Birmingham City 2 v Wigan Athletic 3 - EFL Championship

Wednesday 1st January 2020
SkyBet EFL Championship
at St. Andrew's Stadium
Birmingham City (1) 2
Kerim Mrabti 39, Jacques Maghoma 81
Wigan Athletic (1) 3
Josh Windass 9, 50, Cedric Kipre 73
Attendance: 18,616 (inc. 511 away fans)

A seventy sixth minute Anthony Pilkington goal, that was heavily assisted by a slippery ball escaping from Lee Camp's grasp, as he vaingloriously tried to hold onto it, was all that separated these two sides in a dour game at the DW Stadium, back in October.
Today, Paul Cook's Latics arrived at St. Andrew's on the back of a run of thirteen games without a win to their name, while Blues had only won once in their last eleven outings.
In actual fact, prior to today Wigan had not won away from home this season and hadn't even scored a goal on their travels for a whopping 254 consecutive minutes. Just let that sink in for a minute you persons unknown from Trillion Trophy Asia, whoever you are!

A home banker you would think then, given the above statistics?
Hmm... the truth is: you can't predict anything with this Blues side at present.
Well, apart from them being completely unpredictable. Or consistently inconsistent, as you might say.
Following narrow back to back home wins against Blackburn Rovers and Luton Town at the end of October, Birmingham have only won once in their last twelve games, including today's embarrassing showing against Wigan, who have now moved off of the foot of the table as a consequence this thoroughly deserved win. In actual fact, the visitors are now only six points behind Birmingham. Maybe the alarm bells aren't ringing just yet, but if that is the case, it might be a good idea to check if the batteries are working.

I think it would be fair to say that nobody was anticipating the thrills, spills and excitement and colossal effort, that they witnessed on this very ground just three days ago, when Leeds United shared nine goals with Pep Clotet's team, in a game that was highly entertaining, yet mind-blowingly bizarre in equal measure.
That 4-5 reversal against Marcelo Bielsa's side, saw Blues slip to eighteenth in the Championship table, six places and nine points above today's visitors, who lost 1-0 at Nottingham Forest on the same afternoon, in a game where they were denied a point, when Brice Samba saved a Josh Windass penalty.

Even so, despite the Latics spirited display at the City Ground, I doubt if even the most optimistic of Wigan's travelling support, expected what actually unfolded today.
There is no denying that Blues deserved more than they got in their previous two home games, against the Championship's top two (and best two) sides: Leeds and West Brom and although the St. Andrew's faithful will have been disappointed not to have picked up any of the points available from that brace of games, at least they saw that their team was willing to go toe to toe, against such esteemed opposition.
Today, however, the home crowd had every right to feel disappointed and even short-changed, because Pep Clotet's side got exactly what they deserved for such an inept and disjointed display... absolutely nothing.

In mitigation, though I concede that I am desperately clutching at straws here, Birmingham had yet another comedy referee to contend with, who at times only seemed to have a tenuous grasp on reality, let alone the rules of the game. While Wigan displayed a level of gamesmanship and time-wasting antics that has probably earned them a nomination for this year's Oscar awards.
But, they're in a 'needs must' situation, desperate to pick up points by any means necessary and you would expect that level of histrionics and win at all costs mentality from any team in their position. In fact, if the roles were reversed, I'm sure that the Blues faithful would've insisted on such an approach from their own side and lapped it up.

So maybe it wouldn't have been a bad thing if a few Blues players were taking notes, just in case they have to deploy such antics to claw themselves away from a relegation battle any time soon.
I wasn't going to mention the R word, but Blues spiralling downward momentum is bringing such a scenario into sharp focus, as they continue to chalk up a run of unsatisfactory results with an indecent haste, that makes you wonder if the club owners have taken out an insurance policy against plunging headlong into League One and are eagerly anticipating a big payout any time soon.

A 'far fetched folly' you might say, but that is an alliteration that could easily be applied to a whole lot of stories that keep emerging with alarming frequency from behind closed doors, that initially seem to have no semblance of truth, but turn out to be not too wide of the mark.
Though I am fast becoming well known for letting my paranoid imagination run riot at times; in my defence, it is only the never ending production line of unsuitable and untrustworthy bodies, with unscrupulous agendas, who're faffing around with a whole host of football clubs, like they're some kind of rich man's plaything, that has made me this way in the first place.

But I'm trying not to get all political at this juncture (even though it's quite difficult not to under the circumstances)... while leaving all that kind of stuff for those who are better informed and more 'in the know' than I'll ever be... or ever want to be, for the sake of my own rapidly diminishing sanity.
But anybody can see, that things just aren't right at the 'St. Andrew's Trillion Trophy Stadium' at the moment, both on and off the pitch... and wheresoever there is a lack of transparency, then speculation will always find a way of seeping through the cracks and filling in all of the gaps. Most people can pinpoint what the problems are, and have a multitude of questions ask; but alas, none of us has any influence whatsoever as regards providing any answers or solutions to a whole cattle ranch's worth of bullshit.

It's one big suck it up and hope for the best situation at this present time.
B ut, that said, I'll shurrup about my genuine concerns and just see you all again on Saturday... because it's what us pragmatic and time served, old school football fans do, innit!?
Don't forget it's a 12.31PM kick-off at the weekend, because, for whatever reason (Kerching!!!), the FA has signed a deal involving overseas television viewing rights and us Joe Public types will just have to like it or lump it.
Though I've been putting it off for as long as is humanly possible, I guess that I will have to eventually get around to writing something about the actual game itself at some point.
So, without any further ado, if I really must. Here goes...

