Blues Blogs

Blues summer reshape must be aimed at ending our Premier League exile

|

Birmingham City’s unbeaten run comes to an end and Pep Clotet’s ‘honeymoon period’ is now over.

He has deserved a break from criticism and he quite rightly has been rewarded with praise. Now, however, is the testing time when we need points from the remaining nine games. During the unbeaten run, which produced a fair amount of draws, it must now be down to him and his backroom staff to start winning a few games.

Our league position is about right for the results we have been getting, although realistically we could have been so much higher had we held on to a few leads. Apart from West Brom, we have games against Hull, Huddersfield and Charlton that should give us the opportunity to get some wins.

What is obvious, however, is that our defence is fragile at best with the goals against column a real cause for concern. Attacking wise we are thankful for the Hogan experience and that alone.

Without this loan signing, I shudder to think what our points total would be like. Yes, we have had a decent run, but the Reading game again highlighted our problems. It’s difficult to change things around now, but serious decisions have to made in the summer for a stable back four.

Can the current backline improve and will they still be around after speculation regarding the likes of Pedersen and possibly Dean?

Whatever the outcome, our management has numerous issues that will test them – least of all the Bellingham business – which could, if handled correctly, lead to a simpler restructuring of our team.

Player replacement will depend naturally on finances and our Financial Fair Play situation, but should we be in a position to strengthen seriously then a more concerted effort to get into a higher league could be on.

Players such as Crowley, Marabti, Maghoma, Montero and sadly Gardner, would not, in my opinion, be influential for such an upward push. Bela and Hogan are different class in terms of improving the team with the need for a solid back four the priority.

Perhaps Roberts and Dean can improve for next season in order to keep the goals against column more respectable and Pedersen, if he stays, can prevent his side of the pitch conceding on a regular basis. What surely must be improved is the tactical side of seeing out winning positions.

Not easy for any manager and do you stick or twist in games has always been the dilemma since football began. With Blues this season, we have seen big numbers of games go begging that could have secured maximum points. However, we are where we are in the lower end of the table and hopefully we can finish in a mid table position and take heart that the games played have been relatively good, with a season remembered for watching a sixteen-year-old player getting rave reviews and we being the first to witness it.

Add then a player who didn’t fancy doing it for our fiercest rivals but would do or die for wearing our blue shirt and scoring for fun, then reasons to be happy.

What must be done in the summer rebuild, or reshape, is the determination to get promotion and prevent a full decade of Premier League exile. What will undoubtedly be key for such a return is the business surrounding our key asset and whether we will be able to invest in quality players. This could be the opportunity that supporters have been yearning for and it could be tantalisingly close.

The summer will tell.

Share this article

9 comments

  • Brian Taylor says:

    We are not even safe from relegation – games against teams below us are no guarantee of 3 points as we have proved in the past. The January window came and went with little indication that our masters were willing to address the obvious problems. After the unbeaten run we should be safe but instead after one defeat we are back to where we started and after this weekend could be only two wins above the drop zone. This time we may not be able to do the Houdini act – it is now totally Pep’s responsibility to get the team structure right and motivate the players we have to play to win – if he fails we will be lucky to not swap places with Coventry City.

  • Charles says:

    Problem we have is this reliance on just two strikers. Should Juke or Hogan get knocked then we do need to worry. 50 points should see safety but understand Brian Taylor totally.

  • malcolm x says:

    Ok guys, bottom line here I’m afraid. Not being pessimistic but more an honest assumption (and not putting my head in the sands like some on this forum) A complete restructure HAS to be done in the Summer, irrespective of what league we will find ourselves in. If we are able to hold our Championship place next season then we need a new manager without a shadow of doubt, the guy Clotet is better suited on a training field NOT in a management role. He has no Plan B whatsoever, which is reflected in the amount of times we loose the 2nd half of a game(but who of any decent quality would come, having to work under the current regime?)The players also need to take a responsibility for the average performances and bottom line with the exception of Bela we need to address every position in the squad! Bellingham will sign for either Man Utd or a similar club with aspirations that we would take light years to be near but where will any transfer monies really go…Mmmm???? Colin and Dean will be sold to save circa: £50k per week in wages(thanks to Ren and Redknapp) and Pederson will go for around £7m max. Nice work for the owners but what about us? Perhaps the ever eternal dream of new owners may one day(one decade) happen.until then……………………………

