Whilst Clarke was performing poorly the past month I still feel that he had enough about him to steer us clear of trouble. The squad, whilst a little unbalanced and short defensively, is good enough to get to mid table. People say that his position was similar to Di Matteo but I don't think it was anywhere near that bad.
RDM had lost interest in the job and the players weren't 100% behind him. Clarke was 100% committed and the players had total respect for him. He had just lost his way in a cloud of tactical fog of his own making.
Clarke's record in 2013 wasn't good enough when you look at the stats. But stats don't always tell the full story. January to May was horrendous. A mixture of a paper thin squad, a team playing without pressure and the Peter Odemwingie situation all combined to produce poor results.
I was more interested in what was happening this season. The results from a remodelled side was how Clarke should have been judged. Not last season. After a poor start, we picked up nicely with some excellent performances amongst some average ones. Up until the Newcastle game, the previous ten games has brought 14 points including the win at Old Trafford, a great performance against Arsenal at home and the travesty of not getting 3 points at Chelsea. Add the penalty not given at Stoke, and that should have been 18 points from 10.
How fickle and cruel football can be. At half time against Villa, most people were of the opinion that things were going well and the manager had to be given a new contract. Then the wheels fell off. 4 games later and he is toast.
As I said, I think he had the ability to turn it around. The fog that he had created in his thinking could have been cleared. The problem for me was he had lost his bottle. Rather than the positive approach to games that had paid dividends, the defensive side of him reappeared and we suffered. I loved how he spoke after the UTD game about a positive approach, what happened Steve?
However, the decision is now made. We are looking for someone else to take us to mid table safety. Something a couple of wins on the trot can easily sort. That's how fine the margins are these days.
The options are limited. The very fact that so many Albion fans I speak to all seem to have different favourites for the job tells a tale. They then say that even though it is there preferred choice, they aren't overwhelmed at their choice.
It's a pretty bleak picture.
Zola? Lot's of support? Why? He has failed miserably this season and failed in the Premier league with West Ham.
Jol? Once again some support but for every fan that talks about his success at Spurs, you will get someone reminding you of the mess at Fulham.
Paul Clement? No experience, a gamble similar to taking on Clarke that Peace surely now sees as wrong.
Ole Gunnar Solksjaer? An interesting call but still a huge gamble.
The list is huge, the answer doesn't appear to be out there.
As I said, bleak and underwhelming.
Which is why I would have given Clarke more time. He is a good coach, and one that the players respected. We are now in the market for a good coach. Oh the irony. Someone who had managed to get us playing well this season but who had lost his way but had received no rub of the green. Those 2 penalties alone would have seen us mid table now and we wouldn't be having this discussion.
If I had to pick one man to take over it would be the one that we courted before. Ralf Rangnick. I did a lot of research on him before and I think he would be a breath of fresh air. Something a little different. Still a gamble admittedly but we are now in a position of whatever we do is a gamble. The safer bet has left the building.
Finally, one last word on Steve Clarke. Whilst he will now be deemed as a failure, I think he can walk away with his head held high. He delivered us our highest ever Premier finish and provided some glorious results. He achieved this whilst managing in a dignified and professional manner at all times, often under difficult circumstances. He is one of footballs good guys and I hope he goes on and gets plenty of success elsewhere.
In a way that only the social network can, Twitter erupted with disgust. Accusations of 'Americanising' and lacking consideration for fans were tossed around in fake disdain as neutrals fell over themselves to be more shocked than one another.
Many of the neutrals are also outraged and I agreed with them until I read this piece on The Independent website by one of Hull's most famous faces - Sir Tom Courtenay.
In the piece, the Dr. Zhivago actor gives Allam free reign to do whatever he wanted to the club as when he bought the club, he also saved the club.
The club was on the verge of bankruptcy when Allam stepped in. Born in Egypt, he came to Humberside to study Economics and after staying put following his studies, made his estimated £650m fortune. An adopted son of the city, he stepped in and bought the club for £1 with the promise of £30m investment.
But the Tigers are not an exception. Last season saw perennial play-off bottlers Cardiff City finally promoted to the Premier League - but only after the Thai owners changed the kit colour from their iconic blue to red, a colour lucky in Asian territories.
Also announced today was the renaming of Crystal Palace's Selhurst Park ground, which for commercial reasons will now be known as the 12bet Stadium.
So my question is, would Blues fans accept a key change in the club if it meant the end of the Carson Yeung reign?
Hypothetically speaking, would we be happy for the club to lose its identity and history if it meant we were financially secure and, in the cases of the aforementioned triumvirate, promoted to the Premier League?
