Views of Bluenose Michael Steeples

As blues fans we are used to being treated poorly by our owners, having endless bad luck over the years and problems both on and off the field other clubs have no clue about. Now I’m no journalist or blogger I’m just a supporter of Birmingham City football club. I Have been going down home and Away on and off due to work commitments and living abroad for the last 25 years. So have experienced like so many of us the highs and the numerous lows of our glorious football club.

What always makes me proud about our club is Once a player plays for Birmingham City and feels the warmth, love, support and humour of the Birmingham City supporters they tend to stay with us for life ! Players from all over the world stick with Birmingham City because we are genuinely class, genuine and honest supporters. I remember Gary Rowett turning to the Away fans and screaming ‘I F*****G Love you lot’ after we screamed and chanted and called for him to chase down a ball he was never going to get ! He knew it we all knew it but he chased it down anyway while we clapped, screamed and chanted his name.

I have been standing on Away terraces for years in the wind and rain watching us get pummelled, in the play offs at Barnsley with snow / sleet / rain no roof on the place absolutely freezing losing 4-0 and still supporting and singing for our team. That’s what makes us special! It’s important for us to remember that and never change! The Neanderthals down the road do not understand what football is all about! They had it their own way for way too long before they found there true level over the past 6 seasons dropping into the championship.  In between protests, wearing Blackburn shirts and spending £80million they will never understand why we as fans are so respected around the UK and they are seen as a bit of a joke. Did you see them in the Away end at St Andrews ?? Pathetic!

My personal opinion with the club is it’s rotten from the top down. The owners clearly have no idea what football is all about, they only been playing the game in China at a decent level for what 5 years?? How can they know anything about a football club with over 100 years of history! They will never know or understand what the clubs means, its morals and the supporters.

So I believe our problems really started when they sacked Rowett. I know not exactly a ground breaking insight but still. I think it sent ripples through the core of the club and undone all the hard work Rowett and his Squad had put in. The appointment of Zola was quite frankly pathetic and nothing else needs to be said.

This brings me into Redknapp / Cotterill and any other manager mentioned in all the forums / social media threads. Firstly I personally think Redknapp and Vetere should not of been employed in full time role, I also think Cotterill’s influence was severely overlooked at the end of last season, he was the one working with the players, he was the one on the training pitch not Redknapp, I believe Redknapp was employed purely on his name and his reputation from 20 years ago not in today’s game.

I think after all the turmoil the Chinese created we would of struggled to employ many managers. Cotterill for me was the right man for the job, I think he had the dressing room, he certainly has a better knowledge of the league in recent years. Redknapp wasted so much time chasing African midfielders whilst the savvy managers in the league who understand the league we’re out purchasing players with the experience and correct tools to make it in the championship. The fact he sold Shotton and was happy to let Kieftenbeld go speaks volumes to me that he was clearly not the right man and his recruitment with Vetere in my opinion was poor, miss guided whilst he managed to call the rest of the squad useless on numerous occasions.

We knew the squad was not filled with world beaters and technically gifted players, but they played for each other, they knew their strengths, they had chemistry. Redknapp killed all that. I hear people talking about getting rid of Cotterill already ??? He has had 7 games ! He has inherited a broken, miss matched squad with no stability, no confidence, down on luck and people think he is going to change all that! Change problems he did not create or implement !! Within 7 games ?

Look I know they are on the training ground every day, but playing a competitive match is worlds apart from training. The foundations need to be built on the pitch! And unfortunately during that transition period we are going to make mistakes we are going to look void of confidence and lose games. Now I’m not saying if he loses 10 games let’s keep him, but if we lose 5 games showing improvement that’s different. Stability is what’s required. Yes he has made some strange decisions, poor team selection, formations etc but we are still trying to heal from all the nonsense and still trying to find out exactly what our best team is!

I see people talking about getting Bilic or Koeman in after they have just failed spectacularly, spending hundreds of Millions in the process! No manager is going to walk into any football club with all the underlying problems we have from the top to the bottom and start producing fantastic, flowing football and winning games home and away. I believe Redknapp panic brought, I think he brought in the wrong players and I think his man management of the whole squad sent us further into the doldrums.

Cotterill has inherited a squad with no belief in themselves, no playing style, no soul. We’re not a passing and moving team, we’re not a down the channels get a cross in for the strikers to feed off team or a counter attacking side. Fact is at the minute in my opinion the team has no identity, no confidence and no idea how to play. What players are best in what positions and what formation to play? I think given time Cotterill will turn it around!

But this brings me back to my initial comments Birmingham City supporters always pull together in the worst possible times. Our mentality, our support is going to be a massive part of building a team! I know the football is driving us crazy at times it’s basically not good enough full stop. But those players are human beings! Our support will get under their skin and make them fight for that shirt! Let’s not keep calling for sacking the manager and keep making us look the laughing stock of world football because god dam we are better than that! We deserve so much more than that, our club is class. Let’s pull together! Support and show belief in them players and the manager no matter what because if we don’t show them we believe in them and support them they will never believe in themselves no matter what manager or how long they spend on the training ground!