Check out our previous encounters with Birmingham in our head to head section.
While Birmingham are in my good books for beating Spurs last Saturday, I also think that they have every chance of having a very decent season. In their first season last term, it was always going to be a struggle.
But no sooner does Robbie Savage pop up in the press saying that the Blues going down if you don't get new players than they arrive by the truckload. Just like the Barry Fry days really, but with lots more class.
Financially, I would imagine it would have signalled utter disaster if the Blues had slipped back down, so the board must have thought long and hard about investing in new players. Perhaps they felt they had no option as relegation was untenable.
It's proved to be a wise, if risky, move as I'm quite sure that they will do much better than that overpaid bunch of losers they share a city with.
The players Steve Bruce has brought in have been excellent acquisitions. Upson, Clapham, Dugarry and of course, David Dunn over the summer. However, it seems to be a player that Bruce wasn't so sure about, that's in the news. We talk to Bluenosesonline editor Chris Goulding about this and other Blues news.
You have an excellent article on your site regarding Luciano Figueroa. I had been aware that of Osasuna's seemingly spurious claim that the player had in fact signed for them. I didn't know that the player had probably been purchased by the Blues chairman without the knowledge of Steve Bruce.
How do you see this one turning out, as it looks like another disastrous and amateur dip into the foreign transfer market by people who should know better (we have Delgado). While Figueroa may look good in Championship Manager, what are the chances of making it into Bruce's first team plans ?
I haven't seen much of him, he looked like he nearly fell over the ball with the first touch he got, in the only pre-season game he played in. However after that he seemed to improve, looked very sharper and got in a good header that was well saved. From a personal point of view he looks like he could be a good signing for us, but if Sullivan gets any profit made if he moves on, there will be a lot of angry supporters.
Figueroa's chances may have actually improved with the loss of key man Christophe Dugarry. Just how important is Dugarry to your side, and do you pose any attacking threat without him ?
Of course the main threat is out as Duga gave as good as he got, won nearly every header and had the skills to show why he has a World Cup Winners medal. However against Spurs he won every header but the goal we scored came from a penalty, with the likes of Savage on the chase and Dunn with the talent he possesses, it's up to the strikers now to show what they're worth.
When I saw the headline suggesting that "slap head" might be joining you, I immediately thought that there was no way that Chris Marsden would leave us. It turns out that you were referring to Leeds' Danny Mills. Aside from helping Leeds out of their financial pit, do you see him as a good player for you and where else to you think Birmingham need strengthening ?
In Pre-Season we highlighted the positions we needed as a Goalkeeper, Right Back, Creative Midfielder and a Striker. We've signed 3 of the 4, but I feel we have a good Right Back in Olivier Tebily. Jeff Kenna (i'm sure you've heard of him ;)) is getting towards the end of his career and is getting prone to being torn to peices and lacking pace. I feel he should be added to the coaching staff though as he seems like a great role model for the younger players.
With the vast number of players to have come and gone through the Blues' playing staff over recent years, plus the need to bring in a number of Premiership quality players, do Birmingham have any home grown talent coming through the ranks ?
Alot of the players we did have coming through have moved on. Joey Hutchinson and Tony Capaldi have moved to Darlington and Plymouth respectively, in their own quest for first team football. Someone who has been in or around the first team for the last few seasons is True Blue Darren Carter. He fired in the winning penalty against Norwich in the play-off final but has since found it hard to hold down a place. Another player, although out on loan at the moment, is Craig Fagan. He should be a hot shot for years to come.
Back to Saturday, how do you see the game going and what do you think the result will be ?
As we found out last season, you seem to really taken to St. Marys and with it being a sell out and first home game of the season for you, you will be well up for it. However Blues are a stronger team this season and I can see it being a very tight game if we stay focused!
The view On The Cross
Gordon Strachan will employ a different set of tactics at St. Mary's after the side's rather mediocre showing against Leicester. However Antii Niemi's injury will mean that we will continue to look a little vulnerable at the back. Birmingham can expect some joy from any cross into the box, as Jones will flap at it.
Lundekvam and Michael Svensson will be very tough to break down in the centre, but Jason Dodd looked a little off the pace last Saturday and could be targeted once again.
With Marsden also returning from injury, we'll see Neil McCann make his home debut, hopefully having more success against Birmingham's defence that he did against the Leicester one.
In midfield, we still have problems in picking the correct combination. For attack pick Svensson in the middle and Fernandes out right. For defence, pick Delap and Telfer. Oakley will always start as he's the best at the defensive and passing work needed to keep us ticking over. But it's a real struggle to pick between Delap and Svensson. Neither is going to be pleased at being on the bench.
At least up front, things are looking rosy. James Beattie had an impressive 15 mins against Croatia. Although you'd not know it by reading the papers, he was involved in two of the goals. In the league, he looks just as sharp as last season.
Then there's a bit of the pressure being taken off him by the arrival of Kevin Phillips. The transfer, or more accurately the amount spent for someone that age, was queried after the De Pedro deal broke down. But Phillips was the man of the match against Leicester by an absolute mile and looked like the complete forward he was in his best Sunderland days.
If he plays anything like that again on Saturday, then Birmingham are for it. Even if he doesn't score himself, he'll drag plenty of players away from Beattie. He'll be laying off passes to McCann, Oakley and either Svensson or Delap and he'll be tracking back and making a real pain of himself.
Phillips is definitely the one to watch on Saturday. Of course, if you're watching him, you're going to miss the other Saints players moving into all that space he's just created.
Without Dugarry in the side, who was Birmingham's most impressive player against us last time, I think that a Saints home win is in order. However, our right hand side looks a little light and Le Saux and McCann haven't many matches under their belts together. If Birmingham are fast out of the blocks, and punish us down our right hand side, then they could get an early lead. The won't hold onto that, but may scrape a draw.
Forced to make a prediction, I'll go for a 2-0 win to the Saints.