After a quick scan of a notorious message board it appears that some fans are outraged, some are poking fun at Hull and some are beginning to feel disconnected from the game.
There is such a clamour amongst our fans for change that at some point we have to consider what we are willing to sacrifice in order to 'get our club back'.
Personally, I'm not the top flight's biggest fan. I enjoy some of the trips we can make now that we are in the Championship.
But by the same token I don't want us to fall any further down the divisions, which could be a viable outcome if we continue to strip our best assets, nor do I want there to be a constant threat of administration hanging over our head - just look at our near neighbours Coventry City.
Any decision as radical as this will cause casualties - some Cardiff fans vowed never to return to the new Cardiff City Stadium - but 26,418 fans turned up for the Bluebirds' final home game of a Championship winning campaign.
We can all hope that a new owner takes charge and tries not to meddle with the identity of the club, but if that is not forthcoming what price would Blues fans pay?
It's worth keeping an eye on developments in Wales and East Yorkshire this season to see whether these revolutionary changes are beneficial in the long-term or whether they hang like the sword of Damocles over the owner's heads.
]]>At the point of writing this, that squad is now in an even more serious state with obvious deficiencies across the board. The first 16 remains pretty strong and capable of starting the season well. But beyond that and we look threadbare and reliant on previous under performers coming good or kids finally showing that they have what it takes.
This is where we all agree. How we go about plugging the gaps is where emotion kicks in and the meltdownometer is now at critical level for many.
Personally, I am still relaxed at the moment. We will plug the gaps. One thing that I have learned under Peace is patience during the summer. We get the job done. January windows, we will save for another blog.The club has earned the right to some patience during the summer though.
Some people feel that it is important to get players in early, to enable the manager to bed players in and adjust to tactics. I can understand this, in an ideal world this would be great. But how often does this happen anywhere? We have always done the bulk of our business late.
I would imagine it has saved us tens of millions overall over the last 10 years.
This is us. We watch every penny. We drive a hard bargain. That is not going to change under Peace. So why do we jump up and down every year when things don't change and we use the same tactics?
People will argue that the new TV deal should mean we can do a lot more but it is all relative isn't it? Do you not think agents haven't twigged on to this?
Much is being said about our inability to sign Kalou. However, who, apart from those directly involved, know what the players demands are and how realistic they are. Even West Ham, a club able to pay upwards of 100k a week for Andy Carroll, are struggling to sign him.
What isn't helping is the Peter Odemwingie situation. Him being stuck here on 40k a week makes Peace nervous. The sooner he goes the better as this will make the accountant in our chairman a little more open to people incoming on big wages. That is how it works at the Albion. We like the one in one out type of deal. The chairman will not allow a situation where the squad size will go beyond the set quota and budget.
So, all in all, I am not in the meltdown camp just yet. That is not to say that a little pressure from fans and the management isn't a bad thing. I just feel that some of the hysteria and talk of relegation or going backwards is premature. Let us see where the squad is by the end of August. Then let us make our predictions.
]]>As if by magic, we have both today.
]]> Whilst reading this piece by Colin Tattum on the Birmingham Mail website this morning, the thought of going to St. Andrew's next season got me excited.New signing Neal Eardley's quotes about manager Lee Clark's vision for the club certainly helped this.
"I like to think the stronger parts of my game are going forward... After speaking to the manager, I think the way he would like to play next season it will allow the full-backs to do that," was the one that most gave notion to Clark's intentions next season.
Eardley's acquisition, when Blackpool fought tooth-and-nail to keep the Welsh full-back, was the latest player acquisition that has reflected well on Clark.
Whilst many fans wanted Paul Caddis tied up on a permanent basis, the deal to get a better full-back on a free transfer is certainly something that should be acclaimed.
Andrew Shinnie and Darren Randolph have also joined Blues this summer and spoken of the fact that they could have gone to clubs paying better wages than Blues. Yet both have referenced the fact that Clark had sold the club to them and that the plans for next season excited them so much that they moved to St. Andrew's instead.
Striker Lee Novak, who worked with Clark at Huddersfield, spoke in a similar manner after his move from the Terriers.
"To get the opportunity to work with him again was something I couldn't turn down. When he spoke to me and told me what he wanted to do next season, push for promotion and things like that, it didn't take much thinking from me," Novak told the Birmingham Mail.
Promotion?
That is a word that we've seldom seen this summer from Blues fans. With thoughts turning to the likes of Curtis Davies and Jack Butland leaving the club and developments out in Asia, most fans have accepted that it would be acceptable to survive next season.
