Tonight’s game sees Birmingham City travel to Middlesbrough and the match takes on another important factor when it comes to the matter of Championship survival.
Monday evening’s victory for Stoke City at West Bromwich Albion reduced our once healthy points gap above the bottom four to single figures.
Getting formations correct and seeing the need for change during games is now important. So far this season we have taken leads on countless times only to succumb by not seeing out winning positions. Tonight will test again whether our management have this necessary quality in their locker.
Eighteenth in the league is depressing enough but to plummet further would be soul-destroying. My hope is that Ren and co get it right tonight as ‘possible transfer names’ over the last week hasn’t filled me with much hope, with the exception of Marcus Maddison.
Last Saturday’s second half decision against Cardiff, when the need for Gardner and Davis to enter the fray together fell on deaf ears, will I am sure, be rectified tonight. Expect both to start.
As regards the now hapless talk of strikers arriving at St.Andrews, it is bordering on the pathetic with second tier players banded about-including the alleged interest in Lee Gregory. Hopefully this is not true, as supporters are well and truly on the edge at the moment and will not warm to this.
Signings are one thing but quality has to come into it. Middlesbrough have been bold in blooding young players and it is showing, with manager Woodgate sticking with them through the tough times pre Christmas, but we are not in that position due to our league slot and the real danger of a relegation fight…only Bellingham will be the call of the young tonight and understandably so.
Predicting the outcome of this game is not hard for most supporters but it is another chance for Ren and I suppose we have to include Clotet, to get it right. Three points would lift us again, one would be grateful even, but zero will no doubt be damaging.