Blues won. How nice it is to be able to type that once again.
For the first time in I don’t know how long, the team were a joy to watch.
Rather than take their foot off the gas, they continued to carve out chance after chance even with Hull seemingly dead and buried.
There was no fear in their play, despite being at home. It was the antithesis of the Blues team under Steve Cotterill.
One of the most pleasing things for me was the Championship debut of Wes Harding.
Before the game I’d assumed that Carl Jenkinson had picked up an injury which had forced Monk’s hand – but Monk was quick to say in the post-match presser that Jenkinson was fit and that he had picked Harding on merit.
I’ve long been of the belief that if Blues are to improve in the long-term the club has to build from within. Last summer’s spending spree proved just how much long-term damage can be done to the club financially with just one bad transfer window.
I’m hopeful Monk sees it the same way.
Last week Blues were forced to field an u23 side with an average age of 19 against Crewe Alexandra as no less than six of the regular u23 squad were training with the first team.
We’ve seen Harding make the step up and left-back Steve Seddon has featured on the bench a few times.
It’s possible if Craig Gardner has picked up any kind of long term injury then Charlie Lakin or Corey O’Keefe will be the next cab off the rank.
The u18s are in the semi-finals of the FA Youth Cup for the first time I can remember in a decade.
I think it’s safe to say there is promise in the youth teams at Wast Hills; it might just be now we have a manager who is not scared by the inexperience of youth when picking his team – and for me at least, that’s a reason to be positive.
It’s also important that the same philosophy is maintained throughout the club.
I think part of the issues the club has faced this season was down to the three-way tussle between Harry Redknapp, Jeff Vetere and Darren Dein to be the man in charge of transfers last summer.
I don’t think it’s surprising that all three have been removed by Blues’ owners before the end of the season – none of them covered themselves in glory, no matter which way blame is painted.
I understand that the final member of the “axis of incompetence” – Ren Xuandong – is very much on borrowed time too.
With eight matches left this season I think that now is not the right time to make any further changes – but come the end of the season, whichever division Blues end up in, I hope that TTA will go ahead and bring in a CEO with a lot more experience not only of football but of the way it is run in England.
The last season and a half have been tumultuous for Blues.
Yesterday gave us a glimpse of how much better it could be with competent people in charge – let’s hope that lessons have been learned across the board.