But that doesn't appear to be enough for Clark himself; a characteristic that is infectious and gets fans and players alike excited. Every man and his dog are aware of Blues' financial situation, so to see players choosing the club over teams with a bigger financial clout is something that must enthuse supporters.
The players are being sold by the promise of an attacking, promotion-hunting team for next season. That is something that was becoming more prominent by the turn of the year last season and now, with the foundations laid, Clark is looking to build upon this and is going about it in the correct manner.
I for one am excited - or maybe the glorious sunshine has just gone to my head?
]]>As the Birmingham Mail reported here, Mitch Hancox, Will Packwood and Amari'i Bell have been offered new deals, whilst Callum Reilly has had an option in his contract exercised by Blues to keep hold of the midfielder for another year.
]]>It has been a while since Blues had such a talented crop of young players at their disposal - over the years there are not many players of a higher profile than Darren Carter and Andrew Johnson to speak of - so it is encouraging to see years of hard work finally coming to fruition.
Whilst these players were being nurtured long before he arrived, there also has to be an acknowledgment towards the role Lee Clark has played in the emergence of the aforementioned youngsters.
Yes, Clark has had his hand forced by injuries to include these youngsters in the squads. But the injury situation has rarely reached levels where Clark has had no other senior options to utilise in the starting XI ahead of youth.
When Reilly made his first start of the season he partnered Papa Bouba Diop vs Crystal Palace despite the likes of Ravel Morrison and Morgaro Gomis being available for selection. Since then he has developed with every game, as the transfer link with West Brom testifies, and impressed enough that Clark feels he can overlook the experience of Hayden Mullins and Gomis to give the youngster a regular chance in midfield. In fact, during his 18 appearances this season, Blues have only lost three games.
Clark has also not been afraid to keep Hancox in the team, despite the return of more senior professionals to the squad. With David Murphy out injured for a long while, many managers (including our last two) would have been tempted to bring Pablo Ibanez in to centre-back and shift natural full-back Paul Robinson into his familiar role. Many will say that Robinson has revelled in his new centre-back position, but that opportunity only arose because he couldn't get into the side in his favoured spot due to the faith in Hancox of Clark.
In a recent webchat, Colin Tattum said that he could not remember seeing a Blues manager who was so consumed in his role from the senior level right down to the academy and the introduction of these youngsters and management of their workloads definitely points to that being the case.
Add that to the recent scintillating form of Nathan Redmond and Ravel Morrison and the emergence of Koby Arthur amongst others and there is proof that if you are good enough, with the right mentality, Clark is not afraid to give the youth option a chance.
That thought should be quite reassuring for Blues fans with a summer overhaul expected. It is possible that Clark may have very few senior players left by the time we kick off in August, but we can rest assured for now that if we do have a plethora of youth next season, it's in the right hands.
Much has been made of the recent very public stories about him, he has made it very easy to follow with his use of social media and SKY. However, the selfish attitude and lack of commitment to the club has been there from almost the beginning. The club has lost patience a number of times with him over his reluctance to put anyone but himself first.
People forget how he sulked after he failed to get a move at the end of his first season with us. We didn't see him for the first 3 months of the following season. The medical staff and Roy were totally exasperated with him and his lack of commitment to us.
But fans forgave him because he did put it in later in the season, scoring against your deadly rivals will make fans forget the bad.
He tried to engineer moves again in the summer, but his stock was still strong enough for this to not damage his popularity. Despite not starting regularly under Clarke, he was still in credit with the fans up until January this year. Then he imploded spectacularly.
His SKY interviews and statements, plus his Twitter meltdowns would have killed the support for most players. However, support remained. For every boo, there was someone shouting for him to ignore it and show people what he can do. Despite the abusive Tweets, there were plenty still in support.
People felt we should give him another chance. Even the manager, who must have felt so let down, asked for the fans to support him. And it looked like people had.
Then he goes and does it again. Even worse, he attacks the manager and a fellow player. Surely now, the bridge was blown up and there was no return. The goodwill surely gone.
But still support seems to be there because of the good times he has provided. People tell us that the good he has provided should count for more than the trouble he has caused.
Well not for me. As far as I am concerned, he is deserves no warmth. I will remember his goals and impact when he arrived but the bad now outweighs the good by some margin. He has treated the club, the management, his fellow players and the fans shabbily. For that he will not be missed by me when he finally goes.
And that can't come soon enough.
As for the stadium announcement this week, I am pleased we aren't expanding despite many fans being disappointed, We have been successful the past few years because we have made sensible decisions based around a tight budget. This decision follows along the same sensible lines. Yet it has come under criticism and that irritates me.
