How did you view it when we went on a long run without winning under Dalglish and got promoted albeit via the playoffs? It's about points accumulation surely and at the beginning of December we had enough to be in 7th. That is what any manager should be judged on. I remember asking you if Tomasson was sacked who would you like and you called Eustace so well done. He, like any manager will be judged on results.

The intention was to add all time but I agree that has eased off from many of them. The going off for thirty seconds has been circumvented by players simply not having treatment. They go down, the referee goes over and they tell him they don't want treatment. Miraculously a short time later they are up on their feet and their team has its full complement of players. Job done. Also keepers having treatment is more frequent as they don't have to go off. Preston have one where a player deliberately tries to take a throw in further up than they should in the full knowledge that the referee might send them back and it wastes time. If he doesn't send them back they have the advantage of moving up the field. Win/Win.

He lives in Kent, Sevenoaks I think. He rents a house locally.

To try and justify your dislike of Tomasson you are obtusely ignoring facts.

It was February 3rd last year when Broughton spoke publicly about the O'Brien and Brierley farce and he accepted full responsibility. This year he won't be speaking until some time in March. That's a long time to concoct a story. He will probably have been to Orlando by then and secured McGuire on a pre contract as some from of appeasement to us. It doesn't wash with me.

I watched a bit of Nobbers game last night and was the usual shithousery from them. Wasting time at every opportunity, players going down but not wanting treatment so they don't have to go off, the keeper holding on to the ball for ages, slow to restart the game at throw ins, goal kicks etc and other things. We need a strong referee but we haven't got one. It's David Webb who last had us at Sheffield Wednesday when he missed a clear foul on Hill and then went Tomasson off. that appointment has just added to my concerns about the game.

I have just seen their goal from an angle behind the goal and can't believe how badly we defended it. We look like a kids team who all get attracted to the ball leaving Dozzell unmarked and able to pick his spot. I expect better from professional footballers.

Based on the evidence of the first two games under Eustace it seems we have gone from one extreme to the other. Under Tomasson we created many chances (and in fairness missed most of them) with a higher tempo and incisive movement in the final third. Under Eustace it doesn't appear we will create nearly as many chances as he looks to adopt a far more pragmatic style based on defending quite deep and in numbers. I really think this will impede Szmodics who flourished under Tomasson and his goal against Stoke aside has looked ineffective.

Clearly Eustace is getting to know our players and it might take time and it can be argued that he knows the Birmingham players better. If so why did he play a system including three centre halves which left us woefully short in midfield, an area where they completely dominated us. The two Asian players for them had the freedom of St Andrews at times in the first half whilst we had three centre backs marking one player. They cut us open several times and only good grace saved us. Not one player comes out with any credit for me and I don't but this 'torn between two stools' excuse as the adapt to different managers styles. Birmingham are not a good side and on a poor run but at times we made them look like Real Madrid such was the collective ineptitude. I am honestly dreading Saturday as Preston always exploit our weaknesses and right now there are many to go at. Eustace has to come up with a proper game plan and ensure the players have the capability to carry it out. Now that might just be a problem.

Same shit, different manager. That was as bad as anything we produced under Tomasson and had Birmingham took half of their chances we would have been on the end of our heaviest defeat for some time. Too slow in possession, wanting too much time on the ball and pedestrian was the name of our game for me. I'm too tired right now to go into my full feelings. And after Brittains bit man talk yesterday he gave another performance that was almost an impression of a jellyfish - spineless. If he had a heart as big as his ego he might make a player.

I get that too Tyrone but find them compelling. Boys From the Blackstuff could almost have been a documentary at that time. It was Alan Bleasedale at his best.

The real testing time for Eustace will be the Summer transfer window when, at the whim of an Indian court he is likely to have his budget slashed for both wages and transfers. I don't believe anything will change and if his is misled or is ambitious it will frustrate him as it did Tomasson. Thee name on the managers door can change but we still have the elephants in the room.

Sounds a bit Burnleyish to me 😃😃

He's a bitter Dingle who only went to Accrington because that lot didn't want him. I thought he was selling Accrington after he threw his toys out of the pram when Jimmy Bell called him out on Radio Lancashire.

I thought Adam showed up well and was pleased to see him doing so much good work off the ball in terms of closing down and tracking back. He played a couple a clever passes in the second half but the low possession count for Palace meant he couldn't get on the ball too much. He will only get better. Hopefully he will be at Birmingham tonight if Hodgson has given the Palace players a couple of days off 😉.

Follow the dual carriageway to the road that takes you up to St Andrews and go right around the big roundabout so you are heading back where you came from. Once on the dual carriageway turn a left down any of the side roads. There are lots of business premises with plenty of street parking particularly after 6 pm. The benefit of this is that you are facing the right way to get back to the A38 and M6. It's a ten minute walk from there to the ground.

And yet his style and approach was fine when we went on cup runs and were a whisker away from the playoffs. In fact everything seemed good until we went on a horrible run from December onwards. Players look to shift the blame too often for me and that is what Brittain is doing here.

Kidd Dalglish Souness Berg Tomasson

For anybody who enjoyed the recent three part documentary on Channel 4 about the miners strike there is another documentary on BBC 2 on Sunday 18th at 9 pm. The synopsis describes it as the story of fifteen men and women and the life changing year for them.

They can spend money on frivolous appeals and fly to Orlando to try and correct their own huge error but paying to jet wash something as important (to the fans at least) as this will probably be deemed too expensive. Another reason to detest Waggott.

As was Rankin-Costello's. He didn't even lift his head up as he had a picture of what was outside him. With one touch he guided the ball perfectly into Brittain's path.

Interestingly Birminghams next two games are us and Sunderland.

If this new bloke is a set piece specialist let's hope he sees the value of leaving a couple of players upfield when the opposition have corners and free-kicks they are putting into the box. For the life in me I can't see the value of the likes of Dolan or Markanday defending crosses. Also it means the opposition have to leave at least one spare player back to mark them.

Who has?

I saw Birmingham lose at Sheffield Wednesday on Friday and they weren't very good. Their full backs, Laird and Buchanan were as poor on the night as anything I've seen for a while. I didn't realise they have signed the ex Dingle Kevin Long who is as slow as anything. I'm not expecting a flowing feast of football but if we play with intensity and do the basics right we can get something. I would to with the same team simply to try and keep a clean sheet. If we do that the rest will take care of itself.