Blues 0 Barnsley 5

How do you sum up a game like this? Watching your team lose 5-0 to a poor, let’s face it, they are, Championship side is a horrible, horrible spectacle. Well, the 13,893 who turned up for the televised game certainly didn’t expect this.

Lee Clark doesn’t set a team out to lose 5-0 and the players earn a lot of money so should stand up and be counted. What did we see today? Eleven (and subs) gutless, lazy players. Yes, Clark picks them. But what else can he do? The ugly truth us, the situation won’t get any better until Carson Yeung sells up. We need OUR club back. Saying that, I like to see a manager on the side lines screaming, balling and ranting at his players, especially when they were as bad as Blues were today.

The first half made for dour viewing. Any neutrals who kept the TV on after half time, my hat goes off to you. Indeed, I, along with thousands of others left the ground after an hour. Unfortunately for me, the pub was showing the game live! Oh well…

Are there positives we can take out of the game? Maybe only the fact it can’t get any worse, can it?! The midfield of Burke, Fahey, Spector and Elliott were slow, lacked energy and that’s being kind. The back-four, particularly Caldwell (unusually for him) were abysmal. I hate that word, but I can’t think of any others that sum it up without swearing. To make matters worse, King, Murphy and Ibanez picked up injuries. It could only happen to Blues. After losing Paul Caddis, that was bad enough…

Credit must go to Barnsley. Yes, Blues were very poor. But I’ve seen Blues poor before and get away with it. Keith Hill’s men took full advantage and won the game, and then some. Craig Davies, a Brummie and apparently a Blues fan, scored 4. They played well. We were diabolical. That sums it up, if the scoreline didn’t already. The last time we lost by such a large margin at home was 1987. I was one. We lost to Palace 6-0.

The chants from Tilton of “you Chinese bastards, get out of our club” were long overdue. Gianni Paladini’s bid for the club was scuppered not long ago. How can Yeung turn down £25m plus all his debts for a club he is ruining? Will he get a better offer? I doubt it. Were not exactly a big club.

Coming back to Clark, we’ll see what sort of manager he is next weekend at Brighton. If he bottles it and shuts-up-shop, and we don’t win, he’ll be on his last legs as far as the fans are concerned. If he goes to the Amex, attacks and shows intent, even we lose, fair play, he showed bottle and gave it a go. But our defence has been shaky at best this term. Today they looked like amateurs. Where do we go from here?

As the song goes, “its a long, long road, they’ll be joys and sorrows too”. Keep Right On! That’s all we can do. That’s what has kept us going for 130 odd years. It surely, can only get better?

Changing the subject before I leave you. The petitions outside the ground today for the 96 tragically killed in the Hillsbrough disaster was a great touch. I hope you all signed it.

Blues ratings- Butland 6. Mullins 3. Caldwell 3. Ibanez 3. Murphy 4. Burke 4. Spector 3. Fahey 3. Elliott 4. King 3. Lita 3…SUBS USED- Ambrose 3. Redmond 3. Zigic 3.

Match report by Rob Wildey.