I would love to see the ground improved. But funding for it should not be in place of team building. It is tough enough as it is trying to compete as it is without channeling money into ground expansion. If we were going to get a good return on the investment then I would be behind it. However, despite having reasonable ticket pricing this year, and us enjoying our most successful season in decades at this level, we still struggle to sell out.
Ticket revenue is not a big part of club funding. Extra seating just doesn't seem sensible in the current climate. The build it and they will come reasoning might be true, but will it move us forward at this time? I think not.
For me, stadium expansion is a vanity project and a dangerous path to tread. Just look at our neighbours in Staffordshire for evidence of this.
So, well done to the club for the sensible decision it made this week.It might not be popular, but it makes perfect sense to me. As long as the previously planned investment is now channeled into the team, that's the key point for me.
It is a big summer, and we need as much financial support we can muster into building the squad to maintain and hopefully build on the great work that has been done.
]]>A week or so ago, his place in Albion fans hearts was getting to Bob Taylor levels. Derby goals will do that. He would never have had to buy a pint of the black stuff again around these parts. Despite QPR's public advances, he told everyone this was his club and that he was settled. Most fell for it. Personally, I never bought it. He has always been just a tapping up away from a move. A perfect client for any agent.
]]> Until Saturday night, I think many Baggies may have been fairly forgiving of Pete if he had come out with some well chosen words when putting in his request. Honest words about wanting to make one last big money move which would potentially double his income.A footballer's career is a short one, and making as much money as you can, whilst you can, is understandable. Not many people would turn their nose up to a chance to increase their income so much.
Even a transfer request, quietly done, would have been forgivable. It happens all the time, often without fans knowing. Even with it being turned down, the two clubs could then have quietly negotiated and all parties could have got somewhere near to all getting a satisfactory outcome.
The fans would have been sad to see him go but given the goals and entertainment that he has provided, he could have gone with some goodwill intact. We have had our moneys worth.
Alas, one ill advised statement and a meltdown on Twitter later, any goodwill has now gone and the situation is a complete and utter mess. I have had many a night on Guinness but the only repercussion I have had to deal with have been with my internal workings. It has probably cost Pete 80k and a whole lot of abuse and loss of support.
His statement showed him to be a man without any class. Designed to cause maximum damage to the bridges between him and the manager and fans. Bar a Tevez or Rooney style turnaround, there is no way back. His veiled attack on past and present managers and backing of Redknapp was appalling. That alone dissolved any goodwill I had.
To then criticise the club for not accepting below value offers, whilst trying to maximise his own income, tells you all you need to know about his motives.
Compare this to the rumoured contract that Jonas Olsson recently signed. A contract that protects himself but ensures that the club does well out of it too if he goes in the summer. He could have quite easily let the contract run down with us ending with nothing. Now there is a man with class and as much loyalty as you will likely see in the mainly loyalty free zone that is football.
As for the tweets. At least one or two were coherent enough to show his motives. One in particular talked about a Russian saying that it wasn't about the money but how much. Most of the other tweets made the old press mutterings of Cantona look normal. It was car crash twittering at its finest. Joey Barton has lost his crown.
So we are now mid mess. Hopefully the club will be able to squeeze as much money out of QPR or another club to soften the blow and allow us to replace him. There is no way back. One big positive is that we are saving money left right on centre of wages and he won't be getting any contract paid up or loyalty bonuses as a result of his request.
As I type this, despite a little back tracking, he is still twittering away. His latest is "Between now and summer I will show you all a money move ! Busybodies !"
No, me neither.
So, close the door on the way out Pete. I would have preferred to have remembered you for the goals, but you will now be remembered for how you left. Shame, you could have been a legend.
]]>I guess that is the price of relative success, a rise in expectation. However, today overstepped the mark. Especially when our Captain went off.
The prolonged cheering of Chris Brunt's substitution today was nothing short of appalling. I can understand people being unhappy with the way he played. He was awful. I would imagine he was feeling pretty crappy with himself and was almost relieved to go off. But then he was completely humiliated by the crowd.
Wrong, just so very wrong.
I have never personally booed a player. That doesn't make me any better supporter than someone who has at some stage. Mickey Phelan deserved every bit of spite spat at him. But that is a rarity. Booing individuals is and always will be counter productive. It helps nobody and most importantly it doesn't help the team.
Chris Brunt is no Mickey Phelan. He has been a big part of the teams rise over the last few years. He isn't a player that has ever taken the money and given nothing back. So why the spite? He was one of many that had their boots on the wrong feet today. Gera has been awful of late too yet he seems untouchable. He even got clapped off.