  • brushstrokesinparadise says:

    I’m with you all the way on this Mucker. To many supporters have played the sympathy card with Clotete all season when deep down none of us really thought his appointment was a good idea, you know what I mean. At first I thought maybe a bit harsh on the squad but when I really think about it with my rose tinted glasses off, your right the bottom line is that we seriously lack any quality, particularly midfield where there is no creativity to unlock teams, very poor defence over the past few weeks with limitations exposed time and time again. Hogan should be a no brainer but will we really see any of the Bellingham transfer money(thats if we get a true value deal done – Could Man U or whoever sign him now before he reaches 17 and pay sweet fa?) Personally i would be happy to get relegated if it meant we had the chance to start over again with a complete change from top to bottom, and have these current owners fly the nest. It didn’t do Southampton any harm a few years ago when they were in a similar position, you know what I’m saying!

  • BenidormGoOnGoOn says:

    Whilst I fully agree with Brian,Malcom X and Brushstrokes comments that are coming straight from the heart,I’m afraid nothing will happen until new owners come in, but who really wants to take us on, lets be honest? Perhaps exchanging place with Coventry as Brian suggests could happen if were not careful maybe a blessing in disguise?

  • WaycoolBlue says:

    Oh no what shall we do it’s doom and gloom you bunch of losers. It’s miserable moaning people like you lot that hold the club back the Doom and Gloomers.

    We could possibly get between 30 to 40 million for Bellingham.

    We turned down 8 million for Pedersen
    So the club would obviously not accept 7 million.

    We are four points of safety if teams below us do not pick up more than 11 points.

    I agree we need a shake-up and Pep must not be a manager or head coach next season.

    But I guarantee you if we were relegated like you people seem to believe there would be no rebuilding of the squad we would be using a youth players and we would not get 30 to 40 million for Bellingham.

    Relegation would be the worst thing that could happen to us.

    We would be a division 1 side. So it would not stack up it would be possible to get that sort of money for a player as a relegated team.

    No is the answer to can Bellingham go on a free. Because problem with his parents have signed and a preliminary contract has already been accepted he just cannot sign it until he turns 17 he will sign it and that’s when he will make his move if he decides to move.

    But I for one wouldn’t turn down between 30 and 40 million for a 16-year old who will be 17 by then.

    If that offer is really there then it will have to be accepted. If Man United win the race then there is possibility of a loan back I very much doubt Dortmund will agree to a loan back.

    So maybe it’s not all doom and gloom
    KRO.

  • brushstrokesinparadise says:

    And to be brutally honest its people like you that dig their heads in the sands and are convinced there are no issues! We did not turn down £8m for Pederson,it was a rumour without any substance(from within). I suppose your now in dreamland wondering how to spend this supposed £30m+,well wake up,smell the roses and forget any chance of this sort of money being pumped back into the squad with these ‘owners’. Basement buys from the likes of Peterborough more likely. Sweet dreams

  • LetsBeRealistic says:

    I tend to agree with most of all comments in respect of this particular blog. I don’t think some of you are being negative, more trying to put an honest stance on where we really are, and that perhaps we all need to live in the real world based on past years of heartache. I think we may get the monies for Bellingham but no chance of all this coming back into team building. Relegation could be an option but do we really want to go there again,I don’t

  • WaycoolBlue says:

    I have not said the problems are not there it’s obvious the problems are there.

    All am am doing I highlighting the positives which is what most people are missing out if you only concentrate on the negatives it will only ever be negative.

    But there are also positives.

    And Ren him self said we turned down 8 million for Pedersen. So a bit more then a rumour.

    I find it best to look at the positives and negatives and then find a common ground a realistic outcome comes from looking at it from both sides. KRO

Leave a Reply to WaycoolBlue Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *