Ryan's Blues Musings

The XI Three changes. Jordan Graham and Gary Gardner make first league starts of the season. Alfie Chang returns. Maxime Colin is injured. Jordan James and George Hall are rested. Tate Campbell and Hannibal Mejbri make first squad appearances for the first season. Jonathan Leko returns. Ryan Stirk and Sam Cosgrove are out amid transfer speculation.  The game A well contested first half in which clear chances were few and far between but the intensity was high from the hosts. Hogan couldn't quite sort his feet out at the near post to finish a Bacuna delivery. Byram then got the better of Williams before being denied at the near post and a clever move involving Nunez and Aarons almost saw Dowell finish. A Graham delivery deserved better before the big moment of the half, Sargent fouled, Blues stop, the American carries on and is denied by Trusty from a tight angle. Nunez and Sinani couldn't trouble Ruddy from distance.  Blues scored four minutes into the second half. Graham with...

The XI Two changes. Marc Roberts and Troy Deeney for the injured Przymeslaw Placheta and suspended Lukas Jutkiewicz. Maxime Colin moved to RWB, Josh Williams to LWB. No Jonathan Leko or George Friend so Ryan Stirk, Jordan Graham and Gary Gardner returned to the squad. The game Completely one-sided and Rotherham barely had to break sweat. By half-time, Blues hadn't had a single shot at goal. We were undone by two long balls over the top within two minutes, Washington coming close from the second. Wood headed over the bar, Ogbene shot at Ruddy, Humphreys was close from a free kick and Hall had a header tipped over. Then the inevitable happened, Wood getting between two men to head home.  Bramall got in behind and his low cross ought to have brought a second from Ogbene before Wiles volleyed over. The closest Blues got to Rotherham was Deeney bundling over Rathbone who got handsy with James. Blues should have scored almost immediately in the second half. Graham played a delicious pass...

The XI One change. Lukas Jutkiewicz replaced Troy Deeney, who was rested. Rest of the squad the same with Nico Gordon, Gary Gardner, Kristian Bielik, Jordan Graham and Marc Roberts unavailable. The game A positive start. Placheta fired over on the half volley then the press paid off twice, Bacuna first firing a pass a little too tough for Hogan before weighting one perfectly for Jutkiewicz who was deemed to have been fouled by Joe Bennett, resulting in a red. Bacuna shot just wide from the resulting free kick then Hogan had an effort blocked. Wigan made a change and had a couple of chances, Darikwa seeing an effort blocked before Naylor missed a great chance. The game petered out from there, James curling wide from 20 yards and Keane later volleying wide from a Lang cross. We started the second half well, Trusty's cross finding Bacuna whose effort was deflected wide then Jutkiewicz headed a cross on target but with no power. Power's effort from a tight angle was well saved by R...

The XI Two changes for Blues. Josh Williams made his full debut. George Hall made his second ever start. Marc Roberts missed out with injury. Alfie Chang dropped to the bench. Sam Cosgrove made his first squad appearance of the season.  The game A contest in which the favourites had most of the ball and the best chances but were never allowed to rest easy against plucky opposition.  Both sides were full of beans from the off but chances not forthcoming with Asprilla & Kabasele blazing over from distance. The game opened up on 14, Pedro beating two and crossing for Bayo who should have done better, Bacuna's wicked delivery found Hogan who couldn't turn the ball past Bachmann then Bayo hit the post having flicked on Cathcart's header goalwards. On 19, a goal. Hogan was found in behind Cathcart in the right channel. He composed himself and found Hall who slotted home from 18 or so yards. A lovely finish and a first senior goal for the 18 year old.  Watford came close soo...

The XI One change. With Ryan Woods in talks with Hull City, Alfie Chang stepped in at the base of midfield for his league debut. Jordan Graham was also absent from the squad with Josh Williams and George Hall returning. The game A shocker. It started quickly, Ryan Wintle firing wide after Romaine Sawyers ran off Chang into the right channel. Sawyers & Max Watters were then denied by John Ruddy after Callum O'Dowda got in behind Auston Trusty. We didn't learn our lesson. On 17 minutes, Przymeslaw Placheta switched off and O'Dowda ran in behind, teeing up Jaden Philogene with Maxime Colin a spectator. Blues' best chance of the match probably came when Juninho Bacuna and Troy Deeney linked up to set Scott Hogan away, the striker denied by an excellent Jamilu Collins challenge. It wasn't the spark needed. A catalogue of errors over the final 10 minutes of the half leading to chances for Philogene, Watters, Watters again and almost Philogene again before Watters took...

  A huge morale boost for Birmingham City fans, players and management with the first home game of John Eustace's reign ending in a hard-fought victory having played some excellent stuff. The XI: Completely unchanged. Ruddy; Sanderson Roberts Trusty; Colin James Woods Bacuna Placheta; Deeney Hogan. The game: Not a game flush with clear chances but both sides knew what they wanted to do in possession and both created good opportunities.  I felt we were the better side in the first half and we scored quickly, Hogan heading home Bacuna's wicked delivery a moment after Placheta was denied on the line.  Ruffels had Hudds' best chance, forcing a solid save from Ruddy. Blues doubled the lead just before the end of the half, Colin sending Hogan away whose cross found James then Placheta.  Hudds started the second half the better side. Thomas ought to have scored then his cross was tipped over. The visitors did get their goal just after the hour with an excellent move that en...