Birmingham City F.C.
| English | |||
| Full name | Birmingham City Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Blues | ||
| Founded | 1875 | ||
| Ground | St Andrews Stadium, Birmingham | ||
| Capacity | 30,016 | ||
| Chairman |  David Gold and David Sullivan | ||
| Manager | Steve Bruce | ||
| League | FA Premier League | ||
| 2004-05 | Premier League, 12th | ||
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Birmingham City (BCFC) are an English football club who play in the FA Premier League . Originally known as Small Heath Alliance, followed by Small Heath in 1888, they became Birmingham F.C. in 1905 and Birmingham City F.C. in 1945.
The club is nicknamed The Blues (from the colour of their kit) and the fans are known as the Bluenoses.
History
Blues in the last 20 years
Birmingham City suffered relegation after relegation from the top division at the end of the 1985-86 season. Their two following seasons in the Second Division were unsuccessful and they were finally relegated to the Third Division for the first time ever at the end of the 1988-89 season. They won promotion as Third Division runners-up three years later, at the end of the 1991-92 season, so they would find themselves members of the new Division One for the 1992-93 season. However, they were relegated from Division One at the end of the 1993-94 season (losing on goal difference to neighbours West Bromwich Albion) despite a managerial change halfway through the season in which Terry Cooper was replaced with Barry Fry.
Fry guided Birmingham to the Division Two championship and victory in the Auto Windscreens Trophy in 1994-95,but was sacked one year later after a promising 1995-96 campaign had faded away to a 15th place finish in Division One. His successor Trevor Francis remained in charge at Birmingham until October 2001, during which time Birmingham qualified for the playoffs in three consecutive seasons and were on the losing side to Liverpool in the League Cup final. Francis's successor, Steve Bruce, helped Birmingham qualify for the 2001-02 Division One promotion playoffs where they defeated Norwich City (thanks to a winning penalty by Darren Carter) to win promotion to the Premier League for the first time in two decades.
After a 13th place finish in 2002-03, Birmingham City got off to a strong start in the 2003-04 season, staying in the top four for the first month and after six weeks had statistically the best defence in the division. Good form lasted until the last fourteen or so games, when the Blues stumbled and ended the season on a run of seven games without a win to finish in a dizzy place of 10th.
In the close season between the end of the 2003-04 season and the beginning of the 2004-05 season they signed Muzzy Izzet, Jesper Grønkjær, Mario Melchiot, Emile Heskey, Darren Anderton, Julian Gray, and finally signed Dwight Yorke on the final day of the summer transfer window. Mikael Forssell also agreed to rejoin Birmingham on a year-long loan deal from Chelsea.
Unfortunately, key striker Forssell injured his knee in the early part of the 2004-05 season, and this left the Blues struggling for in-form strikers. Walter Pandiani was brought in during the January transfer window in the hope of keeping the Blues away from relegation after quite a disappointing season. The Blues ended up finishing in 12th place.
Birmingham City entered the 2005-06 season with high expectations after finally sealing permanent deals for Mikael Forssell, Jermaine Pennant, Mehdi Nafti and Walter Pandiani. Nicky Butt also joined on a year-long loan deal from Newcastle United and Jiri Jarosik also joined on a season long loan from Chelsea F.C.. However expectations have not been met as the find themselves in the bottom three entering February. Forssell has struggled, Nafti was lost to injury for the remainder of the season, and Pandiani after struggling to find the form of last season returned to Spain after being sold to RCD Espanyol. Birmingham's place in the Premiership and Steve Bruce's job as manager are both under more serious threat than ever before, especially after a devastating 7-0 defeat to Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals in March 2006. But now they are out of the relegation zone after beating Bolton Wanderers 1-0 at St. Andrews on 6th March 2006 to move out of the drop zone for the first time in 6 months. They now have a very high chance of escaping relegation.
Birmingham in the Premiership
Birmingham City had to wait until 2002 for their Premiership debut. It took them until their fifth match before their first win in the Premier League, a 2-1 victory over Leeds United FC. As predicted, they began the season battling against relegation but some astute mid-season signings by Steve Bruce helped them climb to a secure 13th place in the final table.
They did even better in 2003-04, finished 10th, although their early season form built up hope that the Blues could qualify for Europe.
A 12th place finish in 2004-05 was also a decent finish, but the Blues were struggling in the bottom three of the Premiership as 2005 drew to a close. A substantial improvement in league form is vital if relegation can be avoided, and Steve Bruce's job is reported to be on the line. They have had some victories over their major rivals Aston Villa, finishing above them in their first season in the Premiership in 02/03.
Kits
When Blues (as Small Heath Alliance) first started to play football the club colours were dark blue shirts with a white sash and white shorts. In 1883-84 they changed to wearing plain blue shirts and white shorts and in 1889-90 turned out in black shirts with gold colour and cuffs and white shorts.
The very next season (1890-91) the Blues players donned light blue shirts with a dark blue trim and white shorts and this design was to stay until 1914-15 when royal blue shirts with a central white 'V replaced were introduced.
This held firm until 1927-28 when a plain royal blue shirt and white shorts came into being. During the 1930s and '40s, Blues wore traditional white collared shirts with a button-up neckline, although before the War the colour blue was a fraction lighter than it was during the forties. In the early to mid-1950s the club retained the blue shirt, white collar, white shorts design but in 1957-58 the 'V neck was introduced - and remained so until 1963 when the round neck took over (Blues still wearing white shorts).
