Mo Better Blues - Birmingham City FC (FM 2010)

[MacroGuru]

*For those who do not know, this is a continuation of the Diss Town FC Dynasty as Diss refused to renegotiate my contract I had BCFC come calling*

Looking around my flat in Diss seeing all my stuff packed into about 8 boxes, I am preparing for a move about 127 miles away. I am heading to a city I know nothing about, a team that I virtually know nothing about and as Nick said when I first moved over here to coach, this is different than anything you know about sports coaching and boy is it ever.

I have had my phone off the hook for the entire night as it started blowing up the minute I notified Birmingham I was accepting the position. So here I am sitting at the desk of my flat and researching everything I need to know about where I am going.

So I am taking over at Birmingham City Football Club, otherwise known as The Blues. A little of their history:

Like so many football clubs that started around the late 19th century, Birmingham City's origins lie in the church. Formed by a group of cricketers from Holy Church in Bordesley Green in 1875 the club was originally know as Small Heath Alliance.

The club moved to its first ground, Muntz Street, in 1877, which was rented from the Gressey family for £5 a year!
On 27 September 1879, the Heathens had an engagement at Muntz Street, which was to form the beginnings of that great Midlands rivalry with Aston Villa. Small Heath won the game, which was recorded as 'one goal and a disputed goal to nil'!
The club turned professional in 1885 striking an agreement with the players whereby they received half of the gate money.
In 1888 they became the first club to adopt limited liability, the share capital of the club was £650!
The club changed its name from Small Heath Alliance in 1905, adopting the name of Birmingham FC.
In 1906 the club's growth meant that a change of ground was necessary. Birmingham FC moved to the current St. Andrew's site in 1906 and the first game at St. Andrew's was played against Middlesbrough in December of that year attracting a crowd of 32,000. Sir John Holder kicked off the match and the first game finished goalless. The first goal at St. Andrew's was scored three days later by Benny Green, who was rewarded with a piano for his efforts - legend has it that Benny had already found a buyer for the instrument. He had to be 'thawed out' after his goal, as he threw himself into a pile of snow whilst in the act of scoring.

To catch the rest of the history visit: Birmingham City | History | History | CLUB HISTORY

Well, talk about being overwhelmed, feeling unworthy and not up to it, reading through the history of the squad has the piss scared out of me.

Then I saw the aerial shot of my new home


Talk about intimidation, this place seats about 30K...a far cry above the 5K Brewers Green Lane sat.

The most intimidating aspect is the throng of the Blues faithful singing the team song after every goal or whenever they decide too:
As you go through life it's a long, long road
There'll be joys and sorrows too
As we journey on we will sing this song
For the boys in royal blue.
We're often partisan - la la la
We will journey on - la la la
Keep right on to the end of the road
Keep right on to the end
Though the way be long let your heart beat strong
Keep right on to the end
Though you're tired and weary
Still journey on 'till you come to your happy abode
With all our love we'll be dreaming of
We'll be there. Where? At the end of the road.
Birmingham, Birmingham

[MacroGuru]

Wow, impressive isn't it?

The next morning the movers show up to take my stuff to the new flat in Birmingham while I make the drive myself.

As I arrive in Birmingham, knowing I am beating the movers there I head over to St. Andrews to meet everyone.

As I roll into the staff parking lot I notice there are a bunch of fans at the doors to the offices waiting to catch a glimpse of me, not to mention the press is there. Well, here goes nothing.

As I walk towards the office doors a security guard notices me and jogs over and directs to me the entrance I am to use, away from every one.

Carson Yeung the chairmen meets me at the entrance way.

"Good Day Dennis, I trust you are prepared for this, I am staking a lot on you."

"To be honest sir, I am scared as hell, but I know this much, these boys will play their hearts out, if not for me, for BCFC."

"That's the spirit, honesty...I like it. Let's get into your staff meeting, they are waiting for you."

I head into the meeting room, a fairly large and spacious room with pictures of the clubs past on every wall. Seated around the large conference table are the 15 members of my staff, that's right...15.

The first one to speak up is Andy Watson, my #1.

"Morning sir, we would like to welcome you to the club. I have drawn up some reports on the staff and the team if you would like to look at them."

"That I do, but first let me say a couple of things. First, I am excited as hell to be here, I can't wait to take on this challenge and get this club moving again. Second, I am going to lean heavily on all of you until I get into my groove. Finally, take no offense to this, but after I review everything and I don't see you as a fit here, you will be let go but with a thank you in monetary value for your contributions to the club. Now with that, Andy follow me to my office."

I didn't even sit down and Andy is right out the door with me. I look at him and he immediately reads my mind. "Sir your office is this way" and he guides me there, I think he is going to fit just fine.

The first thing I look at is the roster

"Sir, I understand our team here and I think we may want to shore up the middle by bringing on a few midfielders."

"Andy, I am sure you do, but my preferred formation is a 3-4-3 as you know..I think we need at least 2 more strikers and maybe another midfielder."

"Fair enough sir"

"Also, whats this about 1 scout on staff?"

"Well, the previous coach didn't believe in them."

"Guess what, I do. I want a list of some of the top scouts out there. We are going to be bringing at least 2 to 3 more on board.

[MacroGuru]

So here are the changes I make immediately:

Captain and Vice Captain stay the same with Barry Ferguson as the captain and Roger Johnson as the Vice.

Incoming Staff and Players:
Scout Neil Asher
Scout Brad Abbot
Guisippe Ricci (AC Milan Loan)
John Paul Kissock (Hamilton Loan)

Outgoing Staff and Players:
Physio John Pryce

[MacroGuru]

My first match is the next day against Crystal Palace at their place...welcome to the big leagues huh. I tell Andy I want to run the 3-4-3 and he understands and get's me the lineup suggestions right away.

GK: Mark Howard
DC: Krystian Pearce
DC: Roger Johnson
DC: Scott Dann
MR: Sebastian Larsson
ML: Gary McSheffrey
MC: Keith Fahey
MC: Dickson Etuhu
ST: Djiby Fall
ST: Cameron Jerome
ST: Gary O'Connor

S1: GK Carl Ikeme
S2: DC Sam Hutchinson
S3: MR Lloyd Sam
S4: MR James O'Shea
S5: DC Liam Ridgewell
S6: MC Emmanuel Sarki
S7: ML James McFadden

I talk to Andy and he thinks we shouldn't push the guys to hard and I tell him I would be damned if I am going to lose my first match as head coach...and I tell them we can win this one.

Eagles strike lucky
Crystal Palace 3 - 0 Birmingham City (Coca-Cola Championship)

Birmingham City will be wondering what have been this morning after a close encounter with Crystal Palace turned into a 3-0 victory for their opponents.

Defender Clint Hill gave Crystal Palace the lead with a close range header in the 39th minute. Centre-back Jose Fonte doubles the lead with a fine header in the 59th minute.

Experienced striker Garoar Johansson completed the rout with a placed shot in the 79th minute.

