At half time I bet most of us were thinking along the lines of *this is muddy awful* as City seemed second best in just about every duel and but for a sublime finish from Teemu Pukki we showed none of our usual class or rhythm.
Pukki’s penalty was anything but sublime or classy and the game-killing moment vanished off the outstretched shin of Blues keeper Neil Etheridge. Worse was very shortly to follow.
A disastrous, over-hit ball from Tim Krul to Zimbo. The latter proceeded to suffer a touch of the vapours and coughed up possession and although Krul pushed out the shot from Ivan Sanchez, the Spaniard was quicker to respond than a static Grant Hanley and gleefully tucked away the rebound.
If Birmingham had been able to finish without blasting two or three clear-cut chances over the bar we could have been in trouble. And I mean real trouble as the Blues’ consistent high press on that $hitty pitch was really getting to us. I was so relieved we went in level at the break although if I’m honest we didn’t really deserve to.
Maybe we weren’t expecting Brum to be on the front foot from the kick off but we sure didn’t deal with it very well. So what exactly did Daniel Farke say to the lads at half time? We’ll never know. I only know four German swearwords but I wouldn’t be surprised if each and every one of them was employed – perhaps with several more I don’t know.
Whatever he said, the rakete was well and truly sent up the collective arschloc and we re-emerged with considerably more fight in the second period.
It looked liked ending at 1-1 until Farke played a masterstroke by bringing on Onel Hernandez for the ineffectual Mario Vrancic. Onel gave Birmingham something else to think about and a strong run and pass inside to Emi Buendia provided the game-changer.
Emi’s shot bobbled off Harlee Dean and who was sniffing? Pukki of course and the chance was put away. Memo to Blues’ keeper Etheridge: it cannot be offside when the ball comes off your own player.
There were a few hairy moments after that but we seemed to have adapted to the surface more and more as the game went on and although it distorted the reality of the scoreline it was a *muddy marvellous* moment.
Hernandez looked bemused when he was replaced by Jordan Hugill just before the 90 was up but then we saw the benefit of Farke’s decision when the muscular presence of Jordan Hugill headed clear to trigger what Gary described yesterday as *the Charge of the Light Brigade* wherein Lukas Rupp picked up on a horrendous aerial gaffe by Mikel San Jose to race the remaining length of the pitch with the ball, Jordan Hugill and Ollie Skipp alongside him.
The unselfish Rupp shaped to shoot but instead laid it off to Skipp who scored his first goal for us with the simplest of tap-ins. Ollie himself later joked that it was his first senior goal in professional football – how true that is I don’t know.
Sure the scoreline flattered us but a win is a win is a win.
Farke himself said afterwards:
“I wanted some steel. I have to say what they delivered in the second half was outstanding. We were all over them. They were still dangerous on the counters but we controlled them, played in their half and could have scored a few more.
“To have this mentality and to find a gear within the game shows our winning mentality. I am pretty proud of that second half and the result.”
There ain’t no arguing with that.
My major gripe from the game? That BCFC home kit reminded me of old skool 1p5wich!
My major positive? We’ve won 10 games away from home already this season and every time we’ve done that since 2003 we’ve been promoted. Food for optimism.
A secondary positive? We’ve escaped from St Andrew’s twice in ten days or so without picking up any injuries courtesy of the pitch.
Finally it was such a joy to see and hear [partially] our players and coaching team as they went down the tunnel at full time. The spirit was immense and plain to see.
Bring on Gareth Ainsworth’s no-star rock ‘n’ roll band on Sunday.
**This article is dedicated to my old friend and workmate Ken Stringer, devoted Evertonian and all-round good guy, who passed away very recently. . Condolences to Ken’s son Sean [who kindly helped me out with last season’s MFW Everton preview] and all the Stringer clan.
Touche, Martin.
Given that the pitch at the “St. Andrews Trillion Trophy Stadium” still has to host more matches than any other in the Championship, to come away with, as you say, no injuries, and 6 priceless points in less than a week is little short of amazing. (And where does that crazy stadium name come from??).
If we’re still 7 points clear at this time next Thursday then they may well have to start preparing the open top bus.
O T B C
Morning John
The Trillion Trophy monicker comes from the business of the owner, one Paul Suen. Apparently [and I had to Google this bit] they are described as an *Asian sports holding company* whatever that means. I don’t think most Bluenoses rate the ownership too highly.
I wrote this long before I read your comment yesterday – funny old world!
Cheers
Hi Martin
England 🇬🇧 have started the second day of cricket 🏏 as city started the second half all guns blazing led by Admiral Root.
The daylight on Saturday deceived us in thinking the pitch was slightly better than we expected but the floodlights told a different story.
As for being deceived Karanka did a good on that and as you say could have gone in with a lead at half time.
Last nights results weren’t really what we wanted but there us still 7 points between us and the chasing pack which could be down to 4 come our Sunday lunch time kickoff.
Rocking Ainsworth says theu have no fear to play city it is really their free hit as they are not expected to get anything out of the game.
So let Wycombe keep on rocking all over the world 🌎 after cityknotch up another away win.
Onwards and upwards
OTBC
Stay Safe and Stay Healthy 🙏
Hi Alex
As I type the Test match is virtually over unfortunately.
Wycombe will give it a shot – seemingly they always do – but I don’t reckon we’ve got too much to fear from them in all honesty.
That LB of theirs, Joe Jacobson, has a fearsome dead ball delivery on him so let’s give away very few corners and no offences anywhere near the box, please.
I hope Ben Gibson is back. Not particularly because Zimbo is a poor player – he isn’t – but we’ve really missed Gibbo’s distribution and his ability to bring the ball forward into midfield.
