Birmingham City F.C. season 2008-09

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Birmingham City
Season 2008-09
Manager Flag of Scotland Alex McLeish
Chairman Flag of England David Gold
League The Championship
Final league position
FA Cup
Carling Cup
Top goalscorer

The 2008-09 Season will be Birmingham City's 116th in the Football League, their 2nd 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]

[edit] Kits

Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
Birmingham's Home Kit for 2008-09
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
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[28]. 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 will go on general sale on the 10 July 2008.

[edit] Away

The away kit for the 2008-09 season was revealed at miday 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 sponser 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 Stats

[edit] Squad statistics

No. Name Nat. Place of Birth Date of Birth Club Apps. Club Goals Int. Caps Int. Goals Previous Club Date Joined Fee
1 Maik Taylor Flag of Northern Ireland Hildesheim, Germany 4 September 1971 167 0 67 0 Fulham 22 March 2004 £1,500,000
2 Stephen Kelly Flag of Ireland Dublin 6 September 1983 74 0 11 0 Tottenham Hotspur 28 June 2006 £750,000
4 Martin Taylor Flag of England Ashington 9 November 1979 75 1 - - Blackburn Rovers 2 February 2004 £1,250,000
6 Liam Ridgewell Flag of England London 21 July 1984 35 1 - - Aston Villa 3 August 2007 £2,000,000
7 Sebastian Larsson Flag of Sweden Eskilstuna 6 June 1985 51 9 4 0 Arsenal 31 January 2007 £1,000,000
8 Garry O'Connor Flag of Scotland Edinburgh 7 May 1983 23 2 15 4 Lokomotiv Moscow 22 June 2007 £2,600,000
10 Cameron Jerome Flag of England Huddersfield 14 October 1986 70 14 - - Cardiff City 31 May 2006 £3,000,000
11 Gary McSheffrey Flag of England Coventry 13 August 1982 72 16 - - Coventry City 16 August 2006 £4,000,000
12 Mehdi Nafti Flag of Tunisia Toulouse, France 28 November 1978 69 0 41 1 Racing Santander 30 June 2005
13 Colin Doyle Flag of Ireland Cork 12 June 1985 22 0 1 0
14 David Murphy Flag of England Hartlepool 1 March 1984 14 1 - - Hibernian 16 January 2008 £1,500,000
15 Franck Queudrue Flag of France Paris 27 August 1978 16 0 - - Fulham 3 August 2007 £2,000,000
16 James McFadden Flag of Scotland Glasgow 14 April 1983 12 4 37 13 Everton 18 January 2008 £4,750,000
20 Daniel de Ridder Flag of the Netherlands Amsterdam 6 March 1984 10 0 - - Celta Vigo 3 July 2007 Free
21 Stuart Parnaby Flag of England Durham 19 July 1982 13 0 - - Middlesbrough 1 June 2007 Free
22 Damien Johnson Flag of Northern Ireland Lisburn 18 November 1978 182 4 48 0 Blackburn Rovers 8 March 2002 £100,000
23 Olivier Kapo Flag of France Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire 27 September 1980 26 5 9 3 Juventus 29 June 2007 £3,000,000
24 Radhi Jaidi Flag of Tunisia Tunis 30 August 1975 56 6 99 6 Bolton Wanderers 1 August 2006 Free
25 Sone Aluko Flag of England Birmingham 19 February 1989 - - - -
26 Fabrice Muamba Flag of England Kinshasa, DR Congo 6 April 1988 71 2 - - Arsenal 14 May 2007 £4,000,000
30 Krystian Pearce Flag of England Birmingham 5 January 1990 - - - -
31 Jordon Mutch Flag of England 2 December 1991 - - - - Derby County
-- Lee Carsley Flag of Ireland Birmingham 28 February 1974 - - 38 0 Everton 19 May 2008 Free

[edit] Playing stats

[edit] Yellow/Red card stats

[edit] Player transfers

[edit] In

Date Pos. No. Name From Fee Source
19 May 2008 MF - Flag of Ireland Lee Carsley Flag of England Everton Free BCFC.com

[edit] Out

Date Pos. No. Name To Fee Source
30 May 2008 FW 9 Flag of Finland Mikael Forssell Flag of Germany Hannover Free SkySports.com

