Team news ahead of Sunderland vs Birmingham

Sunderland may have won only one of their last 16 league games but as the first green shoots of spring have appeared, so the Wearsiders seem to have woken from their winter slumber. Steve Bruce says the football his side have played in the last month is the best since he came to the club.

After thrashing Bolton on 9 March, only an inspired injury-time equaliser from Adam Johnson denied the Black Cats victory against Manchester City last weekend.

Sunderland badly missed Kenwyne Jones after he limped off against City, and Bruce will hope the burly striker recovers in time to face Birmingham, who were interested in signing him during the January transfer window.

Bruce left Birmingham in 2007 after a new long-term contract was vetoed by Carson Yeung, the Hong Kong businessman whose drawn-out takeover of the club was eventually completed two years later. Bruce’s successor at St Andrew’s seems to have forged a better working relationship with Yeung. Alex McLeish this week said he had started negotiations with the Blues board over a new contract.

Last October Yeung spoke of making £40m available for new signings, but there were some who doubted whether McLeish would be the manager to spend that cash, having been appointed by previous owners David Gold and David Sullivan.

But McLeish’s stock has certainly risen over the last five months. Blues have arguably been this season’s surprise package, with a mid-season 12-match unbeaten run establishing the club in the top half of the table.

source: http://bbc.co.uk

CJ’s Prediction: 1-2 Birmingham could edge this one, Kenwyne Jones is recovering from a hip operation. Teemu Tainio cant play due to loan rules, and Cameron Jerome is on fire. He is answering his critics atm in style.

Bcfc.com Official match report

Blues battled back from a two goals down to earn themselves a deserved 2-2 draw against Everton on Saturday afternoon.

The visitors’ looked to be running away with the game as they raced into a two goal lead within 22 minutes, but a quickfire reply from Cameron Jerome and a second half strike from Craig Gardner earned Alex McLeish’s men an excellent point.

McLeish made two changes to the side that had defeated Pompey in midweek.

Lee Bowyer returned to the centre of midfield in place of Michel, following his recovery from illness.

And in defence Stephen Carr was back in his regular right full back role in place of the injured Stuart Parnaby.

The game started at a tidy pace with both teams intent on trying to pass the ball around.

With 13 minutes on the clock Blues found themselves temporarily down to ten men after Stephen Carr was forced to leave the pitch for treatment to a cut to his head.

Out of nowhere Everton fashioned a superb chance on 17.

Leighton Baines collected the ball on the left of the Blues box before sliding it across to Steven Pienaar.

The South African took a touch before curling in an exquisite shot at the Blues goal and it would have hit the back of the net but for a wonderful diving save by Joe Hart, who pushed the ball away.

However Hart’s good work was undone just two minutes later as David Moyes’ side took the lead.

The build up for the goal came from the right.

Phil Neville’s short ball found Victor Anichebe in the heart of the Blues box.

The Everton front man turned his marker Liam Ridgewell before firing home an unstoppable shot from some eight yards out.

Disaster struck on 22 minutes when the usually tight Blues defence conceded a second goal in the space of three minutes.

Mikel Arteta supplied Pienaar on the right of the box. The South African shrugged off the attentions of his marker Lee Bowyer before putting in an inch perfect cross to the far post where Yakubu out jumped Roger Johnson and made no mistake in heading home from close range.

But Blues’ battling spirit saw them right back in it on 26 minutes as they pulled a goal back to make it 2-1.

Keith Fahey launched a dangerous ball into the visitors’ penalty area and Cameron Jerome looked to have got the faintest of touches on it as it flew past Everton stopper Tim Howard and into the back of the net.

Blues then came close to restoring parity just after the half hour mark, but Scott Dann’s header was cleared by the Everton defence a yard in front of their own goal line.

The next opportunity of the game fell to Liam Ridgewell. The full back cut in from the left before ballooning a shot over from close range.

Blues were playing some really positive stuff now and a great piece of passing play which started in Blues’ own half and involved some five different Blues players culminated in Jerome heading Carr’s cross just wide.

