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The three-and-a-half-year approach

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Three-and-a-half-years is a long time in football. It’s an industry where managers keep their job for an average of two years, players are always seeking their next big money move and even owners come and go like the wind. But there’s a long term feel about Birmingham City’s transfer window dealings.

Lukas Jutkiewicz, Emilio Nsue, Cheick Keita and Kerim Frei have all signed three-and-a-half-year contracts with the club and Craig Gardner is committed to Blues for three years after his initial loan of six months. This transfer window and recent previous windows are world’s apart.

It’s impossible to predict where Blues will be in three-and-a-half-years – the summer of 2020. Maybe they’ll be preparing for a Premier League campaign. Gianfranco Zola may or may not be the manager. The world may cease to exist after three-and-a-half-years with Donald Trump as US President. Regardless of all that, seeing the club take a long term view is a refreshing change from the recent years of financial adversity we’ve been through. And we have been through the mill, us Bluenoses.

Not so long ago, we were greeting players of the Brian Howard ilk on temporary deals. He was one of many players to play for the club once and then dissappear off the face of the earth. Such an array of players came through the St. Andrews door which was seemingly in ever revolving mode. Recall Aaron Martin playing for Blues? Tom Thorpe, perhaps? Every transfer window, we were awaiting the inevitable sale of one of our young stars. Then we would look forward to their replacement  being unveiled – a free transfer from Hamilton Accademical.

This window has given Blues fans hope. Hope that this changing style of football can produce results. Hope that, this season or next, we can be a force in the Championship. Hope is what has kept us all going since 1875.

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