“What a mess”: Richard Keys provides a nasty Birmingham City prediction

admin | April 29, 2024 | Other Clubs | No Comments

Birmingham City are one of several Championship clubs that still have a lot to play for on the final day of the season.

This season, the first under Tom Wagner and his investment business Knighthead, has proceeded in a same chaotic vein to previous seasons, and the Blues are once again staring relegation in the face with only 90 minutes of football remaining.

There are several possibilities heading into next weekend’s game against Norwich City, who know a draw at St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park will secure their own place in the play-offs, a result that could be enough for Birmingham depending on how Plymouth Argyle performs at home to Hull City – another team chasing the top six.

Richard Keys issues brutal Birmingham City prediction

This season has been incredibly well-documented in Birmingham, especially since the club looked to have turned a turnaround following the new investment from the aforementioned Wagner, who also serves on the board of directors alongside NFL superstar Tom Brady.

However, in the overall scheme of things, it has proven to be nothing short of a disaster, despite the fact that a variety of causes have contributed to the Blues’ season’s downfall.

With just one game remaining, former Sky Sports commentator Richard Keys has made an honest but ruthless prediction about Birmingham’s survival chances on his personal blog.

“As we prepare to watch the last day of the Championship season I can’t help but think Birmingham deserve to go down,” Keys said.

“What a mess they’ve made of their season. Remember, they were sixth when they sacked John Eustace.

“I feel sad for their admirers, who were promised too much and received little. “It’s another lesson in being careful what you wish for,” he said.

Away draws are huge missed opportunities for Birmingham City

Although Gary Rowett’s side is currently unbeaten after three games, there is a sense that the last two games – 0-0 and 1-1 draws away to Rotherham United and Huddersfield Town, the only two sides below them in the table – were missed opportunities to claim maximum points, especially since they coincided with Sheffield Wednesday’s back-to-back victories against Blackburn Rovers and West Bromwich Albion, which helped them climb out of the relegation zone.

As a result, it’s no surprise that the interim manager has issued a stern warning to his players for failing to convert at least one of those games into a crucial three points.

“At this stage of the season, they see other teams winning games of football and there’s an expectation when you’re playing the two teams around us that you go and win one of the games,” Rowett told Birmingham Live.

“We deserve to be where we are and that’s really simple at this stage of the season. Our away form has been incredibly poor all season. You have to show a much better mentality.”

Birmingham City must prepare for another last-day escape

Although the final day of the season has offered some spectacular confrontations for the long-suffering Bluenoses, they have become accustomed to the situation.

It has been ten years since Paul Caddis’ dramatic injury-time equaliser against Bolton Wanderers in May 2014, which kept the club in the second tier on goal difference ahead of Doncaster Rovers, as well as dramatic final-day victories over Bristol City and Fulham in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

One silver lining for Birmingham could be that their final day match is in B9, where they’ve earned 33 of their 47 points this season, but they must use what will be a raucous atmosphere to their advantage once more, as they did in recent victories over Preston North End and Coventry City.