Birmingham Banter - Join the debate with BCFC fans, staff writers and club legends

Blues View (post-Liverpool)

2009-11-10T13:46:21Z

Andy Walker

Blues View (post-Manchester City)

2009-11-02T14:29:53Z

Hear the thoughts of Alex McLeish and Barry Ferguson.

Blues View (post-Arsenal)

2009-10-20T10:27:15Z

Andy Walker

Blues View (post-Bolton)

2009-09-28T14:21:43Z

Andy Walker

Blues View (post-Hull City)

2009-09-21T15:02:24Z

Andy Walker

Blues View (post-Second City Showdown)

2009-09-14T23:09:34Z

Andy Walker

Rivals reunited

2009-09-14T11:57:41Z

A Jon McCarthy lookalike Bluenose and a rippling hulk of a Villa supporter commentate on the Second City derby for Sky's Fanzone.

Second City Derby Video - part 3

2009-09-11T11:24:22Z

Andy Walker

Second City Derby Video Special - part 2

2009-09-10T11:41:35Z

Andy Walker

Second City Derby Video Special - part 1 of 3

2009-09-10T01:45:11Z

To help get you in the mood for this Sunday's showdown at St Andrew's:

Who will lead Big Eck's boys in the Premier League?

2009-07-19T22:49:32Z

With Lee Carsley and Damien Johnson (team and club skipper for the 2008/09 campaign respectively) unlikely to play a great deal next season and Liam Ridgewell injured for the opening months, it leaves the question - who will captain Blues in the Premier League?

There are several candidates, should Carsley not be selected in the starting line-up.

Stephen Carr and Lee Bowyer are both vastly-experienced campaigners who should easily be able to step into the role.

Or will Alex McLeish hand the armband to new-boy Barry Ferguson? After all Big Eck knows the midfielder's leadership qualities having taken on the job for club and country.

An outside bet is young Scott Dann, who captained Coventry at the age of 21 and recently admitted to me during an interview that he'd love to be handed the armband at his new club.

Thoughts?

Blues View Special

2009-06-05T23:11:47Z

Another chance to see myself and Colin Tattum talk all things Birmingham City in our recent two-part Blues View Special.

Be sure to leave any comments or questions to be included in the next installment below.

PART ONE

PART TWO

Why Birmingham City are having the last laugh

2009-05-06T14:06:09Z

WHAT a fantastic day out for Bluenoses at Reading - to see their team clinching automatic promotion on a thrilling, tense, nervous and exciting afternoon.

Well done to Alex McLeish, who has faced a lot of criticism this season but who has had the last laugh.

Of all the managers I have dealt with at St Andrew's, he is without doubt the most thorough.

His attention to detail is the rock on which he steered the team to automatic promotion.

On the BRMB react to the action phone-in, I had calls from all over the USA, Tunisia, Spain, Thailand, and New Zealand and even had Pinky and Perky on singing "Keep Right On". What an amazing day.

However, I just cannot accept what some cynical fans are saying and that is that Blues have been lucky. You cannot be lucky over 46 games.

True, it wasn't always pretty to watch but, by God, over the season it was effective.

The teams who played the pretty football, Swansea et al, are not even in the play-offs.

Just ask Cardiff, Sheffield United, Swansea, Reading, Preston, Burnley and any other team in the division, other than Wolves, if they would swap places with Blues.

Now it's up to David Sullivan and David Gold to provide the wherewithal for Alex to turn Blues from a Championship side visiting the Premier League into a bona fide Premier League team.

Sadly there is no cut-price, cheap way of doing it.

It will take a substantial amount of money that must be spent wisely.

The directors must do what they can to make this happen,

They are now in an expensive market place, join in or drop out is what it's all about.

No-one expects them to spend what many other clubs do but they have to up the ante in terms of transfer fees and wages or face a season long fight against relegation.

Danny Baker: A Buffoon who has insulted the Midlands

2009-05-06T14:06:09Z

THERE is a sometime radio presenter called Danny Baker who I don't know too much about other than he is a bit of a plonker who supports Millwall and does a show on a national BBC station.

He said just a week or so ago that he was saying a prayer hoping Blues and Wolves failed to win promotion to the Premier League as they would be an embarrassment to the top flight.

What right has this buffoon to make such outrageous statements on BBC radio?

This, by the way, is the man who quite clearly and irresponsibly was a Paul Gascoigne hanger-on who encouraged him to drink when a real friend would have been keeping Gazza away from alcohol.

In addition, it's hard to name a team more embarrassing than Millwall and some of their thuggish fans.

I still remember being kept on the pitch with the Mail's Colin Tattum and the Blues players until almost midnight at the New Den in 2002 after Steve Bruce's men had beaten them in the semi-final of the play-offs.

The reason for that was that World War Three was going off outside the ground as the East Enders couldn't take defeat in any other way.

So where does Mr Baker get off on knocking the achievements of Wolves and Blues?

Even if they come back down without winning a single point they have earned the right to be in the Premier League by clinching automatic promotion over 46 games. End of story.

I remember a similar thing being said by another national radio presenter, a certain Alan Green, as the Baggies were pushing for promotion under Gary Megson.

At the risk of being accused of paranoia I really believe that we in the West Midlands don't get a fair crack of the whip from the national media.

Villa are doing their best to make them sit up and take notice of what is happening at Villa Park under Randy Lerner and Martin O'Neill.

Just look at the media ballyhoo surrounding the possibility of Newcastle United being relegated and the column inches dedicated to Alan Shearer and his Messiah-like qualities.

Would Villa get the same wailing and weeping if they were in the bottom three of the Premier league? Of course not. Yet they are a bigger club with a greater history than the Geordies.

Wolves and Blues have earned the right to compete in the Premier League next season - good luck to them both.

Blues View: Promotion Special

2009-05-04T16:02:55Z

Relive the jubliant scenes at the Madejski Stadium and hear the views of Blues correspondent Colin Tattum, boss Alex McLeish and goal-scoring hero Keith Fahey by clicking here