[edit] Loan In

[edit] Loan Out

[edit] Fixtures and Results

[edit] Pre-Season Friendles

  • Birmingham City scores given first
Game Date Venue Opponents Score Scorers Attendance Report
1 14 July 2008 Away Flag of Austria Kirchbeg
2 17 July 2008 Flag of Austria Neutral Flag of the Czech Republic Victoria Plzen
3 20 July 2008 Flag of Austria Neutral Flag of Germany Nuremberg
4 26 July 2008 Away Gillingham
5 29 July 2008 Away Leicester City
3 2 August 2008 Home Fulham

[edit] The Championship

Birmingham will compete in the Championship in 2008-09. This will consist a total of 46 games, 23 home, 23 away, against the following teams;

Fixtures for the new season will be released on June 16, 2008 and the new season will begin on 9 August 2008[29].

[edit] The FA Cup

Birmingham will enter the FA cup in the Third Round, along with all other Championship sides, and the sides playing in the Premier League.

[edit] The Carling Cup

Birmingham will start in the First round of the 2008-09 Carling Cup. They will play a side from the Championship, League One, or League Two.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Abuse may force out Blues chief, BBC 2008-05-11. Retrieved on 2008-05-23.
  2. ^ Sullivan slams Bruce's buys, SkySports.com 2008-05-12. Retrieved on 2008-05-23.
  3. ^ Queudrue hits back at Sullivan, SkySports.com 2008-05-12. Retrieved on 2008-05-23.
  4. ^ Blues exercise Nafti option, BCFC.com 2008-05-13. Retrieved on 2008-05-23.
  5. ^ Young Quarter Released, BCFC.com 2008-05-13. Retrieved on 2008-05-23.
  6. ^ Schmitz's Blues stint ends, BCFC.com 2008-05-13. Retrieved on 2008-05-23.
  7. ^ Backroom due depart, BCFC.com 2008-05-13. Retrieved on 2008-05-23.
  8. ^ Blues' pair clear the air, SkySports.com 2008-05-13. Retrieved on 2008-05-23.
  9. ^ Club statement regarding goal damage, BCFC.com 2008-05-14. Retrieved on 2008-05-23.
  10. ^ Seb gets Sweden call, BCFC.com 2008-05-14. Retrieved on 2008-05-23.
  11. ^ Keeper blasts Sullivan, SkySports.com 2008-05-14. Retrieved on 2008-05-23.
  12. ^ Kingson released, BCFC.com 2008-05-15. Retrieved on 2008-05-23.
  13. ^ Forssell future in doubt, SkySports.com 2008-05-17. Retrieved on 2008-05-23.
  14. ^ Carsley signs for Blues, BCFC.com 2008-05-19. Retrieved on 2008-05-23.
  15. ^ Exclusive first interview with Carsley, BCFC.com 2008-05-19. Retrieved on 2008-05-23.
  16. ^ Birmingham City PLC half year results, BCFC.com 2008-05-19. Retrieved on 2008-05-23.
  17. ^ McLeish - We'll by selective, BCFC.com 2008-05-20. Retrieved on 2008-05-23.
  18. ^ Taylor to keep number one spot, BCFC.com 2008-05-22. Retrieved on 2008-05-23.
  19. ^ Forssell talks ongoing, BCFC.com 2008-05-23. Retrieved on 2008-05-24.
  20. ^ Yeung still keen on Blues buy-out, BBC 2008-05-26. Retrieved on 2008-05-26.
  21. ^ Forssell off to Hannover, SkySports.com 2008-05-30. Retrieved on 2008-05-30.
  22. ^ Carsley passes medical, BCFC.com 2008-06-03. Retrieved on 2008-06-03.
  23. ^ McLeish urges patience, BCFC.com 2008-06-04. Retrieved on 2008-06-04.
  24. ^ Boss honoured by University, BCFC.com 2008-06-05. Retrieved on 2008-06-06.
  25. ^ McLeish targets 23-man squad, BCFC.com 2008-06-10. Retrieved on 2008-06-10.
  26. ^ McLeish: Seb is happy here, BCFC.com 2008-06-10. Retrieved on 2008-06-10.
  27. ^ Blues opt out of reserve league, BCFC.com 2008-06-11. Retrieved on 2008-06-11.
  28. ^ 08/09 Home Kit Revealed, BCFC.com 2008-05-16. Retrieved on 2008-05-16.
  29. ^ Foxes friendly announced, BCFC.com 2008-05-16. Retrieved on 2008-05-16.
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