BRUM IS BLUE!

One week into the season (Well not even a full week) and the cup is back. Blues aren’t in action until tomorrow when we face Sheffield United at St Andrews so I’ll do a proper preview then, for now I thought I’d ask the question; Would it be worth going on a cup run?

In past seasons I’ve always been well up for a cup run, no questions asked, football is about what you win not mid-table finishes, so usually I’d say it’s worth a punt. I still think it is but for a change I’m weighing up different considerations, do we need to have a cup run or is it a case of all guns blazing for the Premier League?

Previous Championship seasons I’ve said to focus on the cup as we were unlikely to get promoted (Or relegated I had said as well, you can’t account for a rogue Rooney appointment), last season I said to try and succeed in the cup because we could handle both the league and the cup, this time around I’m slightly more apprehensive about it all. I strongly believe we can get promoted this season, now whether that’s the best thing for the trajectory of the club remains to be seen but either way it will be more of a challenge than League One was so I feel there needs to be more focus on the League this season.

Blues do however have a decent bit of depth in their squad and I don’t think it’s too much beyond them to at least enjoy a stint in the cups but do we want to get deep in any competition that we’re not looking to win? We can weigh it up in terms of winning mentality vs physical ability and to be fair I think it still comes out quite balanced, we want to engrain that winning mentality into every aspect of the squad and would potentially play a different team in the cups so it would surely allow for that winning mentality to be sewn throughout all aspects of the squad.

There is another poetic reason that would be nice, it would be quite full circle to win it and get relegated then not gain promotion back to the Premier League without winning it again. That’s more of a kind of symmetrical, full circle kind of nice little bow that would just be a bonus more than anything. Plus it would be nice to be back in a European competition on our first season up and how good would that look in season two and three of Built in Birmingham!

All in all I’d like a cup run, not at the expense of the League though as I think promotion is on the cards but if our squad can handle it then I think it’s a good way to get game time for our squad players that aren’t starters and if they can carry us to the finish line its testament to the quality and depth that Blues now have. I don’t imagine Davies will be weighing it up like that though, we know his mentality is take it one game at a time so no doubt he’ll be looking at tomorrow with the same intensity that he’ll be looking at Blackburn on Saturday.

I appreciate that winning the League and the League Cup (Or FA Cup) is highly unlikely, but how class would it be!