BRUM IS BLUE!

Tomorrow is Blues 150th Anniversary Fixture as we face Norwich at St Andrews following the unveiling of plans for the new stadium which were released yesterday afternoon. I expect the occasion will be very well marked, the unveiling of the Stadium is like a nod to the future but tomorrow will be reflection on the past.

150 Years of Blues, beginning life as Small Heath Alliance, it’s been a journey. Our first game was a cold November in 1875 as we faced Holte Wanderers at our former Arthur Street home, playing out a 1-1 draw. Life began on a patch of waste land before we moved into Sparkhill briefly and then onto Muntz Street.

It took ten years for Blues to become a professional club and then three years later we became the first club to be a Limited Company. For the 1889-90 season Blues were invited to compete in the Football Association and then in 1892 we were invited, along with other Asscoiation Clubs, to join the newly established Division Two in the Football League. It feels as though this is the division we have spent most our existance in.

There has been many a change over the years as we moved to St Andrews, incurring the gypsies curse along the way, changing from Small Heath Alliance to Birmingham City Football Club, became the first English Team to reach back to back semi-finals in a European Final as we faced Barcelona in a two legged semi-final, beating them at St Andrews and losing at the Camp Nou and going to a replay which Blues narrowly lost. The following year it was Roma whom prevented us from reaching the final. We have enjoyed Premier League football, Europa League nights, League Cup Finals, Football Association Cup Finals, Play Off Finals and more.

Blues had the first Million Pound Player and have produced some of the finest talent the country has seen. Bellingham is bossing it on a global stage and always giving a nod to where it all started for him. We’ve had dodgey owners flirting with administration, owners that tried simply to turn a profit leaving the club to become lacklustre and owners that looked to show off owning a football club as much as possible.

There have been plenty of characters down the club and our fanbase is at times feared but always the loudest. As we celebrate 150 Years I hope we smash Norwich and enjoy the party, there’ll be joys and sorrows but Brum is always Blue!