Attendance: 25,116

Andy pulls me aside at the end of the match. "Listen, I can help you here, don't piss away my advice. These boys are wore out beat up and we need to take that into account, hopefully the media doesn't fry you to bad for this cockeyed match."

3-0 loss, what a disappointing way to start out.

[MacroGuru]

Wow..the next day back in the club house I am greeted at my office by Roger Johnson our star DC and my vice captain.

"Coach, I want out...I want to move on, I don't think I can hack it here anymore. I am tired of losing and the negative attitudes."

"Wow, well son, thanks for making your feelings felt. Let me think on it.?"

"Think on it? Think on it? I control your damn clubhouse..you better do more than think on it.!" He yells and grabs my little nerf soccer ball I have on my desk and hurls it across the room and storms out. I guess someone didn't have his honey nut cheerios this morning.

I pick up the phone and ask Andy to come into the office.

"Andy, find a new home for Roger, and do it yesterday."

He stares at me wondering if I am mad.

"Do it, and promote that wonder kid defender in our youth squad, Roger is going to get his ass benched until I can sell him off."

[Tellistto]

Will take time for the team to get used to the new tactics after whatever the previous manager had them playing as. Time to get the chemistry and such going. It'll happen, just give it a bit of time to let things settle down. Great start regardless!

[MacroGuru]

Well, here we go into my second match with BCFC and Andy who told me to listen to him as said the 4-4-2 we should play won't work here and to run with my 3-4-3

GK: Mark Howard
DC: Liam Ridgewell
DC: Krystian Pearce
DC: Franck Queudrue
MR: James O'Shea
ML: James McFadden
MC: Sebastian Larsson
MC: Emmanual Sarki
ST: Djibay Fall
ST: Cameron Jerome
ST: Gary McSheffrey

S1: DC Stuart Parnaby
S2: DC Dale Ridley (Our Youth Wonder Kid)
S3: MR Lloyd Sam
S4: ST Gary O'Connor
S5: DC Sam Hutchinson
S6: MC John Saunders
S7: DC Scott Dann

Tractor Boys win battle of St. Andrews
Birmingham City 2 - 3 Ipswich Town (FA Cup 5th Round)

Ipswich Town battled their way to a 3-2 victory in this evenly matched contest between two hard working teams. The highlight of the game was undoubtedly a superb hat trick from Ipswich's Jonathan Walters.

Winger Jonathan Walters got Ipswich off to a flying start by scoring a mighty header from within the six yard box in the 3rd minute. Winger James O'Shea then equalized for Birmingham in the 6th minute with a powerful close range effort.

Striker Djiby Fall put the home team in front in the 50th minute with a powerful effort. Walters then equalized for Ipswich after 53 minutes with a fine header from pointblank range.

Then followed controversy as Birmingham were denied claims by winger James McFadden for a penalty. Walters scored what proved to be the winner for the guests in the 71st minute with a powerful effort.

Attendance: 15,078

Their GK Murphy should have gotten man of the match with 3 point blank blocks of some powerful shots, 2 from McFadden and 1 from Jerome.

I can't be pissed at this loss because we finally showed up and everyone played hard. I can tell you this much, I pissed the boys off saying I don't mind not being in the FA Cup because it allows me to focus else where. I just have to keep us from dropping down further in the league.

Our next match is against Ipswich again, this time at their place in 4 days.

[Izulde]

Fantastic dynasty both this and last.

As I was searching for teams to take over if I can get the 10 layer English mod working again, I noticed that Cadbury Athletic is owned and started by the Cadbury of Cadbury's eggs fame.

[MacroGuru]

Originally Posted by Izulde

Fantastic dynasty both this and last.

As I was searching for teams to take over if I can get the 10 layer English mod working again, I noticed that Cadbury Athletic is owned and started by the Cadbury of Cadbury's eggs fame.

Awesome! Thank you!

I love the level 10 mod and I will be taking another team on once I am done with this dynasty.

Part of what I love with this game is it forces me almost to take a look and dig deep into the club.

[MacroGuru]

Here we go, back into league play where we sit at 5th but are in a total downward spiral as far as morale and our table standing. We need to pick it up. I am resting Mark Howard as he is sucking it up and our backup GK is Carl Ikeme and is on the Nigerian squad. We also come out in the 3-4-3 because of their familiarity with the 4-4-2

GK: Carl Ikeme
DC: Liam Ridgewell
DC: Sam Hutchinson
DC Sam Dann
MR: Lloyd Sam
ML: James McFadden
MC: Keith Fahey
MC: Dickson Etuhu
ST: Gary O'Connor
ST: Cameron Jerome
ST: Djibay Fall

S1: GK Mark Howard
S2: DC: Krystian Pearce
S3: MR: James O'Shea
S4: DC Giuseppe Ricci
S5: MC Brice Ntwambwe
S6: MC Sebastian Larsson
S7: ST Gary McSheffrey

Ipswich ease to victory
Ipswich Town 3 -1 Birmingham City (Coca-Cola Championship)

Ipswich Town enjoyed a comfortable 3-1 victory over Birmingham City. The win was deserved for Ipswich who turned their superiority into goals in the Coca-Cola Championship game at Portman Road.

Experienced striker Pablo Counago gave Ipswich the lead with a powerful effort from the edge of the area in the 24th minute. Centre-back Glauber doubled Ipswich's lead with a good header from just inside the six yard box in the 37th minute.

Birmingham saw their 75th minute strike disallowed in controversial circumstances. Mila scored with a powerful effort from the edge of the area in the 80th minute to extend the lead further.

Striker Djibay Fall managed to grab the consolation for Birmingham in the 83rd minute with a placed shot.

Attendance: 22,174

Pure and simple we got our asses kicked. I wasn't to happy after the match where it was to little to late. For someone begging for first team time Carl Ikeme definitely half-assed it in the goal as well.

We have another league match in four days, this time it will be at home against Coventry.

[MacroGuru]

So going into this match against Coventry we are introducing two new players. ST Carl Fagan which we acquired from Hull City for 600K. We also picked up on a six month loan from Hamilton Academical out of Scotland, John Paul Kissock. We are going to try something new here to get the defenders we need out on the field, obviously having three on the field isn't enough. So we set a 4-1-2-1-2 diamond.

GK: Mark Howard
DR: Sam Hutchinson
DL: Franck Queudrue
DC: Ronald Gercaliu
DC: Liam Ridgewell
DM: Emmanuel Sarki
MC: Keith Fahey
MC: Sebastian Larsson
AM: John Paul Kissock
ST: Djibay Fall
ST: Carl Fagan

S1: GK: Carl Ikeme
S2: DR: Stuart Parnaby
S3: AM: John Saunders
S4: ST: Cameron Jerome
S5: MC: Dickson Etuhu
S6: DC: Giuseppe Ricci
S7: ST: Gary O'Connor

Coventry hold out for a draw
Birmingham City 2 - 2 Coventry City (Coca-Cola Championship)

After a 2-2 draw at St.Andrews against Birmingham City, a key member of Coventry City claimed that his team were fortunate to escape from this Coca-Cola Championship game with a draw.

