BIRMINGHAM CITY...0 STOKE CITY...0
Carson Yeung’s takeover project is gaining momentum but at least it doesn’t appear to have hampered Birmingham City’s survival mission.
The Hong Kong entrepreneur’s intentions are genuine on this occasion, following his firm’s £81.51million offer to seize control of the club.
There is always a danger of off-the-field changes breeding uncertainty on the playing side of things.
Yet while Yeung’s ill-fated 2007 attempt caused a manager to walk and a slide towards Premier League relegation, the early signs of the latest episode suggest that will not be the case this time around.
Following this stalemate at St Andrew’s, Birmingham manager Alex McLeish talked of an unbreakable spirit amongst his squad and of his medium-term plans to build a team capable of competing in the top flight.
Four points from two fixtures against potential fellow relegation-candidates, Portsmouth and Stoke City, suggests that if there is uncertainty, it certainly isn’t affecting the Birmingham players’ task at hand.
While this latest performance isn’t the type to sell tickets, it is the type that earns precious Premier League points.
The visit of Stoke is never likely to be a pretty, free-flowing encounter and, as expected, St Andrew’s witnessed a war of attrition on Saturday afternoon.
It is unlikely that Birmingham will host a more hard-working unit than Stoke this season and the home side produced a sterling defensive performance to withstand the Potters’ attack, which largely came via Rory Delap’s now notorious long-range throw-ins.
However it was far from one-way traffic and indeed Birmingham would have snatched a winner in the 63rd minute, had it not been for a stunning save from Stoke goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen. Second-half substitute Sebastian Larsson’s free-kick from the left met the rising head of Garry O’Connor but the Scottish striker could only watch as Sorensen dived to his right to brilliantly tip the goal-bound effort clear. A winner would have made the faultless efforts of Franck Queudrue, Roger Johnson and captain Stephen Carr all the more worthwhile.
While the trio matched everything that Stoke threw their way, the fourth member of Birmingham’s defensive quartet, Stuart Parnaby, wasn’t on the same wavelength at right-back.
The inclusion of Parnaby, for the injured Gregory Vignal, was one of three changes to the side that beat Portsmouth midweek and saw Carr move across to cover at left-back. Elsewhere, Kevin Phillips replaced the injured Cameron Jerome up front while Keith Fahey started out wide on the left as Lee Bowyer came into the side for Larsson.
Bowyer’s lack of competitive match practice due to him serving a three-game suspension was clear to see and he was substituted for Larsson in the 61st minute.
Christian Benitez, still not at full fitness, gained further Premier League minutes as a 53rd minute substitute for Phillips but the Ecuadorian was taught a lesson as to just how tough this league can be and he struggled.
Stoke had suffered an early blow with the loss of James Beattie to injury as early as the 11th minute after the former England striker had landed awkwardly in the Birmingham box.
However the visitors still managed to conjure up several opportunities. Carr was on hand to twice deny Liam Lawrence at the back post in the 21st minute after Kitson, Beattie’s replacement, had flicked on Delap’s throw-in.
Delap’s aerial bombardment made life uncomfortable but McLeish had ensured that his side were well-prepared for the Potters’ potent weapon. Training ground exercises meant that goalkeeper Joe Hart was alert to the threat of Delap as Birmingham avoided becoming another victim of the Irishman’s onslaught.
In the second half, Birmingham suffered the occasional nervy moment. O’Connor misread a Matthew Etherington free-kick from the right to chest down the ball for Ricardo Fuller, whose diving header looped over the bar.
After Sorensen had denied O’Connor’s golden opportunity at one end, Kitson headed an effort wide of the mark from close range at the other.
Stoke looked to have bundled home a winner in the 74th minute only for referee Chris Foy to halt celebrations and book Fuller for a clear handball.
The visitors continued to press only to be met by Birmingham resistance while Benitez tried to spark the occasional counter-attack only to find himself well-marshalled by Ryan Shawcross.
BIRMINGHAM CITY (4-4-2): Hart; Parnaby, Johnson, Queudrue, Carr; McFadden, Ferguson, Bowyer (Larsson, 61), Fahey; Phillips (Benitez, 53), O’Connor. Substitutes: Maik Taylor, Espinoza, McSheffrey, O’Shea, Carsley.
STOKE CITY (4-4-2): Sorensen; Wilkinson, Shawcross, Faye, Higginbotham; Lawrence, Whelan, Delap, Etherington (Whitehead, 76); Beattie (Kitson, 11), Fuller. Substitutes: Simonsen, Griffin, Cort, Pugh, Cresswell.
Referee: Chris Foy (Merseyside).
Bookings: Stoke – Whelan (unsporting behaviour), Fuller (handball), Whitehead (foul).
Attendance: 21,694.
Birmingham man of the match: Franck Queudrue – the honour could have easily gone to defensive colleagues Roger Johnson and Stephen Carr but the Frenchman was particularly dominate throughout Stoke’s regular attacking waves.
