Opinion: Can Birmingham Maintain Their Form?

I must say, I am quite a positive person; some may say an optimist. In the season that almost led to League One status, I was sure that we would still stay up. I never once thought that we would go down, I don’t know why I thought this but I guess I thought that belief was the key. It worked for the kids on Polar Express so why not for me? What I am trying to say is that I usually look at our seasons positively, especially in recent years. But I am feeling a bit uneasy about this one.

The scars are still there from last season where we were so optimistic about getting a play off place only for the points to dry up towards the end of the season. The defeat at the hands of Sheffield Wednesday was a real kick in the teeth and I don’t think even the most positive of fans believed after that, that we would have a fighting chance of promotion.

I suppose this time around, it is a little bit of de ja vu. We are currently occupying 4th place in the Championship; a wonderful achievement in itself but there is still such a long way to go. Not only that, there is also the Christmas period which often makes or breaks a team. The festive season is so busy with fixtures that if you come out of it with points galore and no injuries, then it certainly is nothing short of a Christmas miracle. It gives the team momentum going into the home stretch of the season if a good December month has been achieved.

However, I do think that we won’t tire this season. I think that we have a better squad with more versatility enabling an easier transition if squad rotation is to be used effectively. I think that we also have the fire power to get promoted. Often in our league it is the team with the most effective goal scorer that seem to do the best. Deeney and Ighalo for Watford showed that as well as Burnley with Ings a few years ago.

Now we have 3 goalscorers who are able to contribute to the goals but also who are able to link up really well. Not to mention the strength in depth in midfield for players to pick out these strikers. The promising sign as well is that young players are getting chances to progress. Brown and Cogley were both on the pitch on Saturday in a competitive fixture which just shows the faith the manager has in the squad as a whole albeit this was partially due to suspension.

Overall, I like the look of our team and I do believe that we have what it takes to take this momentum throughout the season but we shall see what happens over the Christmas period. Lets just hope that everyone is fit and up for selection.