Birmingham finally took the lead when midfielder John Paul Kissock scored a well timed close range finish in the 62nd minute. Midfielder Aron Gunnarsson then equalized for Coventry in the 66th minute with a curling shot from the edge of the area.

Striker Freddy Eastwood then put the guests in front after 77 minutes with a real poachers effort. Birmingham's equalizer came through Craig Fagan as he seized on Martin Cranie's mistake to score a penalty. Better late than never for Birmingham and the fans were clearly delighted with Fagan's impact.

Attendance: 21,066

Having the cancer Roger Johnson sit at his home while we play has been a blessing as this team is starting to buy into my philosophy of attacking. This game was in our favor for most of the match. Coventry owes their keeper David Stockdale some serious thanks for keeping them in the game deflecting several close range shots.

In four days we face Blackpool at home in another league match. We are already bracing for a low turnout as the fans aren't quite on board with me and not seeing a win in over a month they are growing disappointed in us.

[MacroGuru]

We are going to go with the 4-1-2-1-2 again as we were getting the attacking moves we needed and bolstered the defense. We have also sent Roger Johnson to Wigan for $1.5 million and get back our team captain Barry Ferguson from injury.

Our starting lineup:

GK: Mark Howard
DR: Stuart Parnaby
DL: Ronald Gercaliu
DC: Krystian Pearce
DC: Liam Ridgewell
DM: Dickson Etuhu
MC: Barry Ferguson
MC: Sebastian Larsson
AM: John Paul Kissock
ST: Carl Fagan
ST: Cameron Jerome

S1: GK Carl Ikeme
S2: DC Giuseppe Ricci
S3: MC Keith Fahey
S4: ST Gary O'Connor
S5: DC Scott Dann
S6: AM James McFadden
S7: ST Djiby Fall

Lopsided result for Birmingham in Coca-Cola Championship match
Birmingham City 4 - 0 Blackpool (Coca-Cola Championship)

Birmingham City pulled off a 4-0 win over Blackpool at St. Andrews in their latest match.

Birmingham finally took the lead when midfielder John Paul Kissock scored a well executed finish in the 42nd minute. Birmingham captain Barry Ferguson doubled Birmingham's lead with a curling shot from the edge of the area in the 49th minute.

Fagan scored with a placed shot in the 66th minute to extend the lead further. Striker Djiby Fall completed the rout with a well timed close range finish in the 71st minute.

Attendance: 11,544

Yeah, they see it and they now understand how it works. I am happy with this squad and how they are playing now and I tell them so. Their morale is picking up and changing for the positive now. I have a few who are still down but they will get there.

After the match we informed that Ipswich have accepted our offer of $26K for their young striker Paul Murphy. He will be playing on the reserves and working towards first team time and he understands that.

Next match is in three days and is against Sheffield United at their place. It is a league match and a chance for us to move ahead in the tables. We are sitting in 5th place right now.

[MacroGuru]

Our morale is stepping up and we are performing better. The players are talking about the way we are playing heading into the game versus Sheffield.

Our lineup for the game is:

GK: Mark Howard
DC: Liam Ridgewell
DC: Krystian Pierce
DC: Giuseppe Ricci
DM: Emmanuel Sarki
MR: James McFadden
MC: Dickson Etuhu
ML: James O'Shea
ST: Carl Fagan
ST: Cameron Jerome
ST: Djiby Fall
S1: GK Carl Ikeme
S2: DC Ronald Gercaliu
S3: MC Keith Fahey
S4: ST Gary McSheffrey
S5: DC Dale Ridley
S6: MC: Sebastian Larsson
S7: ST: Garry O'Connor

Birmingham demolish Sheffield United in Coca-Cola Championship encounter
Sheffield United 0 - 4 Birmingham City (Coca-Cola Championship)

A close fought game at Bramall Lane ended in a one-sided result as Birmingham City defeated Sheffield United 4-0. Two goals from Djiby Fall helped Birmingham to victory.

Striker Cameron Jerome gave Birmingham the lead with a powerful effort in the 38th minute. Striker Djiby Fall doubled Birmingham's lead with a close range effort in the 45th minute. An error from Chris Morgan allowed striker Garry O'Conner to score a well timed close range finish.

Sheffield United saw their 85th minute strike disallowed in controversial circumstances. Fall completed the rout with a powerful effort from the edge of the area in the 89th minute.

Attendance: 24,005

What can I say...we totally controlled this match and it gave us 3 points...although that didn't help as we stayed right where we were in the table.

We get a week break as the transfer deadline is near....we start shopping players and looking at potential fillers.

[MacroGuru]

Not a good way to start the week out..Djiby Fall is called up for Senegal to play in the African Nations cup, so we are out our top striker. Our rotational keeper Carl Ikeme is demanding first team play and honestly I have to give it to him, he is getting better than Mark Howard and he is being paid less.

The board forces me to place Mark Howard and his 4.2 million value up on transfer...We are feeling the bite here....

I think we are ok doing what we need to do in order to win this game. Our starting lineup is:

GK Carl Ikeme
DC Giuseppe Ricci
DC Krystian Pearce
DC Liam Ridgewell
DM Emmanuel Sarki
MR James O'Shea
ML James McFadden
MC Barry Ferguson
ST Garry O'Connor
ST Cameron Jerome
ST Craig Fagan
S1 ST Gary McSheffrey
S2 MC Sebastian Larsson
S3 ST Paul Murphy
S4 MC Dickson Etuhu
S5 AC John Paul Kissock
S6 MR Lloyd Sam
S7 DC Sam Hutchinson

Hornets win battle of Vicarage Road
Watford 1 - 0 Birmingham City (Coca-Cola Championship)

Watford battled their way to a 1-0 victory in this evenly matched contest between two hard-working teams.

With the game nearing an end, it was Fred Sears who scored a placed shot to give Watford the lead in the 88th minute. Sears' impact delighted the fans with his late goal.

Birmingham were often prevented from playing as they wanted to due to the number of fouls committed by their enthusiastic opponents.

Attendance: 16,000

Battle was an understatement here. We lose both Cameron Jerome and Gary O'Connor to injuries for a few weeks. Ferguson stunk it up so I brought in Kissock and moved to an attacking diamond formation. It just didn't work and we couldn't place the shots into the net.

We have a heated rivalry against the Wolves at home in a week.

[MacroGuru]

Well, we have a few changes about to take place. We accepted a 4.2 million dollar offer for Mark Howard from Empoli. We had our offer for 40 yr old keeper Brad Friedel from Aston Villa as a backup accepted (90K). We tender a 4 million dollar offer to Roma for ST Marcus Tudgay to help us out there. Time for the players and their agents to work out the negotiations.

We also get an offer to extend the loan on DC David Murphy from Swindon which we want them to pick up a part of the tab and they turn it down so he will be coming back to the squad. Young DC Dale Ridley is sent back to the U18 team to get some more experience.

