The first visitors to Pride Park have been a team in turmoil since tumbling from the top flight. Will a highly rated new manager and news of investment lift the Blues or will Derby start 11/12 with a home win?
6th August 2011 - 3pm
Birmingham City – The Blues
Relegation from the Premier League was bad enough for Blues fans – then they lost manager Alex McLeish to their bitter rivals Villa, on top of which their owner was arrested and faces money-laundering charges in Hong Kong. Not a good time for Jasper Carrot and other Blues fans.
It all looked to be going well last season when they won the League Cup - but poor results ended up with Birmingham back in the Championship.
Their fans are hard to please and expect new boss Chris Hughton to duplicate his promotion-winning season with Newcastle. This could well be a tall order, given the uncertainty of the ownership situation and with a wholesale change in the playing staff.
Chairman Peter Pannu has assured fans that the financial situation of the club will not be affected by the Yeung’s situation; however, it has to be worrying.
City have been boosted by a £6.2m investment from British Virgin Islands-based Inkatha Group Limited, which is owned by Yang Yuezhou, giving them the option of becoming the club's second-biggest shareholder.
Ins:
Chris Burke (Cardiff City, free), Marlon King (Coventry City, free), Morgaro Gomis (Dundee United, free), Adam Rooney (Inverness Caledonian Thistle, free), Steven Caldwell (Wigan Athletic, free), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United, free), Boaz Myhill (West Bromwich Albion, loan)
Outs:
Craig Gardner (Sunderland, £6m), Roger Johnson (Wolverhampton Wanderers, undisclosed), Barry Ferguson (Blackpool, undisclosed), Sebastian Larsson (Sunderland, free), Martin Jiranek (FC Krasnodar, free), Kevin Phillips (Blackpool, free), Lee Bowyer (Ipswich Town, free), Jay O'Shea (Milton Keynes Dons, free), Robin Shroot (Stevenage, free), Ben Foster (West Bromwich Albion, loan), Stuart Parnaby, Maik Taylor, Marcus Bent (all released)
Past games - Historical at Derby:
P 53 W 25 D 17 L 11 F 98 A 60
This fixture goes all the way back to the early days of football when The Rams beat Small Heath 4-1 in a First Division fixture in 1895. We beat them 8-0 the following year in the highest-scoring game in Derby.
The last fixture at Pride Park Was an FA Cup tie in February 2010 which we lost 2-1.
We took the lead through a Jay McEveley goal after 55 minutes but second half strikes from Scott Dann & in injury time Liam Ridgewell ended our interest in the FA Cup for that season.
The Rams were on something of a high at the time and for much of the match you’d have been hard-pressed to say which was the Premier league team, with Kris Commons having a particularly good game. Jay McEveley’s long-range shot took us in for the break in front.
The second-half saw the introduction of Kevin Phillips for the Blues and it was this that changed the outcome of the game. Phillips was handful for the centre-half pairing of Barker and Buxton and it was no surprise when we conceded to a Scott Dann header from a corner.
It looked to be going to a replay but in injury time Phillips got away from his marker and his shot hit the inside of the post. The following-up Ridgewell tapped it home to send the Blues into the Quarter-Final.
Savage had a late shot - but it wasn’t to be.
Teams - When Last Met
Rams
Bywater, Barker, Hunt, Buxton, McEveley, Savage, Pearson, Commons, Green, Tonge, Hulse
Blues
Hart, Carr, Johnson, Ridgewell, Dann, Bowyer, Ferguson, Larsson, McFadden, Benitez, Jerome
Birmingham Squad
No. Position Player
1 Keeper Boaz Myhill (on loan from West Bromuntil end of season)
2 Defender Stephen Carr (captain)
3 Defender David Murphy
4 Defender Steven Caldwell
6 Defender Liam Ridgewell
7 Midfield Chris Burke
9 Striker Marlon King
10 Striker Cameron Jerome
11 Midfield Jean Beausejour
12 Midfield Jordon Mutch
13 Keeper Colin Doyle
14 Midfield Morgaro Gomis
15 Defender Scott Dann
17 Striker Adam Rooney
18 Midfield Keith Fahey
19 Striker Nikola Žigic
20 Midfield Enric Vallès
21 Midfield Míchel
22 Midfield Nathan Redmond
23 Defender Jonathan Spector
24 Defender Curtis Davies
How to get there
Head north out of Birmingham on the A38 Aston Rd heading towards Sutton Coldfield; take the Ramp onto the A5127 and at J6 exit onto the M6 towards London/M1/M42/M40.
At J4a take the M42/M1/London and merge onto the M6, follow the signs for the M42 and take the M42 north. Continue on the M42, as it becomes the A42 towards the M1. At the M1 head north to J25. Take the A52 Brian Clough Way towards Derby. You should see the ground on the left as you enter the city.
Parking
There is not a great deal of parking available close to Pride Park. The best bet is to either park in the city centre (lots of signposted car parks) or the Cattle Market Car Park. Stay on the A52 to the Pentagon Island, take the first left and follow the road round to the left. It’s about a 10-minute walk to the Stadium.
There’s also a car park straight off the A52 at the Pride Park junction by the fireplace showroom - however, it’s a pain in the arse to get out of after the match. If you are looking for free parking, head for Ascot Drive off the A6 and park down one of the side streets.
Where to drink
There are a few pubs and Eateries near the ground but not all admit away fans showing colours these days. The Navigation Inn on London rd has always been popular with away fans and there’s a Harvester and Frankie & Bennies on Pride Park. The natives are friendly, as long as you aren’t being an arse.
Near the station, you have the Merry Widows and the Crown that are adequate. However, if you turn right out of the station, you have the Brunswick & Alexandra pubs, both of which serve real ale.
Mick’s Prediction
Derby begins the post-Savage era with a home game against relegated Birmingham City.
I’ve not bought a season ticket this season and I will only visit Pride Park for games that interest me – so my views will be based on what I read or see in the media and what I hear from friends.
Tom Glick promised to refund season ticket money for fans that were unhappy with the clubs transfer activities over the summer. I wonder if anyone has taken him up on it?
Football fans are fickle and many who said they wouldn’t renew have done so sheepishly saying they wouldn’t know “what to do on a Saturday afternoon without football”.
I sympathise - but the way football has developed as an industry means that the 3pm Saturday kick off is becoming rarer and rarer.
Nigel Clough has been busy in the transfer Market with Frank Fielding, Jamie Ward, Theo Robinson, Craig Bryson, Nathan Tyson, Jason Shackell, Chris Maguire, Adam Legzdins all coming in, plus Kevin Kilbane on loan.
Out have gone Savage, Porter, Mills, Mendy, Varney & Pringle plus Miles Addison & Ross Atkins have gone out on loan.
Whether there’s enough quality in the additions to ensure the Rams compete, is anybody's guess. The bookies aren’t impressed and have us as at bottom mid-table/flirting with relegation odds, rather than play-offs or promotion.
Injuries may play a part and we already have several long-term injuries to contend with, plus several niggles picked up in the pre-season. It often seems there is a real injury issue at Pride Park though fans of other clubs feel they are similarly cursed - so it may just be the pace of the modern game.
For what it’s worth, I predict that Theo Robinson could be the star of the team if he can build his confidence by scoring a few goals in fast attacking football. For too often last season, we resorted to hoofing it up the pitch and that simply will not work with our current crop of forwards. We have pace – let's use it.
This should be a tough game given the fact that Birmingham was a Premier League club last year, though they may still be suffering the delusion that it will be easy to bounce back. They are a new team with a new manager in a new League. Let’s hope they get a baptism of fire tomorrow.
Derby County 2-0 Birmingham City