In 1965 the large white band round the neckline disappeared, to be replaced soon afterwards by a much thinner one when Blues also donned matching blue shorts. But it was back to plain blue shirts in 1968-69 (with blue shorts) and this theme continued until 1971 when the first penguin strip was seen.
In 1975 it was back to blue shirts with a white collar and white shorts. The round neck was seen again in 1977 but in 1980 it was laced with a 'V.
A slight change in the overall design was effected during the early 80s (red socks were seen and there was a thin white strip visible on the shirt in 1984-85). A touch of red was forthcoming in the 1985-86 season (on the shoulder line) and in 1986-87 (for the very first time) Blues' shirts had a white band across the chest with white foldovers on the socks. Occasionally they also played in a lighter blue shirt with a dark blue band across the chest.
In 1989-90 (under Dave Mackay) and with Mark One flashing across the front, the shirts comprised two broad flashes on each shoulder but it was soon done away with and back to blue shirts, white collars and cuffs and white shorts as the 1990s arrived.
A patterned blue shirt was seen in 1992-93 and a distinctive design on the sleeves appeared the following season before it was back to a traditional blue shirt with a small tucked in white band under the chin for the Barry Fry era. Then, when Trevor Francis came back to St Andrew's, Blues switched to a similar penguin-design shirt (like Francis and his colleagues wore in the early '70s) with a white body, blue sleeves and neckline and white shorts.
However it was back to blue shirts with white trimmings in 97/98 thereafter it has been a more plainer design with a designer-strip down each arm.
Blues' change strips over the years, have varied considerably with players wearing matching white shirts and shorts to white shirts and black shorts, all red, black and red halved shirts, red and black stripes with black (and sometimes white) shorts, all yellow, yellow shirts with black shorts, blue and yellow shirts and yellow shorts and even a green and yellow combination.
The blue shirt though, always stands out and one suspects that it will be Birmingham City's main colour for the next 125 years!
taken from the encyclopedia of BCFC by Tony Matthews
Club Records
Pitch Measurements: 110yds x 74yds
Record Attendance: 66,844 v Everton, FA Cup 5th Round, 11th March 1939
Record Transfer Paid: £6.25m for Emile Heskey from Liverpool May 2004
Record Transfer Received: £3.1m from Blackburn for Robbie Savage, January 2005
League Scoring Record: Joe Bradford, 29, Division 1, 1927-28
Honours
- FA Cup
- League Cup
- Division Two
- Football League Trophy
- Birmingham Senior Cup
- Winners 1905 1907 1915 1920 1921 1922 1983 1996 1999 2000 2003
Performance in the top division
As of the 2004-05 season, Birmingham City have spent 53 seasons in the national top flight, finishing in these positions (followed by number of times):
- 6th: 1
- 7th: 2
- 8th: 1
- 9th: 3
- 10th: 2
- 11th: 5
- 12th: 4
- 13th: 5
- 14th: 2
- 15th: 2
- 16th: 1
- 17th: 7
- 18th: 2
- 19th: 6
- 20th: 5
- 21st: 3
- 22nd: 2
The Blues' «favourite» position in the table is No. 17 (7 seasons). Over the years, they have found themselves in every position in the top flight, except for the first five.
Managers
| Name | Period |
|---|---|
| Committee | 1892 - 1910 |
| Bob McRoberts | 1910 - 1915 |
| Frank Richards | 1915 - 1923 |
| Billy Beer | 1923 - 1927 |
| Bill Harvey | 1927 - 1928 |
| Leslie Knighton | 1928 - 1933 |
| George Liddell | 1933 - 1939 |
| Bill Camkin | 1939 - 1944 |
| Harry Storer | 1945 - 1948 |
| Bob Brocklebank | 1949 - 1954 |
| Arthur Turner | 1954 - 1958 |
| Pat Beasley | 1958 - 1960 |
| Gil Merrick | 1960 - 1964 |
| Joe Mallett | 1964 - 1965 |
| Stan Cullis | 1965 - 1970 |
| Freddie Goodwin | 1970 - 1975 |
| Willie Bell | 1975 - 1977 |
| Sir Alf Ramsey | 1977 - 1978 |
| Jim Smith | 1978 - 1982 |
| Ron Saunders | 1982 - 1986 |
| John Bond | 1986 - 1987 |
| Garry Pendrey | 1987 - 1989 |
| Dave Mackay | 1989 - 1991 |
| Lou Macari | 1991 - 1991 |
| Terry Cooper | 1991 - 1993 |
| Barry Fry | 1993 - 1996 |
| Trevor Francis | 1996 - 2001 |
| Steve Bruce | 2001 - Present Day |
Players
First-team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Players out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Past Players
- Christophe Dugarry
- Jimmy Montgomery
- Trevor Francis
- Darren Anderton
- Bob Latchford
- Steve Bruce
- David Seaman
- Robbie Savage
- Darren Carter
- Bryan Hughes
Grounds
St Andrews
League History
External links
- Birmingham City F.C. on BBC Sport: Club news – Recent results and fixtures
- - Official Club site
- - 4thegame.com's Birmingham City page
- - Small Heath Alliance
- - The BCFC Archive
- - Keep Right On
- - Newsnow Blues
- - Joys & Sorrows
- - Birmingham City stadium location
- - Birmingham City Football Chants
- - Premierleague.com - Birmingham City Football Club
- - Blues Kits of the past
- - Watch Blues videos here
- - Blues Photos
