‘Optimism Has Returned At Blues’
- Birmingham City are the visitors to King Power Stadium on Saturday (3pm kick-off)
- Blues face Leicester City in the fourth round of the Emirates FA Cup
- Birmingham Mail journalist Alex Dicken gives the lowdown on their season
- There has been an upturn in form since the arrival of new manager Tony Mowbray
Following Wayne Rooney’s departure after less than three months in charge, former West Bromwich Albion, Blackburn Rovers and Sunderland manager Mowbray is the man tasked with leading the Blues out of their current slump.
He’s started well, too, with four points from a possible six in the Sky Bet Championship. There’s still work to be done, with the side remaining 20th in the standings, but this weekend’s Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round tie at King Power Stadium provides a different focus.
Beating Hull City in a third round replay has led Birmingham to this stage of the competition, with Kōji Miyoshi’s stoppage-time goal sealing a 2-1 win at St. Andrew’s last week, part of a morale boosting run of form across all competitions.
“After Blues lost 3-0 against Leeds United on New Year’s Day, it seemed unstainable,” Dicken explained, outlining the end of Rooney’s tenure. “Tony Mowbray has come in and he’s vastly experienced. Everyone knows the success he has had at this level as a manager over the past two decades since his time with West Brom in 2007.
“He’s done well in other jobs and never left a club in a worst place than he found it. There’s a lot of optimism around his appointment, particularly with him coming from a season at Sunderland where they weren’t expected to challenge and he got them into the play-offs.
“Already we’ve seen a vast improvement. Blues are much better with and without the ball and are unbeaten in three games. They weren’t brilliant in the win at Stoke - they had far less of the ball and fewer chances but they got a 2-1 win and got the job done. It’s been all positive really so far in his reign.”
Reverting to a tried and tested style of play, while also recruiting January reinforcements, has worked wonders for Birmingham, who had started the season well under John Eustace, before looking destined to be dragged into a fight to retain their Championship status.
“He’s changed the system,” the journalist continued. “They’ve gone back to the 4-2-3-1 which worked well at the start of the season. Rooney never used that and it’s probably the one which is best suited to these players.
“The players have recognised that straight away. He’s tweaked a few things, putting [Krystian] Bielik at centre-back for a better ball-playing option having played in midfield previously this season.
“He’s also brought in Andre Dozzell who played against Stoke and won’t be eligible for the Leicester game. Mowbray wants his team to have more of the ball and play forward more quickly. He gets very frustrated on the touchline when his midfielders don’t go forward.
“Against Swansea and Hull in that FA Cup replay, they had a lot of the ball and used it quite well. Those performances were two of the best they’ve had this season in terms of possession and chances created.
“Another key thing Mowbray has done is making them more solid at the back. They haven’t kept a clean sheet but have won two games by only conceding one goal. They were shipping an average of two goals per game under Rooney so it’s been an improvement at the back which has coincided with positive results.”
Discussing Blues’ cup prospects, Dicken anticipates a small number of changes to the side for Saturday’s 3pm kick-off on Filbert Way, with Mowbray opting for a fairly settled line-up in his opening matches.
The reporter added: “I think they’ll have a good go because it’s not a busy month in terms of league fixtures. They have a week until their next game and he can play his first choice XI. I think he’ll go quite strong but also give three or four players who haven’t had much of a look-in a game and show him what they can do.
“Three games in it already feels like he’s got nine or 10 places in the team nailed down and he knows who is in his best XI at the moment. There are still high-quality players on the bench.
“The likes of Tyler Roberts, who hasn’t had much football due to injury, Keshi Anderson, who was a main player at the start of the season and Ethan Laird, who is coming back from injury. These guys probably deserve a chance to stake their claim.
“He’s admitted it’s almost a shot to nothing against Leicester, who are expected to win. Blues aren’t going to win the FA Cup. They can go there without fear and try and get a positive result.”
All times GMT.