Lineup for the match is:

GK Carl Ikeme
DC Krystian Pearce
DC Sam Hutchinson
DC Liam Ridgewell
DM Dickson Etuhu
ML James McFadden
MC Barry Ferguson
MR Sebastian Larsson
ST Gary McSheffrey
ST Carl Fagan
ST Paul Murphy
S1 GK Mark Howard
S2 DC Giuseppe Ricci
S3 AM John Paul Kissock
S4 DC Scott Dann
S5 DC Ronald Geracliu
S6 MC Keith Fahey
S7 MR Lloyd Sam

Birmingham lucky to draw
Birmingham City 2 -2 Wolverhampton Wanderers (Coca-Cola Championship)

Following their 2-2 draw with the Wolves at St. Andrews, an ex-Birmingham player claimed that his former team must improve if they are to succeed this season.

Midfielder Julian De Guzman gave the Wolves the lead with a placed shot from close range in the 39th minute. Striker Gary McSheffrey then equalized for Birmingham in the 41st minute with a real poachers effort.

Cultured midfielder Nenad Milijas then put the guests in front after 44 minutes with a powerful close range freekick. With Birmingham staring at defeat, there was controversy as Birmingham captain Barry Ferguson then had a penalty shot turned down.

Striker Craig Fagan equalized for Birmingham in the 80th minute with a well executed finish.Then followed controversy as Wolves were denied claims by centre-back Andrea Masiello for a penalty.

Attendance: 26,085

Well, the ex-player was right...we were lucky to tie this match. Part of it is that I listened to my assistant who told me we were going to get our ass kicked and started out telling the players to win this one for the fans...HELL NO! I should have built their confidence right off the bat, telling them they can win this.

Anyways, after the match we had a flurry of activity. Howard accepted the Empoli offer. Friedel and Trugday both accepted our offers and we have a shake up on the team. I hope this is what is needed though.

We are six days out before our match with Southampton.

[MacroGuru]

We have our new players on staff and they have had some time, not enough but some to blend in with the team so our chemistry may be a little off this game.

Lineup for this game is:

GK Carl Ikeme
DC Giuseppe Ricci
DC Krystian Pearce
DC Liam Ridgewell
MR Lloyd Sam
MC Barry Ferguson
ML James McFadden
AM John Paul Kissock
ST Carl Fagan
ST Marcus Tudgay
ST Gary McSheffey

S1 GK Brad Friedel
S2 DC Ronald Gercaliu
S3 MC Emmanuel Sarki
S4 ST Paul Murhpy
S5 MC Sebastian Larsson
S6 MC Keith Fahey
S7 MR James O'Shea

Saints win battle of St. Andrews
Birmingham City 2 - 3 Southampton (Coca-Cola Championship)

Southampton battled their way to a 3-2 victory in the evenly-matched contest between two hard-working teams.

AM John Paul Kissock gave Birmingham the lead with a placed shot in the 37th minute. MF Morgan Schneiderlin then equalized for Southampton in the 60th minute with a powerful effort from the edge of the area.

Striker Craig Fagan put the home team in front in the 68th minute with a powerful effort. Southampton's equalizer came through Rickie Lambert as he seized on Lloyd Sam's mistake to score a penalty. MF Adam Lallana scored what proved to be the winner for the away team in the 78th minute with a powerful effort.

Attendance: 19340

That penalty call was horrific, both players go up for the ball and we get called for the whistle. My press release was not to pretty and the FA let me know they were none to happy...

Dennis fined by FA

Birmingham head coach Dennis Thomas has been handed a $3.3k fine by the Football Association for his postmatch comments following Birminghams 2-3 CH defeat against Southampton.

Dennis reacted angrily to Southampton being awarded a controversial penalty, although replays have since shown that the officials made the right decision.

The board has asked me to shut my mouth about bad calls in the future. I am still going to call it like I see it.

A five day break between the next match which is at St. Andrews against Brighton..

[MacroGuru]

Well the players are starting to get vocal with the press. They have sleight concerns with our underperformance.

GK Carl Ikeme who I kept over Mark Howard wants to be transfer listed, does not want to be here and I have even offered him 1st team and 1st team money...so he is pissing me off as well....

So, I guess I need to do something to fire the troops up.

Our starting lineup for this game:

GK Carl Ikeme
DC Sam Hutchinson
DC Krystian Pearce
DC Liam Ridgewell
DMC Emmanuel Sarki
ML James McFadden
MC Sebastian Larsson
MR James O'Shea
AMC John Paul Kissock
ST Craig Fagan
ST Cameron Jerome

S1 GK Brad Friedel
S2 DC Ronald Geracaliu
S3 MC Keith Fahey
S4 ST Gary McSheffrey
S5 DR Stuart Parnaby
S6 MC Barry Ferguson
S7 ST Marcus Tudgay

Superior finishing provides cutting edge for Birmingham
Birmingham City 3 - 0 Brighton and Hove Albion (Coca-Cola Championship)

Brighton succumbed to a 3-0 loss in this afternoons Coca-Cola Championship clash at St. Andrews.

Things did not get off to a good start for Brighton as winger James McFadden seized on an error by Gary Dicker to score a powerful header. Midfielder Keith Fahey doubled Birmingham's lead with a powerful effort in the 75th minute. An error from Jim McNulty allowed striker Cameron Jerome to score a placed shot from close range.

Attendance: 11,562

The attendance shows how important this game was to our fans. We were picked to win and we did convincingly. They are believing in the attacking, and I keep telling my defenders I have faith in them, it's why I only have 3 of them anchoring this team.

I like these breaks that sneak in a reserve game and then our game. But our next full match will be against Cardiff at Cardiff City Stadium in 9 days.

[MacroGuru]

Well the scouting comes back and we are told they will run a 3-5-2 against us and that we would be better of running a 4-5-1...First of all, to me, that's a defensive formation...I refuse to roll over and try and counter off of shot after shot and only have 2 guys up there for the counter. But my assistant Watson talks me into it..

So our lineup for this match is:

GK Carl Ikeme
DL R Gercaliu
DC Liam Ridgewell
DC Krystian Pearce
DR Sam Hutchinson
ML James McFadded
MC Dickson Etuhu
MC Sebastian Larsson
MR James O'Shea
AMC John Paul Kisskoc
ST Craig Fagan

S1 DMC Emmanuel Sarki
S2 DC Giuseppe Ricci
S3 MC Barry Ferguson
S4 ST Cameron Jerome
S5 DR Stuart Parnaby
S6 MC Keith Fahey
S7 ST Djiby Fall

Cardiff hold out for draw
Cardiff City 1 - 1 Birmingham City (Coca-Cola Championships)

After a 1-1 draw at Cardiff City Stadium against Birmingham City, a key member of Cardiff City claimed that his team were fortunate to escape from this game with a draw.

Cardiff captain Joe Ledley gave Cardiff the lead with a placed shot which the inside of the post before crossing the line in the 28th minute. With Birmingham staring at defeat, there was controversy as striker Craig Fagan then had a penalty shot turned down. Birmingham's equalizer came through Djiby Fall as he seized on Anthony Gerrard's mistake to score a powerful effort from the edge of the area.

Better late than never for Birmingham and the fans were clearly delighted with Fall'd impact.

