A much happier new year on the horizon for Blues
FAREWELL to 2018 – a year that started with Birmingham City at the bottom of the league and ended with them hoping rather than fearing they might not be in the Championship next season.
And if there is an emotional journey that encapsulates the last 12 months, it’s been the transformation of fear into hope.
So, for the first time in a couple of years, Blues supporters can anticipate the changing of the calendars with a degree of optimism.
There will be challenges to come but many of the key components needed for a successful year are in place. So what can we hope for?
A DATE WITH THE EFL As things stand Blues are expected to face the league Disciplinary Commission in February after breaching loss limits in the Financial Fair Play regulations.
Many scare stories have been floated in the last few months with talk of huge points deductions, even as high as 12 or 15.
While the EFL undoubtedly have the right to not just throw the book at Blues but fire it through a cannon, one wonders what appetite they will have not only for an extended fight but for setting a challenging precedent.
Whatever they do to Blues will become the yardstick by which other breaches are measured.
Leaving it late has given them breathing space to gauge the situation around the Championship, to ascertain if there will be further breaches.
It has also allowed Garry Monk’s men to go about their business without the significant set-back of a deduction. It has even allowed the club time to explore their legal options. It should be noted, though, that the current transfer restrictions – Blues are allowed to bring in just one more low budget player in this window – has effectively been a punishment in itself. Surely it’s not out of the question for a face-saving compromise be reached?
INCOMING Birmingham City allowed to function as club once again.
The current strictures of the EFL business plan mean the league effectively have to sign off on any contractual matters. That means Blues are finding it difficult to offer new deals to young players and even re-engage existing stars.
If the EFL want Blues to cut their must be a football cloth accordingly, they have to facilitate that process when it comes to retaining those youngsters who are a regular part of the first-team squad.
Michael Morrison’s deal expires at the end of the season but it would be a massive shock if the captain was forced to leave the club.
Blues have had their hands tied in the last two or three windows, surely they should be given more freedom in the summer?
PLAYERS LEAVING One aspect to bringing the losses to a more manageable, permissible level, is players leaving the club.
Goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak’s deal expires in the summer and if he doesn’t move on in January, then surely the ways will part at the end of the campaign.
David Stockdale is under contract until 2020 but it is in the interest of both parties to engineer a solution.
Viv Solomon-Otabor and Dan Scarr also are ‘up’ in the summer, much will depend on how Monk sees them fitting into his plans going forward.
But in addition to those whose futures need clarifying, there is always the threat of unsolicited or unwanted interest in members of Monk’s current first team from other clubs.
Monk’s management has seen Che Adams explode into a top end Championship striker – and his value will have gone through the Wast Hills roof in recent months. Thankfully he remains happy at Birmingham City.
Indeed it’s not difficult to envisage other teams looking at four or five of Monk’s men and being tempted to lodge a speculative bid.
It would be wrong if Blues were put under pressure to ‘cash in’.
OLD FRIENDS The returns of Isaac Vassell and David Davis will be like having two new signings.
Vassell has not played since October 2017 but all that separates him from an end to his nightmare is hitting the conditioning standards that have stood the rest of the squad in such good stead so far.
Expect him to play some Under23 football this month and work his way slowly back into contention for the match day squad.
Monk was hopeful Davis would start to rejoin the first-team squad by the end of January and if everything goes smoothly he could feature well before Easter.
Vassell’s pace and Davis’ power would give an enormous boost to the squad as the play-off chase intensifies.
If the EFL want Blues to cut their cloth accordingly, they have to facilitate that process
DERBY DELIGHT Not been much of this in recent years but there is a burgeoning desire among the City players to end their poor run against their nearest neighbours. Villa visit St Andrew’s on Sunday, March 10 with ten games to go. Could one of the rivals put the other out of play-off contention? One thing is for sure, St Andrew’s will be a bearpit.