Deep into first half stoppage time Everton went close as Baines fired in a strong free kick from the edge of the Blues penalty area, but Hart was equal to it and saved well at full stretch.

Half time: Blues 1 Everton 2

Both sides came flying out of the blocks and there some meaty tackles flying in from both teams.

Then on 51 minutes St. Andrew’s erupted as Craig Gardner scored his debut goal for Blues to bring the scores level.

A long ball was launched forward by Hart, Jerome headed it into Gardner’s path on the edge of the box, and the boyhood Blues fan made no mistake as he unleashed a low drive which beat Howard and nestled in the bottom corner of the net.

Blues were looking a real threat pushing forward now and Keith Fahey forced Howard to save from close range.

McLeish made his first substitution of the game on 59 minutes when Seb Larsson replaced goalscorer Gardner.

Everton then made a change of their own when American international Landon Donovan came on for Yakubu.

Change number two for Blues followed as Chucho came off for James McFadden.

Tim Cahill should have done better on 76 as he burst through on the Blues area, but fired straight at Hart.

Both sides were certainly not sitting back for a draw, as the game swung from end to end.

James McFadden cut into the area and curled the ball over from eight yards out.

As the game entered the final minutes, Blues were often forced to defend in numbers against a lively Everton outfit, but held strong to retain eighth place in the league ahead of the visitors.

Full time: Blues 2 Everton 2

Blues: Joe Hart, Stephen Carr, Lee Bowyer, Liam Ridgewell, Cameron Jerome, Chucho (James McFadden, 72), Barry Ferguson, Roger Johnson, Scott Dann, Keith Fahey, Craig Gardner (Seb Larsson, 59).
Subs not used: Maik Taylor, Kevin Phillips, James McFadden, Michel, Franck Queudrue, Teemu Tainio.

Bookings: Bowyer (28)
Goals: Jerome (26), Gardner (51).

Everton: Tim Howard, Leighton Baines, John Heitinga, Phil Jagielka, Mikel Arteta, Sylvain Distin, Tim Cahill (Jack Rodwell, 76), Phil Neville, Steven Pienaar, Ayegbeni Yakubu (Landon Donovan, 67) , Victor Anichebe (Dan Gosling, 79).
Subs not used: Carlo Nash, Tony Hibbert, Joseph Yobo, Diniyar Bilyaletdinov.
Bookings: Yakubu (62)
Goals: Anichebe (19), Yakubu (22)

Referee: Lee Probert (Wiltshire)

Attendance: 24, 579 (3255 away fans)

My view Blues 2-1 Portsmouth

Portsmouth remain four points adrift at the foot of the Premier League as Birmingham City gained sweet revenge on their FA Cup conquerors with a 2-1 blowout win at Fratton Park.

Portsmouth beat Birmingham 2-0 last weekend to reach the last four of the FA Cup thanks to two goals from Frederic Piquionne.  Although in my eyes, The disallowed goal ruined the game. There was no time to cry over spilt milk, as the replay would come 72 hours later. As one striker put it, ROUND 2 was imminent!

But there was no repeat performance as Birmingham moved up to eighth on the table thanks to a double from striker Cameron Jerome.  Portsmouth at no time appeared threatening through the first half. It appeared to me that ‘Uncle Avram’ played an attacking side, but that ploy went against him, as Chucho and Jerome fiercely ran rings around the Portsmouth defence. The FA cup is all Portsmouth have to play for, now that their Premier League playing days are numbered

Nwankwo Kanu, who scored Portsmouth’s winning goal in their FA Cup final win over Cardiff two years ago, pulled a goal back in stoppage-time but it came too late to prevent victory for the visitors. Although the goal brought a little bit of spice to the final scenes of the game, it was perfect grounds to show Pompey where they belong. [with Southampton in the lower leagues]

Portsmouth are due to return to the High Court on March 15 to answer a winding-up order brought by British tax authorities.

If a judge decides Portsmouth cannot overcome debts said to be totalling 76 million pounds (115 million dollars) they could be liquidated and go out of business completely.