Attendence: 20831

That is the last time I listen to some bullshit formation suggestion that sets me apart from what I normally do...and that's run the 3-4-3.

I am slowly getting the staff and players to buy into the philosophy and with the up beat play I have some of my younger talent getting called up for international duty.

Two Blues players called up for International duty

Match Date: Feb 28th
Republic of Ireland U-21s: ST Paul Murphy
England U21s: DC Krystian Pearce

Hopefully they do not take them away from us to much. We are making the push for promotion. Out of the 9 games left we HAVE to win at least 6 of them...18 points will put us in a position of either taking on the Wolves for 1st or being the top seed for the playoff.

Another week break of matches until we play Peterborough at St.Andrews.

[MacroGuru]

I am on vacation right now...however the rain has been ruining the day today...I should be updating a lot tonight...

[MacroGuru]

Back home from vacation, if i am not passed out from travel tonight, I will be catching up, if not it will be tomorrow.

[MacroGuru]

We need to keep the streak going...although we are told not to expect a large crowd for this match.

Our lineup:

GK Carl Ikeme
CD Giuseppe Ricci
CD Krystian Pearce
CD Liam Ridgewell
MR James O'Shea
ML James McFadden
MC Sebastian Larsson
MC Dickson Etuhu
ST Djiby Fall
ST Cameron Jerome
ST Garry O'Connor

S1 GK Brad Friedel
S2 CD Sam Hutchinson
S3 MC John Paul Kissock
S4 ST Craig Fagan
S5 CD Ronald Gercaliu
S6 MC Keith Fahey
S7 ST Marcus Tudgay

Confident performance from the Blues
Birmingham City 4 - 2 Peterborough United (Coca-Cola Championship)

An efficient performance by Birmingham City's players saw them confidently overcome a lackluster Peterborough United 4-2 at St. Andrews. Two goals from Cameron Jerome helped Birmingham to victory.

Things did not get off to a good start for Birmingham as MF Toumani Diagouraga seized on an error by Dickson Etuhu to score a powerful effort. Striker Cameron Jerome then equalized for Birmingham in the 8th minute with a screamer from the edge of the area.

Striker Garry O'Connor put the home team in front in the 20th minute with a fine header from pointblank ranger. McFadden scored with a powerful effort from the edge of the area in the 38th minute to extend the lead further.

Jerome added his 2nd goal of the game with a placed shot in the 44th minute. Defender Russell Martin managed to grab the consolation for Peterborough in the 64th minute with a powerful effort.

Attendance: 13821

What I am liking right now is the time between our matches, it's allowing the team to rest, provide insight on our next match.

Prime example is we play Milwall in 6 days at home.

[MacroGuru]

We plod along, moving ourselves backup the table...right now the Wolves have earned promotion and we are fighting for a playoff spot.

Our lineup against Millwall:

GK Carl Ikeme
CD Giuseppe Ricci
CD Krystian Pearce
CD Liam Ridgewell
MR James O'Shea
ML James McFadden
MC Sebastian Larsson
MC Dickson Etuhu
ST Craig Fagan
ST Cameron Jerome
ST Djiby Fall

S1 GK Brad Friedel
S2 CD Sam Hutchinson
S3 MC John Paul Kissock
S4 ST Garry O'Connor
S5 CD Ronald Gercaliu
S6 ST Paul Murphy
S7 ST Marcus Tudgay

Another confident performance from the Blues
Birmingham City 4 - 1 Millwall (Coca-Cola Championship)

An efficient performance by Birmingham City's players saw them confidently overcome a lackluster Millwall 4-1 at St. Andrews. The highlight of the game was undoubtedly a superb hat trick from Birmingham's Djiby Fall.

Striker Djiby Fall got Birmingham off to a flying start by scoring a placed shot in the 4th minute. Striker Ashley Grimes then equalized for Millwall in the 9th minute with a placed shot.

Fall then added his 2nd goal of the game with a powerful effort in the 33rd minute. Jerome scored with a good header from just inside the six yard box in the 37th minute to extend the lead further.

There were no prizes for guessing who completed the rout in the 45th minute as that man Fall popped up again with a placed shot. Despite a comfortable lead, Birmingham will be unhappy that full-back Ronald Gercaliu was sent off for a vicious foul in the 80th minute.

Attendance: 16763

Another fantastic game by the boys in Blue...but Gercaliu pissed me off...the tackle was not needed and he took their player down, there is no question the card should have been pulled. I immediately gave him a verbal warning, told him I wouldn't appeal his suspension and he would be lucky if he didn't get any additional games added on besides the one he will get.

We have a nine day break between matches and then we head to Deepdale to take on Preston.

[MacroGuru]

Alright, with the end of the season coming up we decided to make some changes to help salary and the budget...on top of that, a few players were bitching about lack of playing time. To top it off, Carl Ikeme, because he didn't get the 1st team action when I first got here is demanding to be transfered, even after I told him I wanted him to stick around....

So, players we have sent off, that will leave by 7/1/12

CD Scott Dann to Portsmouth for 375K
GK Carl Ikeme to Cardiz for 140K
RD Stuart Parnaby to Dundee United for 4.9M

Players we have joining us by 7/1/12

MC John Paul Kissock from Hamilton for 625K
GK Chris Reid from Chesterfield for 400K
GK John Ruddy from Motherwell for 250K
ST Bobby Zamora from Fulham for 50K

The keepers were needed as Friedel will probably retire or we will mutually terminate and Ikeme is gone. We loved the play of John Paul so much we brought him on full time and Zamora is just an insurance policy for us in the striker range.

Our lineup against Preston:

GK Carl Ikeme
CD Giuseppe Ricci
CD Krystian Pearce
CD Liam Ridgewell
MR James O'Shea
ML James McFadden
MC Sebastian Larsson
MC Dickson Etuhu
ST Djiby Fall
ST Cameron Jerome
ST Garry O'Connor

S1 GK Brad Friedel
S2 CD Sam Hutchinson
S3 MC John Paul Kissock
S4 ST Craig Fagan
S5 MC Barry Ferguson
S6 MR Paul Murphy
S7 ST Marcus Tudgay

Superior finishing provides cutting edge or Birmingham
Preston North End 1 - 3 Birmingham City (Coca-Cola Championship)

Preston North End succumbed to a 3-1 loss in this afternoon's Coca-Cola Championship clash at Deepdale.

The match began in controversial circumstances as Birmingham were denied claims by Djiby Fall for a penalty. Birmingham finally took the lead when Marcus Tudgay scored a fine header from pointblank range in the 59th minute.

Striker Cameron Jerome doubled Birmingham's lead with a placed shot in the 64th minute. Striker Neil Mellor gave the Preston fans a glimmer of hope after 69 minutes with a powerful effort.

Preston were nearly gifted a goal in the 84th minute after Paul Murphy's lapse in concentration but failed to capitalize on the opportunity presented to them. Centre-back Liam Ridgewell completed the scoring for Birmingham with a header in the 90th minute.

