Fan Preview: Chelsea vs Birmingham City

What a week it’s been with Blues most accomplished FA cup performance for over fifty years. When Blues reached Wembley in ’56 they included away wins at Albion and Arsenal which were pretty amazing and hopefully our third away draw in succession is an omen. The 5-1 win at Newcastle a couple of years ago was another memorable night but I don’t see Everton being in the same position of Newcastle in 18 months from now.

If Everton away was a test, then Chelsea at Stamford Bridge will certainly give a 15 match unbeaten run plenty of scrutiny. At £48 it’s a test of Blues’ fans loyalty. For a club that has access to an almost infinite pot of money charging that amount is scandalous, and so was our charging that amount for the ‘Derby’. 

Chelsea is of course included in that 15 match unbeaten run and had the Benitez goal not been wrongfully disallowed our run would look even more impressive. Chelsea’s appearance at St Andrews was part of a little blip they had around Christmas but since then they have started to click again. Ironically because of Cup commitments and bad weather the ‘Pensioners’ have lost their top spot. The last visitors to the Bridge were Steve Bruce’s Sunderland who were tanked 7-2.  If Steve thinks that he has players worth £15 in his side then that gubbing and a defeat to lowly Portsmouth in the cup would suggest that he has a re-think.

Blues have liberated Craig Gardner from his imprisonment over at the Dark side and should be on the bench. As a lifelong Blues fan one would ask why he should sign for those that are never mentioned. The answer is simple. While the Brady- Sullivan financial model was in place at St Andrews the Blues academy was starved of finance while Doug Ellis was investing heavily in their Youth set up.  When Blues bosses woke up to the fact that the Academy was important it was because they could profit from selling the likes of Andy Johnson and Darren Carter.

Blues could have reasonably expected not to have faced the mighty Drogba this time but as his Ivory Coast team were eliminated from the African Cup of Nations. He may well show up on Wednesday although he was well policed by a Blues defence at St Andrew’s. Should the twin towers of Dann & Johnson repeat that performance will they not be contenders for the Cappello’s squad for the England clash with Egypt in March?

The only decision Alex Mcleish will have to make is whether to bring back Jerome to revert to the side that has played the last 9 League games. While the Blues front line showed more control at Everton with McFadden alongside Chucho I suspect the lack of pace that Chelsea’s defence showed on Boxing day will mean that the in form striker will return.

Blues visits to Stamford Bridge have not been the disasters that the difference in budget would suggest.  Everton were the last side to take anything from a visit to Chelsea in a recent 3-3 draw. Whether Blues can equal or better that return is open to conjecture but it is unlikely that Blues will concede 3 goals.

By Alan Watton

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