Watto’s Preview: Manchester City vs Birmingham City

Top billing on Sky! Is the world waking up to the BlueNose nation? No doubt the likes of Jamie Rednapp will talk endlessly about Manchester City’s Champion’s League prospects and forget that Blues are not just there to make up the numbers.

The last meeting with the Citizens saw Blues miss out on a deserved 3 points when James Mcfadden had his penalty saved by Shay Given. The Irish goalkeeper’s situation is of course a major concern to Blues who have Joe Hart on loan. Joe is not eligible to play on Sunday and Maik Taylor deputises. The latest rumour to emanate from the media is that Joe will go back to City if they qualify for the Champion’s League. That gives Blues an extra incentive to avoid defeat. The situation is complicated by the fact that Man City does not have to make any decision until the end of the season. In fact they don’t have to make a decision at all. They have the two best goalkeepers on their pay role and will want megabucks to let either go. Blues, should Hart not return have two international keepers who could do the job for the time being although Maik Taylor is close to 40 now.

Joe Hart himself is the only one who can influence the situation one way or another. If Joe wants to play Premier League football then he can. He is in a position to demand it and if he wants to play here he can. You would hope that if City want Givens to continue, Hart would chose us but if someone else comes in with a better offer what can Blues do? As good as Hart is would Blues blow £10-12m on a keeper?

Watching Manchester City demolish an abject Burnley 6-1 at Turf Moor was encouraging. Surely no-ne could defend as badly as that against them again. Very often sides who have such an emphatic wins, particularly away, suffer a goal drought afterwards. (Check Blues results after 7-0 (Stoke) and 7-1 (Oxford) away wins. Both 0-0’s). City’s front line are impressive but as they showed at St Andrews they don’t relish facing more determined defences than Burnley could put out.

At the back, the much vaunted, very expensive, Villa fan Joleon Lescott has been disposed of through injury and the back line and keeper were none too clever when Burnley decided to give City something to think about.

To collect anything from this game Blues must score and to win, keep a clean sheet. That might sound a bit backwards but Blues don’t do 0-0 away from home very often. If they score then they usually concede so Blues need to buck those trends for this game.

With both our next two away games on Sky my greed tells me that we want success in both so the rest of soccerdom learns that we are back and where we belong. That is, if not Champions League just yet, a force to be reckoned with. With this squad likely to be dissected come May Alex will know who wants to be here and more important who deserves to be part of the New Blues.

By Alan Watton

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