Attendance: 11193

We continue our march back up the ladder and are in playoff contention now. It took some players being disappointed in their play to pull this off, as I always believed in them and told them that.

Birmingham maintain unbeaten record

Birmingham City have extended their unbeaten record in the Coca-Cola Championship to five games following their 3-1 result against Preston North End.

The Blues winning run has taken them to the verge of promotion at this late stage of the season and the team's fans are more than happy with the way the team is playing at the moment.

We have a week and then travel to Craven Cottage to take on Fulham. Let's hope we keep this up!

[MacroGuru]

Right back at it..we have heard from the FA on Gercaliu and he is serving a 2 game suspension.

Our lineup against Fulham:

GK Carl Ikeme
CD Giuseppe Ricci
CD Krystian Pearce
CD Liam Ridgewell
MR James O'Shea
ML John Paul Kissock
MC Sebastian Larsson
MC Dickson Etuhu
ST Djiby Fall
ST Cameron Jerome
ST Garry O'Connor

S1 GK Brad Friedel
S2 CD Sam Hutchinson
S3 ML Gary McSheffrey
S4 ST Craig Fagan
S5 MC Emmanuel Sarki
S6 MC Keith Fahey
S7 ST Marcus Tudgay

Honors even at Craven Cottage
Fulham 2 - 2 Birmingham City (Coca-Cola Championship)

Birmingham City were held to a draw by Fulham in a close-fought Coca-Cola Championship match played at Craven Cottage.

Things did not get off to a good start for Fulham as MF Sebastian Larsson seized on an error by Aaron Hughes to score a placed shot. Striker Djiby Fall doubled Birmingham's lead with a placed shot in the 27th minute.

Experienced striker Andy Johnson pulled on back for Fulham after 52 minutes with a placed shot. Fulham's equalizer came through Johnson as he seized on Carl Ikeme's mistake to score a well executed finish.

Attendance: 23529

Damn we had this match and we let it slip away. The problem with the 3-4-3 is the defense has to play superb constantly, they do not get a day off because the front seven are playing to attack.

No shortage of goals with Birmingham

Fans of Birmingham City have certainly seen a little more excitement at St. Andres since Dennis Thomas took charge of the club in December.

The Blues have scored an impressive thirty-four goals during Dennis' first fifteen games in charge but their defending has left a lot to be desired, with twenty-four goals allowed over the same period.

I need to bolster the talent there. I think if we win promotion I will reach out on the transfer market and pick up a top flight defender.

Colchester visits St. Andrews in four days time.

[MacroGuru]

Including this match with Colchester we have five games remaining and we will need to win the majority of them to have a favorable playoff spot.

Our lineup for the match:

GK Carl Ikeme
CD Giuseppe Ricci
CD Krystian Pearce
CD Liam Ridgewell
MR Lloyd Sam
ML Gary McSheffrey
MC Sebastian Larsson
MC John Paul Kissock
ST Djiby Fall
ST Cameron Jerome
ST Craig Fagan

S1 GK Brad Friedel
S2 CD Sam Hutchinson
S3 ML John Saunders
S4 ST Garry O'Connor
S5 DC Scott Dann
S6 MC Dickson Etuhu
S7 ST Marcus Tudgay

Birmingham rise to see of U's
Birmingham City 1 - 0 Colchester United (Coca-Cola Championship)

Birmingham City produced a solid performance to beat Colchester United at St. Andrews.

Birmingham finally took the lead when striker Djiby Fall scored a real poacher's effort in the 57th minute.

Both teams had a number of attempts at goal, which promised much, but the quality of finishing was poor throughout.

Attendance: 12857

I wanted to get some rest to those who have earned it and some play to those who were in need of it...Colchester is 19th in the table, that decision almost killed me.

We have a ten day rest before we take on Leicester at Walkers Stadium.

[MacroGuru]

I thought I heard on the news channel this morning that the Wolves secured promotion, but I will have to double check the sources there.

Our lineup for the match:

GK Carl Ikeme
CD Giuseppe Ricci
CD Krystian Pearce
CD Liam Ridgewell
MR Sebastian Larsson
ML James McFadden
MC John Paul Kissock
MC Dickson Etuhu
ST Djiby Fall
ST Cameron Jerome
ST Craig Fagan

S1 GK Brad Friedel
S2 CD Sam Hutchinson
S3 ML James O'Shea
S4 ST Garry O'Connor
S5 MC Keith Fahey
S6 MC Gary McSheffrey
S7 ST Marcus Tudgay

Birmingham takes their chances
Leicester City 1 - 4 Birmingham City (Coca-Cola Championship)

Leicester City succumbed to a 4-1 loss in the afternoon's Coca-Cola Championship clash at Walkers Stadium. Two goals from Craig Fagan helped Birmingham to victory.

The match started tentatively for Birmingham with Sebastian Larsson nearly handing the opposition the lead in the 3rd minute. Goalkeeper Frank Fielding was left red-faced in the 17th minute as he managed to put the ball into his own net. Winger Max Gradel then equalized for Leicester in the 20th minute with an effort from the edge of the area.

Striker Craig Fagan then put the guests in front after 22 minutes with a powerful effort. An error from Jack Hobbs allowed Fagan to score a placed shot. Striker Cameron Jerome completed the rout with a powerful effort in the 78th minute.

Attendance: 19552

The own goal should be attributed to Liam Ridgewell because he headed the ball off the corner kick and bounced it of the post, the keeper and then in...

I am getting more and more excited as we move closer to the end of the season and we are winning these games moving up into the table. Right now if we win out it looks like we will secure the 3rd place spot and the playoffs. If we lose out, we can be out.

We have a two week break coming up with two reserve games that I will be rotating players in and out of before Q.P.R. visits us at St. Andrews.

[MacroGuru]

Alright, the pressure is mounting and the veterans are starting to speak. They know what they have to do in the next 3 games and that is not lose.

Our lineup going up against Q.P.R.:

GK Carl Ikeme
CD Giuseppe Ricci
CD Krystian Pearce
CD Liam Ridgewell
MR Sebastian Larsson
ML James McFadden
MC Dickson Etuhu
MC John Paul Kissock
ST Djiby Fall
ST Cameron Jerome
ST Craig Fagan

S1 ST Marcus Tudgay
S2 CD Sam Hutchinson
S3 MR James O'Shea
S4 ST Garry O'Connor
S5 MC Emmanuel Sarki
S6 MC Keith Fahey
S7 ST Paul Murphy

Goals galore as Birmingham and Q.P.R draw
Birmingham City 3 - 3 Queens Park Rangers (Coca-Cola Championship)

As fans left St. Andrews they will no doubt have agreed that neither team deserved to lose this game.

In an enthralling match which saw both teams throw caution to the wind, it was soccer which was ultimately the winner.

McFadden had no trouble scoring from the spot when Ephraim gave up a penalty. MF Akoz Buzsaky then equalized for Q.P.R. in the 21st minute with a powerful close range free kick. An error from Ryan Mason allowed striker Cameron Jerome to score a placed shot. Q.P.R.'s equalizer came through Ryan Mason as he seized on Sebastian Larsson's mistake to score a powerful penalty.

