Opinion: We Need to Spend, Spend, Spend

Birmingham City has been a very divided club in recent weeks ever since the departure of Gary Rowett took many supporters by surprise. It’s fair to say that the powerful companies taking over football clubs and interfering with the day to day running of the club is a new trend in modern football and one that we all have to get used to. I must admit, I was and still am a huge Rowett fan but we all have to give Zola a chance to show his managerial abilities and this assessment period should start in the January transfer window.

In my opinion, Zola’s style of play doesn’t suit the current players that we have. They were brought in by Rowett to fit his style and they have been coached a certain way which is being challenged and changed. So the fact that it is not quite gelling in 2 games isn’t something to be concerned about, I don’t think. However, if players are not brought in to adapt to his style, then it will only go downhill. The back four are not comfortable on the ball, that is a fact. Now, they’re being asked to play out from the back with barely any options in midfield because this second pass is also not something that the midfield players are used to. So the whole set up just seems a bit forced at the minute.

The problem I have is that in order to make Zola’s style work, there will need to be a complete makeover at every level in Birmingham City’s set up. Rowett along with Beale and Spooner, integrated the youth teams to play the same way that the first team did in order to make the transition easier into through the levels of the game. With Zola changing the style, will all the youth teams have to change theirs? Or will the players just have to adapt if they got put into the first team? I think this was the problem in Zola’s first match with Cogley whereby he didn’t adapt well to the role that was being asked of him and as a young player you need to go into a game doing simple things with only a few key points to focus on.

In terms of the first team, we don’t have the player that fit the new style. Strikers that he has worked with in the past are fast, strong and very willing to close down defenders. We have often played with just Donaldson up top whereby he is expected to drop and not close down and partnerships between forwards have not been established. So we need to bring in different strikers.

He also prefers wing backs which is not what we have. Grounds is not capable of this and neither is Caddis so that leaves you short in the wing back area especially if Shotton is being asked to play inside. The owners have chosen a manager who’s mentality is a complete shift to what the current players are used to and unless he is allowed to spend big in January, I cannot see it working for the remainder of the season. But I am willing to give him time.