Birmingham City F.C. season 2008-09
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| Birmingham City Football Club | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Season 2008–09 | |
| Manager |  Alex McLeish |
| Chairman |  David Gold |
| League | The Championship |
| League Position | Current: 2 |
| FA Cup | Will enter: Third Round |
| Carling Cup | Second Round |
| League goalscorers | Kevin Phillips 9 Garry O'Connor 5 Cameron Jerome 4 James McFadden 3 Quincy 2 Marcus Bent 1 Sebastian Larsson 1 Franck Queudrue 1 Liam Ridgewell 1 |
| Carling cup goalscorers | Cameron Jerome 1 Sebastian Larsson 1 Mehdi Nafti 1 Quincy 1 |
| Highest league attendance | 24,019 vs Sheffield United (9 August 2008) |
| Lowest league attendance | 15,689 vs Ipswich Town (25 November 2008) |
| Average league attendance | 18,706 |
| Previous Season | ←2007-08 |
| Next Season | →2009-10 |
The 2008–09 season will be Birmingham City F.C.'s 116th in the Football League, their second season in The Championship, and their 47th in the second tier of English football.
Contents |
[edit] Season events
[edit] May 2008
11 May - The day saw Birmingham's last game in the 2007/08 Premier League season as the beat Blackburn Rovers by four goals to one. The game saw the Birmingham fans calling for the board to resign after the club was relegated.[1]
12 May - David Sullivan, in reaction to the fans the previous day, blamed former manager Steve Bruce for the clubs relegation. He blamed Bruce for buying poorly the previous summer, and signaled out defender Franck Queudrue and goalkeeper Richard Kingson as partically poor signings, calling Kingson a ‘waste of space’.[2] This lead to Queudrue hitting back at Sullivan for his comments, saying that he had not played enough to judged so harshly.[3]
13 May - The club decided to activated the year option of Tunisian midfielder Medhdi Nafti's contract. His contract was due to expire in June, but with the added year his contract will now run until the summer of 2009.[4] Birmingham also decided to release four youth players, namely Asa Hall, David Howland, Adam Legzdins and Stefan Milojevic. The previous season saw Hall and Howland playing league football for Shrewsbury Town and Port Vale, and Legzdins represented Halifax in the conference.[5] Alex McLeish also decided against perusing Rafael Schmitz who had been on loan at the club from French side Lille.[6] Two members of the Birmingham backroom team also chose to leave the club. Dan Harris left to take up a role at local rivals West Bromwich Albion and Neil McDiarmid left the club to concentrate on his private physiotherapy practice after 14 years with the club.[7] Sullivan also issued an apology to Queudrue for his outburst the previous day.[8]
14 May - Birmingham released a club statement regarding the pitch invasion after the Blackburn game, and the damage caused to the Tilton Road goalposts. The club confirmed that CCTV footage of the pitch invasion had been given to the West Midlands police force and a recommendation had been given to the courts to place banning orders on any one found guilty of the trouble.[9] Midfielder Sebastian Larsson was also called up to the provisional Sweden squad for Euro 2008.[10] Although Sullivan had given apology to Queudrue over his comments on the 12 May, he had not given one to Kingson, and the Ghana keeper decided to critise the board member, describing the incident as a 'Slap in the Face'.[11]
15 May - After the events of the previous few days, keeper Richard Kingson was released from club. McLeish stated that the club had decided to release the keeper because 'It's about opinions and we have other plans so for the sake of his first team future, we have let Richard move on'.[12]
17 May - Sky Sports reported that Birmingham were holding talks with Finnish striker Mikael Forssell over a new contract. The striker is out of contract in the summer of 2008, although the club has the option of another two more years on his contract. They also confirmed that the club were considering offering goalkeeper Maik Taylor a new contract.[13]
19 May - The club made their first signing of the season, as they captures former Everton and Ireland midfielder Lee Carsley.[14] The midfielder stated his ambition to help the side win the Championship in the 2008/09 season.[15] The club also announced an profit of about £32.6 million, which was up from £14.3 million the previous 12 months.[16]
20 May - Manager Alex McLeish said that he will not rush into signing new players, but that he will take time to make sure he buys quality players that will help the club achieve promotion back to the Premier league at the first time of asking.[17]
22 May - Alex McLeish told goalkeeper Maik Taylor that he would remain the clubs number one goalkeeper if he agreed a new contract with the club.[18]
23 May - McLeish confirmed that the club were in talks with Forssell's agent over a new contract, but did conceded that if the deal offered is not right for the Finnish striker, then he will move on. McLeish also said that he believed that Scottish striker James McFadden will still be at the club for the new season.[19]
26 May - Sammy Yu, speaking on behalf of major shareholder Carson Yeung, released a statement saying that the Hong Kong business man still wanted to buy the club from current owners David Sullivan, David Gold and Ralph Gold.[20]
30 May - Finnish international Mikael Forssell confirmed that he would be playing for German side Hannover 96 when the season starts in August[21] . The striker was top goal scorer last season, and will be best remembered for the 2003-04 season when he scored 17 goals to propel the side to 10th in the Premier League.