Winger Hogan Ephraim then put the guests in front after 58 minutes with a real poacher's effort. Striker Garry O'Connor equalized for Birmingham in the 84th minute with a powerful effort.

Attendance: 18714

I hate back and forth games like this, it makes for great watching for the fans but kills my heart. This was a solid game, but shouldn't have been. If Friedel hadn't have hurt himself earlier in the week with training, I would have subbed him for Ikeme and hoped he had the determination to stop a few of the shots.

One week then we head to Oakwell to take on Barnsley...where a win secures a playoff spot.

[MacroGuru]

Barnsley and Reading are our last two games. A win here and we secure a playoff spot. Liam Ridgewell comes out and makes the statement he knows whats at play here and he is rallying the team to make their mark.

Our lineup:

GK Carl Ikeme
CD Giuseppe Ricci
CD Krystian Pearce
CD Liam Ridgewell
MR James O'Shea
ML James McFadden
MC Sebastian Larsson
MC Dickson Etuhu
ST Djiby Fall
ST Craig Fagan
ST Garry O'Connor

S1 GK Brad Friedel
S2 CD Sam Hutchinson
S3 MC John Paul Kissock
S4 ST Cameron Jerome
S5 DC Ronald Gercaliu
S6 MC Keith Fahey
S7 ST Marcus Tudgay

Confident performance from The Blues
Barnsley 0 - 3 Birmingham City (Coca-Cola Championship)

An efficient performance by Birmingham City's players saw them confidently overcome a lackluster Barnsley 3-0 at Oakwell. Two goals from Garry O'Connor helped Birmingham to victory.

Striker Garry O'Connor got Birmingham off to a flying start by scoring a powerful effort from the edge of the area in the 6th minute. Midfielder Jacob Butterfield then summed up his team's performance by nearly gifting Birmingham another goal in the 42nd minute.

Experienced fullback Suad Filekovic then summed up his team's performance by nearly gifting Birmingham another goal in the 52nd minute. Then followed controversy as Birmingham were denied claims by centre-back Liam Ridgewell for a penalty.

O'Connor doubled Birmingham's lead with a powerful effort in the 62nd minute. An error from Kurt Van Dooren allowed striker Djiby Fall to score a powerful effort.

Attendance: 17589

Well, that win was great and the score should have been five - nil however we will take what we have, a secured spot into the playoffs.

We are sitting in 3rd with a win securing that spot and a loss or draw potentially dropping us to 5th.

Reading is our final match of the season and they head to St. Andrews in one week.

[MacroGuru]

Our last game of the regular season. We have playoff spot secure and so I do the one thing needed, I give Brad Friedel probably his last start in his storied career.

Reading is trying to play the role of spoiler.

Our lineup against Reading:

GK Brad Friedel
CD Giuseppe Ricci
CD Krystian Pearce
CD Liam Ridgewell
MR Sebastian Larsson
ML James McFadden
MC John Paul Kissock
MC Dickson Etuhu
ST Djiby Fall
ST Cameron Jerome
ST Craig Fagan

S1 GK Carl Ikem
S2 CD Sam Hutchinson
S3 MR James Oshea
S4 ST Garry O'Connor
S5 DC Ronald Gercaliu
S6 MC Keith Fahey
S7 ST Marcus Tudgay

Birmingham edge narrow Reading game
Birmingham City 1 - 0 Reading (Coca-Cola Championship)

Birmingham City won a hard fought battle against Reading on a fine spring afternoon at St. Andrews.

Striker Cameron Jerome gave Birmingham the lead with a powerful effort from the edge of the area in the 22nd minute. Reading's Peter Ramage received the red card for a professional foul with 75 minutes on the clock.

Both teams had a number of attempts at goal, which promised much, but the quality of finishing was poor throughout.

Attendance: 20101

Again, a rough and tumble game where the fouls were hard and brutal on both sides of the ball. Our win secures us the third place spot and we need to wait for the games to finish playing out before we know who we will play.

[MacroGuru]

With the games complete we find out we will be playing Watford for the Semi-Final of the Coca-Cola Championship...I would normally be enthused playing a sixth place team but we have yet to beat them in four matches. We have two draws and two losses.

Our young stellar midfielder from Belgium, Brice Ntambwe has been called up for duty to the Belgium U19 squad. It doesn't affect us much as he is on loan right now.

We now have a week to prepare for our travel to Vicarage Road and our televised match against Watford.

[Tellistto]

Go Blues!

[MacroGuru]

Originally Posted by Tellistto

Go Blues!

Thanks Tellistto, this team needs all the support it can get.

Heading into Watsford we are picked to win the match, but our guys are a little nervous, and I submit the following lineup for the match.

GK Carl Ikeme
CD Giuseppe Ricci
CD Krystian Pearce
CD Liam Ridgewell
MR Sebastian Larsson
ML James McFadden
MC John Paul Kissock
MC Dickson Etuhu
ST Djiby Fall
ST Cameron Jerome
ST Craig Fagan

S1 GK Brad Friedel
S2 CD Sam Hutchinson
S3 MR James Oshea
S4 ST Garry O'Connor
S5 DC Ronald Gercaliu
S6 MR Farry McSheffrey
S7 ST Marcus Tudgay

Honors even at Vicarage Road
Watford 0 - 0 Birmingham City (Coca-Cola Championship Playoff Semi Final)

Birmingham City were held to a draw by Watford in a close fought Coca-Cola Championship Playoff match played at Vicarage Road.

Striker Will Hoskins saw a penalty beat the keeper but hit the post at the 22 minute mark.

Birmingham were carved open a number of times but despite the ability of their opponent to create chances, they struggled to put them away.

Attendance: 16000

We were lucky to leave tied at 0-0, the team owes Carl Ikeme big time for some of his plays against this team. I do not know what it is with Watford, but they have our number.

We get a day of rest and we will be at St. Andrews finishing off this round against Watford.

[MacroGuru]

Well, we are at home where we have played well...so hopefully this helps.

The lineup for the match:

GK Brad Friedel
CD Krystian Pearce
CD Sam Hutchinson
CD Liam Ridgewell
MR Sebastian Larsson
ML James McFadden
MC John Paul Kissock
MC Dickson Etuhu
ST Djiby Fall
ST Cameron Jerome
ST Garry O'Connor

S1 GK Carl Ikem
S2 CD Ronald Gercaliu
S3 MR James Oshea
S4 ST Craig Fagan
S5 DC Stuart Parnaby
S6 MC Keith Fahey
S7 ST Marcus Tudgay

Dominant Birmingham steal penalty win
Birmingham City 0 - 0 Watford (Coca-Cola Championship Playoff Semi Final)

Birmingham wins 5-3 on penalties

Birmingham City taught Watford a lesson in the Coca-Cola Championship Playoff Semi Final at St. Andrews this evening by holding their nerve when it really mattered.

The first noteworthy incident of the match proved to be controversial, with Birmingham seeing a goal disallowed. Then followed controversy as Birmingham were denied claims by striker Djiby Fall for a penalty.