Cheers mate
Alledgedly BCFC have only retained one groundsman during Covid, and of course using the fact Cov play there as well as mitigation! Two thoughts – was it not agreed during groundshare negotiations that Cov contribute to pitch maintenance, either monetarily or with groundstaff, I mean it’s not like they are illegal squatters? And secondly using this seems pathetically lame, look at Brentfords pitch last night, a matter of days after 30 blokes in rugby shirts had gouged it up in a ding dong of a battle!
I know the recent bout of weather has not helped but it doesn’t mean green grass can’t be retained, so when do the EFL step in and say it ain’t good enough. Risk of injury is heightened, and whilst you’d rather face teams like Watford without Sarr or Brentford without Toney (why did we not nab him from Posh??), I’d rather see us winning the title having tested ourselves against the best on offer in prep for the prem. In summary – sort your sh1t out Brum!!!
Hi Owen
I had no idea about who is or isn’t responsible for the ground maintenance at St Andrew’s so thanks for educating me.
There is no way one guy, however able or experienced, can do a proper job on a so-called EFL Championship pitch.
Aitor Karanka is Spanish of course and as we both know the Spaniards have very different winter surfaces to us because of climatical differences.
I think the risk of injury concern is by far the most important factor here. Given the pace the modern game is played at it’s all too easy for a boot caught on a poor surface to turn into something far more serious. Ask Adam Idah.
The EFL will do nothing, and neither will Birmingham.
Thanks for that – great post.
Good read Martin and I concur with every word.
What impresses me with Farke is the intelligent, calm way he deals with pressure.
He never blows his top, which is one of the best ways to lose respect but instead explains why the performance isn’t good enough and what has to be done and what he expects to happen. He may add the odd expletive but it’s excellent management.
Long may he remain at City.
Hi John
Yes Farke is extremely intelligent and I would imagine that in his native language he would be even more articulate, but his English is superb.
If he swapped *hungry* for *greedy* and cut out the word *topic* altogether I would say his use of language verges on the perfect, but it’s all part of his charm of course!
He’s contracted until the end of next season, after that we’ll have to see.
Cheers
If we go up he’ll certainly need more than £750,000 worth of backing from our owners.
Oh don’t start me on that, please 🙂
I’ve laid off club politics throughout the *pandemic* and I don’t really want to get into that *topic* just now but I will say that, should we go up, we are committed to buying both Ben Gibson and Demitris for, shall we say. €10 million between them.
There’s a similar clause in place for Xavi Quintilla but given his lack of game time and seemingly obvious underlying fitness problems that won’t come to anything I am sure.
We all know Max Aarons deserves to leave during the summer and he of all people would go with my very best wishes.
But Delia touting him on Sky Sports is potentially disruptive and totally unnecessary.
There – you drew me out!
Morning Mr P, It didn’t look too good after being pegged back a Penalty poorly struck. Brum came at us as others have done, we do struggle at times to deal with this. You called it a masterstroke, bring on Onel, so it may be, but it was a change that stood out like a sore thumb as being needed. Something had to be done. Darren Eadie was saying Hugill should have come on, but in my eyes that would need Onel as well to get behind and crossing. The substitution did turn out to be the changer.
Full credit to Rupp, he could have easily had a go himself, with no one blaming after that run. He has taken more than his share of FLAC ( myself included) unselfishness in full view. Excellent
In the end the scoreline may have flattered, but it isn’t as if they gave us anything, except a tough game on a tough pitch. to come away from B9 with 6 points, says we have learned how to grind out, battle through, come out the other side with the spoils.
There will be of this to come before we can lift anything high, I think now at this stage , “It is OURS to lose Now”
Hi Lad
I can’t disagree with you so I won’t.
You’re right when you say Hugill needs crosses to thrive on although ironically he made that crucial clearing header for Rupp to pick up on – and he wasn’t too slow on the breakout either which surprised me tbh as I’ve never seen much pace from him before!
Something tells me Onel will be very useful during the run-in.
Thanks as always.
The pitch was diabolical. Not fit for purpose.
You cannot play Farkeball on a quagmire.
Our players obviously had no studs in their boots prior to half time.
If the goalkeeper had dived the opposite way it would have been a good penalty.
Vrancic needs a rest.
We missed Ben Gibson.
Birmingham where far better than we expected in the first half.
We bossed the second half.
And finally it was a damn good three points.
Hi Delfie
I ain’t no schoolteacher but I think I’d give you eight out of nine for those comments and a gold star for being spot on with them.
The one I’d question is #3 and that’s only because as soon as the players saw the reality of that crappy surface while warming up they would have been able to make the appropriate choice of studs for themselves.
Of course you could have been joking in which case it’s 9/9 and 100 per cent 😉
Cheers
Pleased to see the great team spirit at the end of the game and your mention of it Martin.
Farke’s record in the Championship alone is incredible, it’s bang on 50% win ratio but over the past two Championship campaigns it’s up around 60% which is unheard of.
DF doesn’t do ego’s and I suggest both Todd, Emi & a few others have had theirs removed and why Tim, Teemu, Maximillion, Grant, Ben & Olly and Co are the cornerstones of the group.
We’ll beat The Chairboys on Sunday but big respect to Gareth Ainsworth, been manager there since before the beginning of time, good egg.
Hi Colin
Yes that team spirit thing was really quite something. You never know at which precise moment iFollow will kick you out, but at least those watching got to see it.
Spot on with the ego remark – Farke has dealt with that problem in the past and to my mind as he was never a top-class striker himself he is very attuned to the reasoning behind it.
Nelson who?
Thanks as ever.