Birmingham City announced on Friday what is claimed to be the biggest commercial deal in the club’s history. The deal, which could be worth in excess of £9m a year will see St Andrew’s rebranded as St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park as well as the Wast Hills training ground being renamed as the Knighthead Training and Academy Grounds.
Wednesday morning can’t have been a nice morning for Blues CEO Garry Cook to open his inbox, judging by the anger of several Blues fans online on Tuesday night. Small allocations and local derbies can quickly equal issues for those wanting away tickets, and the upcoming game against West Bromwich Albion is no exception.
Tuesday was a good day for Birmingham City. On the pitch at St Andrew’s, the team came back from a goal down to deliver Tony Mowbray’s first win as Blues manager, beating Hull City 2-1 and booking a fourth round FA Cup tie with Leicester City at the end of the month. However, on the other side of the world an announcement made to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange appears to be the next step in the final disconnection of Blues from the Far East.
New Year, same old Blues. A 3-0 defeat away to Leeds on New Year’s Day was evidently the straw that broke the camel’s back for Tom Wagner and Knighthead, with Wayne Rooney receiving his marching orders less than 24 hours later. Blues now seek their tenth permanent manager in just over seven years, as once again the R word hangs in the air like a bad smell.
It’s pretty easy to say it’s not been a great Christmas for Wayne Rooney or Birmingham City. Three games seen as winnable have resulted in just two points gained and barring 20 minutes against Plymouth the performances have been distinctly poor. With Blues now lying 20th in the Championship table seven points above the relegation places, has the time come for Rooney to be given his marching orders?
Despite all the work going on around St Andrew’s in recent months, there has been consistent gossip among Blues fans about the potential for a move to a new stadium. This has been fuelled by people talking about the redevelopment of Birmingham Wheels Park and the potential to build there.
Racing Club Warwick overcame Birmingham City’s under-21 side 2-0 in a fascinating Birmingham Senior Cup game at Townsend Meadow on Tuesday night. Goals from Louis Monaghan and Luke Shearer either side of half time did for a young and inexperienced Blues u21 team.
Once again, it appears that the only certainties in this life are death, taxes and Birmingham City in turmoil. A 2-0 defeat to Coventry City on Friday night mean Blues have now only taken five points from a possible 27 in the league under Wayne Rooney amid growing calls for his removal.
It’s been a few days since I published the first part of my reflections of the Blues Open House event held on November 27. Since then, Blues have gone on to lose to Blackburn Rovers away and draw with Rotherham at home.
It’s been a couple of days since the Blues Open House event was held and much has been shared online by various attendees. The event appears to have been a success and the general mood online has been one of happiness with what has been achieved so far and excitement for what is to come in the future.