We like to think of our support is a cut above the rest but are we really? It certainly wasn't today.
]]>Hyperbole is something that is common among football fans of every club, up and down the country. At Blues, nowhere is hyperbole more prominent than when starting a discussion about Nathan Redmond.
Cast your mind back to the Europa League knockout game at home to Nacional; Redmond's first competitive home start. It was a fairy tale beginning for the local lad as he rifled Blues into the lead from 25 yards before hitting the inside of the post later that night. It was an electric performance from Redmond. He was running at defenders, executing trickery that took him by players, getting into dangerous areas and tracking back at the other end.
In truth, having such a good game that night played into the hands of a fan base desperate for some genuine talent to emerge from the youth academy. In recent years, only QPR striker Andy Johnson has come through the ranks at St. Andrew's to forge a real career for himself. Therefore, the excitement around Redmond was always going to be intensified - and that is where the hyperbole started.
However, as the season progressed, the hype around him seemed justified. His appearances became more than fleeting and intermittent and he was starting to state his claim for regular starting berths. He was continuing to terrorise opposition defences and, having opened his account in December, ended the season with six goals. Scouts from Premier League clubs were said to be keeping their eyes on him and, with the behind-the-scenes issues at the club, selling Redmond seemed a possibility.
Having done so well in the first season, it seemed that Redmond would become a more important member of the side this season and that alleviated the pressure on Lee Clark to sign a 'natural' left-winger.
Unfortunately, this campaign has seen the England U19 star regress and has forced Clark into signing Hall, whom he evidently sees as a starter were he not throwing up in team meetings. Whilst some may blame the manager change for the youngster's decline, there is no doubt that he also has to take personal responsibility.
Redmond seems to have forgotten that his main attributes are his pace and his ability to dribble with the ball at his feet and commit men. Too many times this season he has been happy to receive the ball to feet and float in the kind of balls that centre-backs in this division will relish. Gone is the tricky wideman looking to get to the byline or in to a dangerous crossing position.
Equally as bad as his performances, though, has been his attitude. It is evident that there has been a noticeable shift in his demeanour since returning from the summer break. There is now an air of arrogance around him, a feeling that he feels he has already made it; a feeling that he does not need to track back so much; a feeling that he should be given the ball at every opportunity. It is noticeable, when playing on the left, how close he finds himself to David Murphy when the full-back has possession. Despite being on Murphy's toes, Redmond demands the ball and is often seen reacting petulantly when that request is not granted.
However, all is not lost. A similar hiatus for Ravel Morrison, followed by candid talks with Clark, seems to have worked wonders for the on-loan West Ham man who now seems integral to Blues' team.
Whilst he may not be as naturally gifted as Thomas Ince or Wilfried Zaha, there is no doubting that Redmond could quite easily outgrow this club and move to bigger and better things. However, for that to happen, he needs to show true character to come through this spell and concentrate on reverting back to the player who got fans so excited last season.
We have seen sides like Stoke and Fulham given praise for their mid table finishes given their size. Yet their budgets are vastly bigger than ours. Stoke are one of the highest net spenders over the last 5 years yet Pulis is lauded in the press as some miracle worker.
Despite our squad being so good on paper before the start of the season, we were still shoe ins to go down with a large portion of the London press and SKY pundits. I found that very irritating and such a lazy view.
Even after a few games in, there was still a lack of warm praise coming our way despite the start. Whenever we got a positive result, reporting was based on the other teams woes rather than our own success.
However, this has changed. Suddenly people are waking up to the fact that we are actually, a very decent team. A team put together skilfully and frugally, a team that is challenging at the top end of the table playing some attractive football as we go.
It is now lovely to hear the pundits, for the first time since the seventies, piling praise on us. Gary Neville especially has been gushing in his praise. You would think he would be a bitter Manc given that he finished his career on his 'arris in front of the Smethwick End. But no, we are his favourite side this season. How good is that to hear.
Even when we don't play particularly well, like on Monday, reporters are still pouring praise on us. We are suddenly flavour of the month.
My yearning for recognition might now come and bite us on the bum however. As we please more neutrals and pundits, we attract more attention. More attention means more scouts, more scouts, well, you can guess the rest.
But for now, I will bask in the warmth of feeling coming our way. Little old Albion, media darlings. Who would have thought it eh?
]]>The general consensus amongst Birmingham fans is that he should either be sacked or resign - a viewpoint I find frankly absurd.
A year ago this Saturday (29th September), Blues were winning away in Maribor, this time, they face arguably a tougher trip to league leaders Brighton and Hove Albion.
