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.

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.