Maybe, with the fixtures coming thick and fast at this 'most wonderful time of the year', Mr Clotet got his dates mixed up and thought that today was the day, that he could bugger about with the team selection because the FA Cup isn't his main priority. But that isn't until Saturday old lad, so the damage was done in many people's eyes before a ball had even been kicked, as puzzlement and perplexed concern emanated amongst the home support in the build-up to kick-off.
Far be it from me to offer any advice on team selection, but surely it's better to have a settled line-up than to bugger about chopping and changing and complicating matters with all of this squad rotation malarkey.

There is very little mileage to be had, if any, in expecting Championship footballers to play out of position, taking up a myriad of unfamiliar roles, within a set system of play that isn't working. Or at least needs amending and tweaking whenever Blues need to adopt a different approach to salvage games that they have fallen behind in. Utilise their strengths instead of muddying the waters. Just saying.
Albert Einstein didn't have any football coaching badges, but he did have an interesting theory on the subject of insanity, that went something along the lines of... Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
So there you have it Pep Clotet, or whoever is pulling his strings and actually picking the team and implementing their tactical nous, it's official... you're bonkers!

Blues have now lost six games at home so far this season, an unwanted statistic that includes their last four outings at St. Andrew's.
The home side started brightly enough but when Joe Williams pounced on a misunderstanding between Jude Bellingham and Gary Gardner and played the loose ball into the path of Josh Windass, the former building site labourer, who used to top up his earnings by turning out for Harrogate Railway Athletic, netted with the simplest of tap-ins past the woefully exposed host keeper: Connal Trueman.

"He's not good enough or big enough!", ranted a resident Mr Angry, who sits a few rows behind me on a wearyingly regular basis, rubbishing the3 Birmingham goalie, seemingly oblivious to the fact, that Trueman effectively kept his side in this game, by thwarting a rampant Wigan (that's something you don't hear every day), with a string of fine saves and timely interceptions, before Blues levelled up the score, somewhat against the run of play, when Kerim Mrabti shot on the turn from Kristian Pedersen's sideways knock from out on the left.

So it was all square at half-time and although I'm sure that nobody present would begrudge the Wigan following their five minutes of fame, given the kind of season that they have had to endure thus far, it was surely time to bring these Lancastrian heathens to book now and put them to the sword... or not!
By the way, apologies to all concerned if Wigan isn't actually known as a Lancashire town these days and is officially now a part of the Greater Manchester conglomeration, all these boundary changes across this green and pleasant land, hold no sway with my flat earth society leanings. And besides, Wigan has a pier and it isn't anywhere near the coast, so don't go getting all contrary and precious with me ;-)

But I digress... five minutes after the restart, Josh Windass sprinted forward, from an offside starting position and chased Lee Evans' punt up the field, the referees assistant was left standing by Windass and rather than admit he was out of position and missed the transgression, he merely plodded forward and signalled for a goal, as Windass was forced to go wide by the advancing Trueman but still scored anyway, from an improbable angle as Gardner arrived a fraction too late and the ball cannoned off of him on its way into the back of Blues net. Gardner was subjected to some verbal abuse for his part in the goal... but it was going in anyway and the real culprit had a flag in his hand that he'sd failed to raise at the appropriate time. Don't try telling me that these things balance themselves out over the course of a season because I know that is a complete lie... and so do you.

As if the Wigan fans weren't already giddy enough with excitement about the dizzy and unfamiliar heights that their team were experiencing, there were complete scenes up towards the back corner of the away seats, when the Latics were gifted a third goal when Jutkiewicz's clearing header from a Windass corner ricocheted past Trueman off of Cedric Kipre's chest... they all count, don't they!?.
The visitors were in Blues faces and went toe to toe with them all over the pitch and, credit where it is due, going for broke. But while Wigan actually looked like they wanted it more, it was yet another bad day at the office for Birmingham,... and if truth be told, on the balance of play, it would've been an injustice if the Latics hadn't claimed all three points, because, over the ninety-plus minutes, they had thoroughly warranted completing the double over Clotet's misfiring team for the current season.

With nine minutes of the game still remaining, while I clung onto my seat to prevent myself from being swept away in the human tide of disgruntled supporters who were making an early retreat for the exits onto the Coventry Road, Blues scored a second goal, when Jutkiewicz swept the ball out to Bellingham on the left flank before continuing his run to meet the Blues protege's cross, which he headed downwards towards Wigan's goal where Jacques Maghoma threw himself forward to bundle the ball past Jamie Jones, once againthose  'they all count, don't they!?' rules applied.

Alas, there wasn't going to be yet another grandstand finish at the theatre of dreams/screams* (delete as applicable) today, as Jones kept out Alvaro Gimenez's late header, and Wigan held onto the lead that they worked so hard to build up.
All's fair in love, war and football... well, sometimes it is.
Well played Wigan, but, err, buck your bloody ideas up quickly Blues, or there may be trouble ahead,. Surely you're better than that shambles today... aren't you?
FT: Birmingham City 2 v Wigan Athletic 3
I've just been browsing a few social media posts about today's game, before my train home leaves New Street station. It's understandable that people are upset and even angry, but turning on and singling out individuals for personal abuse, while conducting witch hunts to find scapegoats to pin the blame on, is symptomatic of the way that football 'supporting' is heading, i.e. downhill fast.

Who else can remember a time when fans got on the backs of the opposition players, in a bid to rattle them and put them off their game, rather than unsettling and rubbishing their own? I'm not advocating that 'putting up and shutting up' should ever be an option, but some of the crap I have just been reading is just plain stupid. I guess that everyone and anyone is entitled to have an opinion... even pious and hate-fuelled shitheads.

As mentioned above, Blues are playing against Blackburn in the FA Cup at St. Andrew's on Saturday (12.31PM), while Wigan travel to Leicester City for a 5.31PM kick off, later that afternoon, in the same competition.

Wherever you are going... enjoy your football.