From some Southend fan.....Tom is his name....
Over to Tom…
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One up: Birmingham City
I really don’t like Birmingham City. Born a fan of Southend United, and of football, it was written thus. Ever since they pinched Judas Iscariot (or Barry Fry, as some insist on calling him) when we were riding high in Division 1, a special sort of disgust has been reserved for the club. The sort of disgust that could only be exacerbated by that same Judas taking all our best players with him. They sent my Blues into a spiral of defeat halted only when we hit 17th position in League 2. God damn Judas Fry.
It is natural then, that Southend fans know it is good and right to hate Birmingham City Football Club. Happily, that hatred fits neatly with a hatred of turgid football, miserable fans, and the worst live experience in the football league (I can’t believe there are people willing to part with as much as £490 for twenty-three matches that all involve Birmingham City). Hating Birmingham really is very easy. So easy, in fact, that I encourage others to take it up.
That said, the idea that they’ll be anywhere other than the top echelons of the Championship this season is little more than romantic schadenfreude. Week after humdrum week, Birmingham will pick up wins against their more attractive rivals. Donnie Rovers,Southampton, Forest and others will all outplay City. But with all the inevitability and humour of a John Motson pun, Birmingham will prevail. Liam Ridgewell and whichever defenders choose to stay (or join) City will keep clean sheet after clean sheet, Barry Ferguson and friends will work tirelessly in midfield, and Cameron Jerome will inexplicably score goals. Add in the Chris Hughton factor – a manager with a hundred percent record of promotion from the Championship, lest we forget – and you have a top Championship side.
Birmingham City, for all their ills – too numerous to fully explicate here – will simply have too much quality for most of the teams in the Championship next year. The idea that a club with the structure, management, squad, and money of Birmingham City stuck in the mid-table mire seems absurd. Even with the (presumably brief) distraction of the Europa League, I expect Birmingham to go straight back up.
Birmingham City up to 2nd
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Slightly more optimistic than me !! Thoughts??
Nasty Compliment
posted on 19/7/11
" The idea that a club with the structure, management, squad, and money of Birmingham City stuck in the mid-table mire seems absurd. Even with the (presumably brief) distraction of the Europa League, I expect Birmingham to go straight back up."
What a nice chap.
posted on 19/7/11
A very well written article and a fairly accurate account of Blues style of football under Big F Eck. - where'd you find it Taity?
Can't imagine why he thinks we've got money though, cos we ain't.
posted on 19/7/11
thats a bitter fella.
I actually went to southend away on new years day just after we got barry fry from them and there was over 10,000 there, (massive gate for them) with their judas signs etc.
And there was some trouble outside the ground bless em.
Looks like they havent got over it even now.
As for signing their best players? we had our pants pulled down over ricky otto he was shocking for us.
And like you, hes a damn sight more optimistic than i am.
KRO
posted on 19/7/11
Ricky Otto One brilliant free kick against Liverpool and that was the blokes career!!!
http://theseventytwo.com/football-league/championship/2011/07/19/championship-league-ladder-birmingham-city-up-watford-down/
Den
KRO
This is just one persons opinion mind but an interesting one all the same I thought
posted on 19/7/11
Not a bad write up.
If we finish second as he predicts, then its job done.
CH keeps his 100% promotion record.
It's a bit of a shame Tom comes over as bitter and twisted.
Southend as a town has a lot of promise but as a football club.....Nah !.
posted on 19/7/11
Isn't nice to be liked
Never a dull day when Barry was here
Baarry theres only one Baarryy
posted on 19/7/11
zulu,
Barry Fry,
You score 5 and we'll score 6.
He had a revolving door fitted at the training ground for how quick players came and went.
The blokes a legend.
KRO
posted on 19/7/11
I loved the Barry Fry days, a true gentleman. The way he used to run down the side of the pitch when we had scored never failed to crack me up. A passionate man and a respected man. Them were the days
Real highs of joy and heart breaking lows amongst some of the greatest singing and amazing scenes on and off the pitch by the players fans and management alike... and that was just the first half
Good old Bazza
KRO
posted on 19/7/11
One of the guys I work with used to be a pro footballer and used to play for Barry Fry at some stage (wycombe?) - some of the stories he comes out with crack me up - apparently Fry used to end up fighting some of the players in the changing rooms. If I recall correctly, drinking heavily was encouraged.
posted on 20/7/11
Joking apart,pretty sure that the squad consisted of 50 players when Barry Fry-Up was sacked?
This is from his Wikipedia:
Fry's prolific and often erratic dealings in the transfer market led to lifelong Birmingham City supporter Jasper Carrott claiming Fry "was probably trying to sort out the unemployment problem single-handed!"