Birmingham’s Backline Needs Backup

It has taken just a few days to suck the confidence out of the Birmingham supporters and who can blame them! here is an assessment of how the defence problem may play out.

Panic

Birmingham could be set to turn to Will Packwood sooner rather than later. Blues lose Kyle Bartley to injury and Dan Burn to a loan recall. So what are our defensive options?

David Murphy, Mitch Hancox, Kyle Bartley and Neil Eardley are all out injured. Hancox returns the soonest, expected sometime in January.

Birmingham has a problem at the back and the options seem stretched. Amari Bell can come in at left back, a young prospect at the club. With limited first team experience it remains to be seen if he would be trusted too eagerly.

Patching It Up!

It looks like it will be Hayden Mullins coming in at centre back, he produced a comfortable performance against Barnsley when he came on, but it is evident that the fans aren’t confident with him at the back.

Robinson has been covering over at left back with Hancox and Murphy out; it will be interesting to see if he comes over back to centre back.

Paul Caddis will no doubt remain at right back which is why I come to Will Packwood. He has returned some match fitness whilst out on loan at Bristol Rovers and it may be an opportune moment to have play centre back.

It is a role he has played before. Never the less it is obvious Birmingham have defensive frailties, but I have hope.

The Promised Land

January is not a buyer`s market and you often see far more loan business done now than you do all over the summer window.

It is interesting how the two windows differ for clubs outside the top divisions in the world. I do think it will be much easier for Birmingham to go and get an experienced defender or another young prospect.

Craig Dawson is a young prospect at West Brom who is wonderfully talented, his first game in the league was 26th December against Spurs (1-1), other than that he has been restricted to the Capital One Cup. Should Olson come back soon, maybe they can be convinced to send him to Blues.