BRUM IS BLUE!

Blues were knocked out of the FA Cup at the weekend following a spirited performance against top Premier League opposition Newcastle United. For over 90 odd minutes Blues gave 100% and the fans roared them on all the way, it was electric and as I stood in the Kop with my 12 year old son all I could think of was the Premier League days, the Carling Cup days, late nights in the Black Horse or early mornings in the Square Peg and I was so proud he was able to be there to experience a night like that.

Many clubs in the pyramid suffer poor owners, maybe none have suffered owners as bad as ours were. As he came of age my lad had to suffer through falling down stands, defeat after defeat, the selling off of our best talents and the collapse of our academy. It’s what us Bluenoses call “Character building” and is essentially a rite of passage for all of us over the years. It did seem though that we’d never get evenings like Saturday back before Knighthead came knocking.

It’s come to League One for us to really push on, I stopped writing my last blog with the appointment of Rooney as I think most of us could see the inevitable outcome, but that in itself is a distant memory now. The feeling around the club is the best I’ve felt in so long, fans are back and vocal, there is a hint of Americanisation but such is modern football and the players look as though they want to play for the badge rather than just the buck (See what I did there!). Recruitment has really hit the mark this season.

I want to pick a standout player so far this season but it’s genuinely hard to, Stansfield has swiftly cemented himself as a fan favourite and truly seems to have the mentality that us as Bluenoses love. He grinds hard, chasing everything down, he gets in the faces of the opposition and one thing we’ve been crying out for that he brings as well is goals. Paik is essential to Blues midfield, I think this was further cemented when he was injured as he was seriously missed. Laird looks as though he could play anywhere on the pitch at times, makes some fantastic runs and has scored a decent goal or two which is fantastic for a defender. It gets to the point you’re almost naming the whole squad but I think a player I’m loving at the moment is Iwata.

Of course the League position helps and top of the league is a change of pace from the last few seasons. There’s a real positivity that we can do well next season in the Championship, assuming we get there of course. I really want to see us go up as champions and the icing on the cake will be another day out at Wembley. Just one more game separates us and a visit to the home of football with dreams of a repeat of that infamous season the last time we were in the third tier (I can see Stansfield with a SOTV t-shirt).

All of this of course is down to Knighthead and their vision. I had said there will be mistakes along the way, Rooney was one such mistake, but their ambitions are big, they’ve transformed our matchday experience and they certainly know how to cash in on a commercial sponsorship or three. Tom Wagner, he’s one of our own. He loves to buy fans a beer, he’s found in the stands, there genuinely couldn’t be a more exciting time to be a Bluenose.

We’ll keep right on of course but for now we’re loving the joys after years of sorrow! UTFB!