City (15.00)
Sunday, May 15 2011
Birmingham City - Fulham (15.00)
Sunday, May 22 2011
Tottenham Hotspur - Birmingham City (15.00)