[edit] June 2008
3 June - Lee Carsley officially joined the club after passing a medical.[22]
4 June - McLeish urged the fans to be patient when it comes to new players coming into the club. He said that the vast majority of signings will happen during July, due to people being on holiday.[23]
5 June - It was announced that Aberdeen University are to award Birmingham manager Alex McLeish with a honorary degree in recognition of his services to football at a ceremony on 3 July.[24]
10 June - McLeish told the fans that he is looking to add two or three more players to the side for the new season. This will bring the squad size up to twenty two or twenty three players.[25] McLeish also reassured fans that he is confident that the club can hold on to Sebastian Larsson. The midfielder is currently in the Swedish side ahead of their opening game of Euro 2008 against Greece.[26]
11 June - The club announced that they are withdrawing the Birmingham City reserve squad from the reserve league for the new season. The reserve team will now play a number of friendlies throughout the 2008-09 season, which will be held at St Andrews, Damson Parkway and the training ground at Wast Hills.[27]
13 June - Goalkeeper Maik Taylor announced that he had signed a new two year contract with the club. Taylor's new contract ended speculation linking him with a host of clubs including Everton and Stoke City. [28] The draw for the first round of the Carling Cup was also completed, with Birmingham playing away to Wycombe Wanderers of League Two.[29]
16 June - Fabrice Muamba left Birmingham to sign for Bolton Wanderers for a fee of £5 million, with an extra £750,000 to be paid in add ons. The midfielder made a total of 71 games for the club.[30]The new fixtures for the 2008-09 season were also released by the Football League. The side will start the season with a home game against Sheffield United.[31]
30 June - Daniel de Ridder leaves the club after having his contract cancelled by mutual consent. He joins Wigan Athletic the following day after making only twelve appearances for Birmingham. [32]
[edit] July 2008
1 July - The team returned to Wast Hills for their first day of training. The squad was two light however, as Franck Queudrue and Olivier Kapo failed to turn up. Queudrue claimed that he had misunderstood the date, and Kapo was receiving treatment on a hand injury in France. [33]
2 July - David Sullivan denied accusations that he had sexually assaulted a 25 year old woman. The Birmingham board member was released on bail until the end of August. [34]
9 July - Former West Brom striker Kevin Phillips signed a two year contract with the club. Phillips had scored 24 goals the previous season, seeing him finish as second highest goal scorer in the Championship.[35]
10 July - Birmingham played out a 2-2 draw with Hereford United behind closed doors at Wast Hills. The Birmingham goals were scored by Garry O'Connor and youngster Jamie Sheldon, with Richard Rose and Craig Jones scoring for Hereford.[36]
15 July - Birmingham played their first game of their tour to Austria, as the beat local non-league side Kirchberg. Gary McSheffrey and Kevin Phillips scored twice, and Liam Ridgewell, Garry O'Connor, and David Murphy each added a goal as the side won 7-0.[37] Following talks between the club and defender Franck Queudrue, Birmingham issued a statement saying that the player could leave on a free transfer[38], and midfielder Olivier Kapo looked set to complete a move to Wigan Athletic[39], only for the transfer to look as if it had collapsed over pay issues between the player and Birmingham[40].