What a lot of people seem to be forgetting is that Blues are only seven games into the campaign. So far, their record reads P7 W2 D2 L3. Rewind to the same stage last season and I'll let you guess what our record was. You got it; P7 W2 D2 L3.
So no matter how bad you think this start has been, the important thing to remember is that we were in the same position last season and turned it round to finish fourth. Not only that, but Chris Hughton did not have the defensive crisis to contend with that Clark has.
We go into tomorrow's match without the "two best full-backs in the league" in Carr and Murphy, according to Clark. The Irishman's replacement, Paul Caddis, is also sidelined with a dislocated shoulder, meaning that either Hayden Mullins or Jonathan Spector are likely to be reverted to defence - a case of square pegs in round holes. On the other flank, Blues signed Paul Robinson on a month-long contract this week, coincidentally the same time Murphy is out with a torn hamstring. He feels he needs two weeks to get into shape, but I get the feeling Clark will throw him straight in tomorrow.
In the centre of defence, Blues have been without Curtis Davies since the Coventry game with an ankle injury, meaning Pablo Ibanez has been deputising alongside a desperately out-of-form Steven Caldwell. As seems the norm with the Spaniard, though, every time he gets a run of games, he gets injured. This time, a chipped bone in his foot will see him miss out and Davies return.
Add to that an injury to Darren Ambrose and Keith Fahey missing most of pre-season and it's easy to see why Clark has a right to be aggrieved over injuries.
Not only is he being hampered by missing these players, the ones on the pitch are a shadow of themselves from last season.
I'll touch on the defence imminently, but higher up the pitch, Chris Burke's refusal to get in and amongst players for fear of getting hurt is evident, whilst Nathan Redmond seems to have forgotten how to take on a full-back.
A quick glance through the results this season and you can find the blame for the majority of goals are results of individual mistakes.
The first goal against Charlton comes from allowing the opposition three headers in our box from a corner, a collective error. Then against Sheffield Wednesday, jack Butland dropped a cross, Caldwell inexplicably lost Rodri and Jermaine Johnson scored against an exposed backline pushing for a goal. Caldwell then gave away a ridiculous penalty against Watford, before Vydra exposes the centre-backs who are on different wavelengths regarding offside. Three woeful goals followed at Coventry, but as that was a cup game, I won't go into depth on that game.
Then, Blues seemed to turn a corner, taking seven points from a possible nine, dropping two to a spirited Forest comeback and wonder goal from Simon Cox. Clark's charges then ground out wins against Bolton and Peterborough before the Barnsley debacle - which I touched on here if you can bring yourself to relive it.
There are obviously some questions to be asked of Clark, I'm not naive enough to think otherwise. The lack of game time Ravel Morrison is seeing is debatable, whilst Mullins and Ambrose, his signings, have yet to settle.
But to place the blame for the slow start to the season solely at his feet is very harsh. He came out and took responsibility for the Barnsley debacle, but I can't help but think that some of the players should be the ones being scrutinized.
If only he had some of the luck Chris Hughton enjoyed, it could all be so different.
From the offset, we were without a recognised right-back, a problem that extended to the other side of the pitch when David Murphy went off injured. Ambrose replaced Murphy and Jonathon Spector slotted in at left-back as Blues' defensive woes continued.
But who else could we have brought on? Curtis Davies was our only recognised defender on the bench, so moving Spector was the obvious choice. Replacing him with Ravel Morrison would not have made any difference to replacing him with Ambrose. Morrison lacks the tactical discipline and defensive nous to play in a two-man midfield alongside someone like Fahey, who is not a destroyer. Therefore, Ambrose getting the nod due to his experience was probably the right call. But as we can see, at the moment, we have to fit square pegs into round holes and it is badly affecting our performances.
That said, even a patchwork side like the one we fielded should have been able to defend better than we did today.
After a first-half that saw us indebted to Jack Butland for a string of superb saves, Blues came out showing nothing more in terms of intent to attack and peg back the visitors. A sliced Spector clearance lead to a cheap corner for Barnsley and Steve Foster was left with a tap-in from the resultant corner after Marlon King and Mullins both missed the scuffed delivery and Ibanez was caught the wrong-side of the Tykes' centre-back.
Then, just three minutes later, Steven Caldwell, who has looked a shadow his former self this campaign, fires a suicidal pass into the feet of Ambrose who is facing his own goal 25 yards out. Granted, Ambrose's touch is not the greatest and he is then easily dispossessed by Mellis who set up Davies to score, but why is he been given the ball in an area where two Barnsley players are pressing?
