‘Rubbish’: Former Aston Villa hero blast Birmingham City

admin | April 16, 2024 | Other Clubs | No Comments

A four-time England international and Premier League winner has his say on Birmingham City’s grand plans.

A former Aston Villa and Manchester United striker believes Birmingham City should ‘walk’ before they ‘run’.

The Blues announced intentions to build a ‘world class’ stadium last week after purchasing a 48-acre plot. The proposed new stadium would be erected in the Bordseley Green neighborhood, and it would have training facilities, a new academy, community pitches, and a commercial track to help local businesses. The projected plans by Knighthead, who seized ownership of the club last summer, are intended to create more than 3,000 local jobs.

The new stadium would take a few years to complete, and Birmingham would be fighting for relegation in the meanwhile. A 3-0 victory over Coventry City over the weekend removed some of the pressure as they climbed out of the relegation zone. They are one point ahead of Huddersfield Town and Sheffield Wednesday with two games left, and former England striker Dion Dublin says the team should concentrate on the present.

Dion Dublin, speaking to BoyleSports, who offer the latest EFL betting, said: “Birmingham fans will love the chat around a new stadium,”

“They’ll love the new stadium, but if the here and now isn’t good, it may never happen.

“If everything off the pitch is positive and working, that’s fantastic, but if things aren’t going well on the pitch, it doesn’t matter.

“It’s got to be right when you go over the white line, so I’d walk before I could run if I was at Birmingham, if I was a fan I’d want them to take it step by step and go from there.”

Birmingham enjoy a favorable fixture against already relegated Rotherham United this weekend. Next week, they face Huddersfield at the John Smith’s Stadium in a six-pointer before wrapping off their season against Norwich City, who are now in the Championship play-offs.

This season, six people have held the positions of head coach or manager. The permanent managers have been John Eustace, Wayne Rooney, and Tony Mowbray, with Steve Spooner, Mark Venus, and presently Gary Rowett taking interim leadership. Dublin believes that if Birmingham survives, supporters will want to see some consistency over the next few seasons.

He added: “Birmingham City need to get out of the rut they are in because you can tell the fans are a little bit annoyed even though they pick up wins now and then.

“I think the supporters just want some stability. Giving a manager two or three years to attempt and establish something, but the fans will always be present.

“They’ll always fill their stadium because they’re so loyal; my best friend is a Blues fan, and he’s frustrated right now. But with the appropriate system, they can turn things around.”