16 July - Marcus Bent joined the club. The former Charlton forward was on the verge of signing for Cardiff City, but decided to move to the midlands instead[41]. Olivier Kapo also completed his move to Wigan Athletic, where he would meet up with former manager Steve Bruce.[42]
17 July - The side played their second game of their tour of Austria against Czech side FC Viktoria Plzen. Garry O'Connor, Gary McSheffrey and Mehdi Nafti got on the score sheet for Birmingham, with Jan Rezek scoring a consolation goal for Plzen in a 3-1 victory.[43]
20 July - FC Nuremberg were the sides final game on their tour of Austria. Garry O'Connor continued his good goal scoring form, and a James McFadden goal were enough to see of the German side, who scored through Peter Perchtold.[44]
21 July - Birmingham was hit be the news that their captain Damien Johnson will be out for at least two months [45], and in his absence, Alex McLeish appointed new signing Lee Carsley as stand in captain.[46]
24 July - McLeish added a bit more depth to his backroom staff by appointing Tim Williamson as the new head physiotherapist. Williamson had been the Head physiotherapist at Celtic for the past six years, and had also worked at Tottenham Hotspur and Leeds United before joining the Scottish Champions.[47]
26 July - Goals from Cameron Jerome and Martin Taylor saw of the challenge of Gillingham as the side played their first game back in England after their tour of Austria. Both goals were scored in the first half as the League Two side failed to defend against an impressive display of attacking football.[48]
29 July - The side's tripe to Leicester City provided another pre season victory. A goal from Sebastian Larsson and two from Kevin Phillips was enough to see off the Foxes, who scored themselves through Matty Fryatt and Levi Porter.[49]
30 July - Birmingham sign Holland-U21 midfielder Kemy Agustien from Netherlands team AZ Alkmaar on a season-long loan. [50]
[edit] August 2008
2 August - With the Championship season fast approaching, the side took on Fulham at St Andrews. The teams finished level, with Sebastian Larsson scoring for Birmingham, and Simon Davies for Fulham.[51]
5 August - A can on Radhi Jaidi's hamstring revealed that the defender had not torn his muscle, and could be back in time to face Wycombe Wanderers in the Carling Cup. The Tunisian international was forced to leave the pitch at half time when the side played Fulham.[52]
6 August - The team confirmed that they had signed former Arsenal winger Quincy Owusu-Abeyie on a season long loan. The Ghanaian international joined from Russian side Spartak Moscow.[53]
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7 August - Alex McLeish finally admitted defeat in his attempts to sign Celtic defender Bobo Balde. Balde's contract demands had been too high for McLeish's liking, and the Scottish manager had made the decision to look elsewhere for a new defender.[54] Young goalkeeper Artur Krysiak was sent on loan to York City for a month.[55]
9 August - The start of a new season saw Sheffield United visit St Andrews. The game looked like it was heading for a goalless draw when Kevin Phillips struck three minutes into injury time to hand the three points to Birmingham.[56]
Young Birmingham striker Sone Aluko left the club to join Blackpool on a month's loan.[57]
13 August - The side overcame League Two side Wycombe Wanderers 4-0 in the First Round of the Carling Cup. Mehdi Nafti, Sebastian Larsson, Cameron Jerome and Quincy Owusu-Abeyie were the scorers at Adams Park.[58]
16 August - The second game of the new season saw the side travel to Southampton. Goals from Garry O'Connor and Kevin Phillips was enough to beat Southampton, who had took the lead through Chris Perry. The two sides meet again ten days later in the Carling Cup.[59]
19 August - Young defender Krystian Pearce went on loan to League One side Scunthorpe United for a month.[60] It was revealed Tunisian Midfielder Mehdi Nafti was going to be out of action for at least two weeks after scans showed that the midfielder had suffered a small tear to his hamstring in the game against Southampton.[61]