That goal lead to a tactical swap as Nathan Redmond replaced Hayden Mullins, who was pathetically cheered off the pitch by the fans. Redmond immediately went to play in behind King and Leroy Lita and Blues went to a flat back three in search of a goal to drag themselves back into the game.
In an attempt to press the game, Blues pushed higher up the pitch, but this left them exposed to counter-attacks and with Caldwell and Ibanez not being the quickest, Davies soon exposed them again as he notched his second - easily twisting and turning the Blues pair inside out before firing home under no pressure.
That high-line was again breached moments later as Spector played the boyhood Blues fan onside and Davies nutmegged Butland to seal his hat-trick.
Then Redmond, lauded by the supporters as our saviour, epitomised Blues' day. Playing by now in a left wing-back role, he allowed a throw-in down the Tykes' right to bounce twice and then be crossed by Dagnall with no real intention of closing the striker down and Davies nodded in his fourth.
Coming to the Tilton at the end of the game looking upset, applauding the fans and shaking your head in disbelief means nothing when you come on as a substitute and refuse to close down your man, no matter what the scoreline.
Blues' cause was not helped by Ibanez having to limp off with Clark having already used his three substitutions and King playing the last ten minutes with what seemed to be a hamstring injury.
But, as the manager has said countless times this campaign, Blues are not "shooting ourselves in the foot, we're blowing our leg off". Clark has taken the brunt of the abuse for the defeat post-match, but that allows the players, who gave up with half-an-hour to play, off the hook too easily.
The task will be to replace both men with people that possess the same drive and enthusiasm and ability to work under financial constraint.
A tough task but not impossible.
Steve Clarke has made a decent start of filling Roy's boots. Whilst big tests lie ahead, the early signs are that it is a good fit. The loss against Fulham was a bad one but we have to accept that these days will happen. Most Baggies wince at the memory of Swansea away last year. It's how you react to these defeats that count, not the result itself.
The squad we have is strong through midfield and we have real depth and variety up front. The signing of Yacob has been inspired. The football has been more attractive to watch without losing the solidity, Fulham apart. My one big concern is the lack of defensive depth. The first choice back four is fine, beyond that looks flimsy. Work has to be done in January.
Thankfully, it looks like the hardball played by the Chairman will mean that Dan will be here plug the gaps during the January window.
Replacing Dan will be arguably tougher than replacing Roy. There is a fairly small pool of talent in this area. We are unlikely to find someone who is a perfect fit as they probably don't exist. The nearest example is Reading's Nicky Hammond but I can't see us luring him away as his star is almost as high as Dan's. Plus he is on much more money.
No other obvious candidates jump out. I wouldn't be surprised to see a relative unknown get the job. Or an appointment from within maybe? Tony Spearing, our Head of European Recruitment or Stuart White, our Head of UK Recruitment could possibly make the step up. Both know the job, both know the constraints and both can spot a player brilliantly.
At least the days are gone where you feared David Pleat appearing on the East Stand car park.
The one thing that makes me confident is that the man making the choice has had a pretty good track record of late of making the right appointments. Plus Dan is still there, and I am sure he has already got a shortlist of quality replacements for him drawn up. A man with the same fantastic work ethic, drive and patience.
So, what could be a disaster is going to be nothing more than a tyre change. The chassis is still solid, the engine fine tuned. There will be life after Roy and Dan, the future is still bright.
]]>We went 1-0 down to Barnet after a sloppy opening period, whilst Charlton could have been a few goals clear, had Bradley Wright-Phillips been any good in the air. On those occasions, Blues came back to steamroll their League Two opponents and snatch a draw against the newly-promoted Addicks.
In Yorkshire, Clark admitted he had got his tactics wrong. Blues had setup with three in midfield as they looked to control the game in the middle of the pitch and build from there. However, Marlon King was left isolated as the ball was launched at him from centre-backs. On the rare occasion he did win and hold up the ball, the support was hardly arriving in droves.
When Nikola Zigic came on, Blues looked much better. The ball retention instantly improved and the attacking approach they adopted was causing the previously rampant Wednesday to backtrack.
Blues had a new target to find in Zigic and the wingers seemed to be given more freedom to commit full-backs and get crosses in, from which they ultimately profited.
Clark's admission that the substitute changed the progress of the game meant that there was no doubt Blues would arrive at Vicarage Road playing 4-4-2 with Zigic starting - and so they did.
However, again Blues started slowly. Giving away third-minute penalties will not help anybody, but neither will failing to press a team crammed with exciting and dynamic young players. Hayden Mullins and Darren Ambrose started in the centre of midfield, but found themselves overrun as Watford's triumvirate of Murray, Vydra and Abdi interchanged and occupied the space between Blues' midfield and backline.
