Blues making good progress, but could they push harder? Interview

Daniel Ivery from Birmingham City website Often Partisan gives us a quick lowdown on Saturday’s opponents, manager Gary Rowett and their hopes of succeeding in this year’s play-offs.

Assess Birmingham's season so far for us…

DI: Bit of a weird one. Some fans will tell you that we've overachieved, some will tell you we should push for promotion harder. I think we're about where we should be but I'd like to see us push a little bit harder.

Chances of making the play-offs, and then winning promotion through them if you do get there?

DI: Chances of the playoffs? 50/50 I think, depends if we can string some results together. The playoffs are a crapshoot so I wouldn't even try to predict how we'd do.

What's the latest on the club's financial and ownerships situation?

How long you got? Not much has changed. Holding company has been in receivership for a year, largest shareholder is a convicted money launderer, and the takeover has stalled somewhat.

Gary Rowett has been linked with Fulham, Derby and others since we last spoke. Assess the job he's done for you guys and do you fear he'll be poached sooner rather than later?

DI He's done really well - taken a team of misfits and no hopers under Clark and made them an organised unit. Sadly, he will get poached by a bigger club, it's the way it is.

Stand out players and weak links in the current side?

DI: Might be a bit left field for some, but Jacques Maghoma. Strong, direct, wins the ball high up the pitch and when he doesn't think and acts instinctively he's a goalscorer. When he does think he loses it a bit.

Here's a left field one… do you actually want to go back up? For the first time in several years Birmingham are competitive, winning games regularly, playing quite well, are you in a rush to get back into a division where ten wins, six draws and fourth bottom is a successful season?

DI: Honestly, no point in competing if you're not trying to win. If you don't want promotion and testing yourself against better teams, then football isn't for you.

The Twitter @often_partisan

Pictures — Action Images

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