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22 August - Although it had looked like McLeish had given up on signing Celtic defender Bobo Balde, the Birmingham manager once again came out and said that he would not wait for the Guinea international.[62]
23 August - Birmingham continued their good start to the season be defeating Barnsley at St Andrews. First half goals from Kevin Phillips and Garry O'Connor were enough to see off the Yorkshire outfit.[63]
27 August - The side crashed out of the Carling Cup after a 0-2 defeat to Southampton at St Mary's. There was a debut for young midfielder Jordon Mutch however, who becomes the second youngest debutant for Birmingham City behind Trevor Francis.[64]
30 August - The side continued their unbeaten start to the league season with a 1-1 draw against Norwich. A first half goal by Sebastian Larsson was not enough to secure victory, as a Darel Russell goal early in the second half meant that the clubs shared the points.[65]
[edit] September 2008
1 September - The closing day of the transfer window saw young striker Sone Aluko join Scottish side Aberdeen for £50,000. The Birmingham born player had spent the previous season with the Dons. [66] Defender Krystian Pearce also extended his loan deal with Scunthorpe United until January.[67]
4 September - Goalkeeper Colin Doyle was forced to undergo a minor knee operation. It was revealed that the Irish international was likely to be out for about two weeks.[68]
5 September - McLeish confirmed that although the transfer window had closed, he was still interested in utilising the loan system. He stated that he was looking to bring in one or two players, but would not do so just to make up the numbers.[69]
10 September - Cameron Jerome scored twice as the teams reserve team held Manchester United's second string to a 3-3 draw at St Andrews. Gary McSheffrey also scored.[70]
12 September - Although Nigel Quashie had been on trial with the side for the last two weeks, Alex McLeish stated that the midfielder would have to prove his fitness before he would consider taking him on loan from West Ham.[71]
13 September - The side played out a 1-0 victory over Doncaster Rovers at St Andrews. Jerome scored the only goal of the game just after half time. The side had to play the vast majority of the game after Mehdi Nafti was sent off for a two footed lunge on James Coppinger.[72]
16 September - A trip to Ashton Gate saw Birmingham take three points. A first half goal for Cameron Jerome, and an own goal by Bristol City defender Louis Carey were enough to see of the Robins, who managed to score late on through Lee Trundle.[73]
19 September - McLeish insisted that Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng will have to really want to play for the side before a deal could be completed. A loan deal had already been agreed between the Blues and Spurs for the 21 year old German.[74]
20 September - The side lost their first game of the season as they were beaten by a Gary Taylor-Fletcher goal at St Andrews. The side only managed 3 shots on target as Blackpool took the three points.[75]
23 September - Young goalkeeper Artur Krysiak linked up with fellow championship side Swansea on a three month emergency loan. Krysiak had been on loan at Conference side York in August.[76]
25 September - Birmingham was hit with the news that influential right back Stephen Kelly could miss up to a month of the season with a thigh injury. The Irish international was present for every game of last season, but has found himself behind Stuart Parnaby in the pecking order this season.[77]
26 September - McLeish once again stated that he wants to assess Nigel Quashie's fitness before bringing the West Ham player to St Andrews.[78] The Birmingham manager also confirmed that there would be no deal done regarding Tottenham midfielder Kevin Prince-Boateng after McLeish had failed in his attempts to meet the Germany under-21.[79]
27 September - The side defeated Cardiff City at Ninian Park. First half goals from James McFadden and Quincy were enough to see of the Welsh team, who scored a late consolation goal through Ross McCormack. 30 September - A midweek game at Pride Park against Derby County saw the Blues remain unbeaten on the road. Another goal from Quincy was not enough to steal victory, as Derby fought back and scored late on through Steve Davies.