The Watford full-backs were also causing problems. The Hornets split their centre-backs at all times and pushed Lloyd Doyley and Daniel Pudil on as auxiliary wingers, leaving ex-Villa man Jon Hogg to drop in as an emergency third centre-back when necessary. With the full-backs pushing on and Watford's midfield relatively narrow, it meant that The Hornets always options across the park.
The inclusion of Chris Iwelumo was a surprise, but it worked. The big man did not allow Curtis Davies and Steven Caldwell an easy afternoon and was exemplary in his hold-up play, controlling the ball and finding the more 'exciting' players in the home side.
However, again, the second half was better. Granted, Watford may have been slightly more conservative in their approach as they had a two-goal cushion. But Blues seemed much more like the team from pre-season.
A high defensive line was employed, meaning Iwelumo was as isolated as his counterpart King had previously been. Blues were pressing all over the park, forcing the hosts to rush their clearances and ultimately play high balls to Iwelumo, with the ball more often than not running through to Jack Butland. The passing was better and, crucially, shorter as Blues moved the ball across the park instead of in a direct line to King. Burke was given freedom to float and run with the ball and he nearly found Lovenkrands after a great run.
Whilst Blues did not trouble Almunia much more in the second-half, it was at least more encouraging and left the feeling that if they could start as they finish, they would have a much better chance of gaining that first crucial league win.
The most perplexing aspect of the starting performances is that throughout pre-season Clark has drilled the importance of pressing the opposition into his players. So you have to wonder whether he has changed his tactics or whether the players have forgotten all the good work they put in out in Austria and then back home? Judging by the pressing in both second halves this week, it seems Clark has reaffirmed his desire to keep that tactic in action to the players at half-time.
Tuesday sees Blues return to the Capital One Cup and Clark has a dilemma now. Does he keep the same team and tell them to put right their wrongs and try to gain confidence? Or should he bring in some of the substitutes and offer them the chance to dislodge the under-performing incumbents?
Either way, a better start is essential, coupled with a return to the high-tempo, pressing game we've seen in fits and spurts so far.
I have read many a pre season preview about how losing Roy will see us struggle this season. I think every SKY pundit has us down before a ball is kicked. Many a London hack see a struggle for us. Only the ones that know their Midlands football have given a more rounded view, like Neil Moxley for example.
Roy going was a blow. Taking on an unproven manager is a risk. However, I have loved how we have gone about our work this summer. I can't remember a more positive and calm approach to player recruitment than what we have seen this summer. We have given Clarke every chance to hit the ground running.
Our clubs aim is simple. Build on what we have, identify players that can improve us and move players on to accommodate, all within a sound financial plan. For example, Paul Scharner out, Claudio Yacob in. It is a fine example of what we are about. Both strong defensive midfielders, one coming to the end of his career, one moving into his prime. Yacob will be a star for us, of that I am sure. Yet Yacob will cost us less than Scharns wages wise.
Keeping hold of all the players we want to keep and adding quality is a fantastic achievement. There are few clubs that can say they have managed this during the summer. But Yacob, Lukaku, Rosenberg and El Ghanassy will all add something different to a squad good enough to finish half way the last 2 seasons. Plus we now have the 2nd best keeper in the country signed up.
Of course, the Clarke factor is a big unknown. How will he cope? However, we aren't talking about a novice to football here. You don't have the career he has had in football without knowing your onions. I think we will begin slowly, its not the easiest of starts. However, I have a real positive feeling that he will surprise the sceptics.
The early signs are good. I am hearing really positive things about how the players have really taken to him and are enjoying the training. The tactics have changed, with a move to the Mourinho/Clarke 4231 formation that worked so well at Chelsea. Two defensive midfielders, a fluid 3 in front with a lone striker. We will probably see more risks than under Roy but not too much.
The one concern I have with the squad is in defence, Roy made us hard to beat but that wasn't necessarily because the back four and keeper were so good. The midfield four gave a lot of support, especially the wingers. The new formation may leave us a little exposed down the flanks, we lack defensive pace. I hope we are looking to add some pace back there before the window shuts.
That apart, we look ready to go. A lovely feeling given that we normally leave things to the last moment. Credit the chairman and Dan Ashworth and his team for that. Lets hope the FA leave us alone eh? However, if they do come for Dan, as this summer has shown, we will cope. We are strong from top to bottom.
This is the best squad of players the club has ever had. The first 11 in the late 70s were better, but we have never had this strength in depth at any time.
Enjoy the season. I know I am going to.
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