Birmingham also saw their 116th minute strike disallowed in controversial circumstances. Enthusiastic full-back Sam Hutchinson's red card for persistent fouling in the 120th minute put Birminghams position under question.

In the shootout that followed it was left to striker Craig Fagan to keep a cool head and smash home the winning penalty for Birmingham.

Birmingham went on to win the game in penalties.

Birmingham maintained a high pass completion rate which allowed them to keep possession and created a great number of chances at goal.

Attendance: 29509

WOW! What a game...we dominated it even though the score doesn't show it. We had the two goals called back which were questionable in the first place. Their keeper Ashdown, he was amazing and stopped a ton of shots we sent his way.

We now play Southampton at Wembley in 2 weeks. I think we will be ready for it.

[Tellistto]

That's the way to do it!

[MacroGuru]

So, we lose our main captain of the matches of late Liam Ridgewell to a training injury and our other central defender Sam Hutchinson is suspended, so what do I do...I run a 4-3-3 to shock Southampton.

Our lineup:

GK Carl Ikeme
DR Stuart Parnaby
DL Ronald Gercaliu
DC Giuseppe Ricci
RC Krystian Pearce
MR James O'Shea
ML James McFadden
MC Sebastian Larsson
ST Djiby Fall
ST Cameron Jerome
ST Garry O'Connor

S1 GK David Lucas
S2 MC Brice Ntambwe
S3 MC Dickson Etuhu
S4 ST Craig Fagan
S5 DC Franck Queudrue
S6 MC John Paul Kissock
S7 ST Marcus Tudgay

Birmingham in control as Saints are brushed aside
Birmingham City 3 - 2 Southampton (Coca-Cola Championship Playoff Final)

Birmingham City battled to a deserved 3-2 (won after extra time) victory over Southampton on a fine summer's evening in their Coca-Cola Championship Playoff Final game at Wembley. Two goals from Cameron Jerome helped Birmingham to victory.

The match began in controversy with Birmingham seeing a goal disallowed in controversial circumstances. Birmingham finally took the lead when striker Cameron Jerome scored a real poacher's effort in the 75th minute.

Striker Kayne McLaggon then equalized for Southampton in the 84th minute with a placed shot. Midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin then put the guests in front after 97 minutes with a curling shot from the edge of the area. Birmingham's equalizer came through Garry O'Connor as he seized on Danny Swailes' mistake to score a penalty off the post.

Jerome clinched the winner for the home team in the 116th minute with a real poacher's effort. Jerome's impact delighted fans with his late goal.

Attendance: 73039

We WIN! We Promote! OMG! I took a team to the Premiership! I can't believe it...well, not to be said...this squad wasn't doing bad when I took over, they just lost the confidence in their coach.

The press releases were flattering after this though...

Birmingham faithful happy following promotion

The fans of Birmingham City are overjoyed as Dennis Thomas and his players secured promotion from the Coca-Cola Championship.

A spokesman for the official supporters' club stated that Dennis was the sort of head coach who simply thrived on the pressure that chasing success entails.

Birmingham board praises Dennis

The Birmingham board has announced they are pleased to have won promotion and that everyone that the club was looking forward to seeing the team play at a higher level next season.

In a short message of thanks, a spokesman declared the praise had to go to head coach Dennis Thomas for ensuring that a club of Birmingham's stature would no longer be playing in the Coca-Cola Championship.

Devlin praises Dennis for promotion

Birmingham favorite Paul Devlin stated that Blues boss Dennis Thomas had done a great job in ensuring promotion from the Coca-Cola Championship.

Devlin continued by stating that even though Birmingham were one of the favorites for the trophy, it still takes a high caliber head coach to lead his team past the finishing post.

Well, into the off season and some moves that have been sitting in the back of my mind all season long....

[Tellistto]

Now comes the hard part! Building a team to compete in the Prem!

[MacroGuru]

Off Season Staff Moves:

Ok, I have been in touch with Phil Walker from my Diss days and just working with Andy Watson he got on my nerves at times...so I talk with the board and we do the following...

Mutually terminate Andy Watson's contract (Cost us 825k)

Hire Phil Walker for about 1,500 per week (Saving us 15k)

OOC* Phil has better stats than Andy did, which shocked me.

We were also immediately contacted by a Wigan coach, Bryan Klug and he wanted to be our first team coach...which comes to my other thought...Roy Aitken was getting a little long in the tooth for us.

Mutually terminate Roy Aitken's contract (Cost us 800k)

Hire Bryan Klug for 2,500 per week (Saving us 14k)

One of our coaches Kevin Phillips announces his intention of retiring as well..

With promotion I am given the opportunity to add 2 more coaches so I run out and hire

Paul Abbey
Damien Roden

When Phillips officially retires I will offer another.

[MacroGuru]

Originally Posted by Tellistto

Now comes the hard part! Building a team to compete in the Prem!

I think we are there...although the influx of money I just received will help bolster where I think we need it the most...the defense..

[MacroGuru]

Off Season News:

We get a nice influx of cash for Premier Division TV rights over the forthcoming season. When the chairman hands me the note, I about fall out of my chair....$48,510,000

That's right, 48.5 million for tv rights, for a team cash strapped thats a major influx into our coppers.

With that, he grabs me and hauls me into a board meeting...The want to know what I expect this season...I shoot for the stars a bit, I tell them I can achieve middle of the standings..

They appeared satisfied with it...a few days later I get an email stating that my budget for the upcoming season:

Transfers: 18.25 Million
Salary: 725K per week

As for our new influx of youth, we really didn't receive a bumper crop this year as Dale Ridley is still our highest valued at 2.7 million.

My favorite is we are 2000-1 odds favorite to win the premier and are told we will be lucky to avoid relegation.

[MacroGuru]

Friendlies:

I am a big fan of traveling for friendlies over seas. It helps earn income, rewards the players for the grueling matches they are going to have...so our friendly schedule is as follows:

6.25.12 - Birmingham U18s (Home)
6.30.12 - South Melbourne
7.5.12 - Internacional
7.10.12 - Bury
7.15.12 - Stockport
7.17.12 - Northampton
7.20.12 - Hull (Home)
7.22.12 - Osasuna (Televised, Away, Friendly Cup Semi Final)
7.28.12 - Racing Club
8.2.12 - America (MEX)
8.7.12 - KV Kortrijk (Home)
8.13.2 - Sevilla

[MacroGuru]

Off Season Moves:

The new transfers from last season and players leaving will be on 7.1.12 (I will list all players here a bit later tonight)

[Izulde]

Notice
Due to moderator decision to box MacroGuru for 3 months, this dynasty likely will be ending, as it will be too much work to post three real-time months' worth of info upon his return.

[vtbub]

A boxing probably boxes this dynasty as well, per his request.

[PilotMan]

Maybe Dennis could start a boxing dynasty?

[MacroGuru]

Well, I didn't receive the full three months....

I have held off on playing FM because I didn't want to ruin this dynasty. I will be simming and posting tomorrow.

[Tellistto]

Welcome back, Dennis.