[edit] October 2008
4 October - The side ran out comfortable 1-0 winners over Queens Park Rangers at St Andrews. A goal in injury time in the first half from Kevin Phillips was enough to see off Ian Dowie's men.
10 October - Long term injury concern Damien Johnson returned to training. The Northern Irish midfielder had been out with a back injury. Irish defender Stephen Kelly also returned to training after missing the last three games with a thigh injury.[80]
16 October - It was announced that centre back Radhi Jaidi would miss at least the next three games due to a injury picked up on international duty. The Tunisian player sustained a thigh strain during training.[81]
18 October - A poor performance at Turf Moor was not punished by Burnley. The Lancashire side were in front in the first half through Chris McCann, but a break away from a Burnley corner saw the Blues snatch a point thanks to Cameron Jerome.
21 October - Scans on David Murphy's knee showed that his injury was not as bad as first thought. The left back had been taken off at half time in the Burnley clash. He is not expected to be back in contention within a week.[82] West Ham midfielder Nigel Quashie signed a one month loan deal with the club. The former Scottish midfielder had been training with the team for the last month.[83] The side also played out a win against Crystal Palace at St Andrews. The game looked like it was to end in a draw before Garry O'Connor scored in the fourth minute on injury time. Former Birmingham City player, George Edwards died at the age of 87. The outside-left played 97 games for the side in the 1940's, before moving to Cardiff City.[84]
[edit] Kits
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| Birmingham's Home Kit for 2008-09 | |||||||||
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| Birmingham's Away Kit for 2008-09 | |||||||||
[edit] Home
The home kit for the 2008-09 season was revealed on the 16 May 2008. The players that revealed the kit were Swedish midfielder Sebastian Larsson and Scottish striker James McFadden. The kit is described as a traditional royal-blue kit[85]. The shorts are also royal-blue, and the socks are white. The kit will once again be made by Umbro, and sponsored by F&C Investments. The kit went on general sale on the 10 July 2008.
[edit] Away
The away kit for the 2008-09 season was revealed at midday on the 5 May 2008. The players that revealed the kit were Swedish midfielder Sebastian Larsson and Scottish striker James McFadden. The kit is based on the Penguin style, with a large central red stripe, with white sides, shorts, and socks. Like the 2007-08 season, the kit will be made by Umbro, and will feature the sponsor F&C Investments. The kit went on sale on the day of the final game of the 2007-08 season against Blackburn Rovers on the 11 May 2008.
[edit] Squad statistics
[edit] Squad information
- Playing stats correct as of October 21, 2008
[edit] Playing stats
- Last updated on November 29, 2008.
| No. | Nat. | Position | Player | Total | Championship | FA Cup | League Cup | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| 1 |  |
GK | Maik Taylor | 20 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 |  |
DF | Stephen Kelly | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | |
DF | David Murphy | 15 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 4 | |
DF | Nicky Hunt | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | |
DF | Martin Taylor | 14 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 6 | |
DF | Liam Ridgewell | 22 | 1 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 7 | |
MF | Sebastian Larsson | 18 | 2 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 8 | |
FW | Garry O'Connor | 11 | 5 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 9 | |
FW | Kevin Phillips | 21 | 9 | 19 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 10 | |
FW | Cameron Jerome | 18 | 5 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 11 | |
MF | Gary McSheffrey | 7 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 12 | |
MF | Mehdi Nafti | 12 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 13 | |
GK | Colin Doyle | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 14 |  |
MF | Kemy Augustien | 15 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 15 | |
DF | Radhi Jaidi | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | |
FW | James McFadden | 19 | 3 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | |
MF | Jordon Mutch | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 18 | |
MF | Nigel Quashie | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | |
MF | Quincy | 16 | 3 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 20 | |
DF | Franck Queudrue | 10 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 21 | |
DF | Stuart Parnaby | 15 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 23 | |
FW | Marcus Bent | 19 | 1 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 25 | |||||||||||