Birmingham City (H) pre-match thread

[MetaShrew]

Our latest new era begins!

What are everyone's thoughts?

Personally, I think it's great for Ainsworth to dive in with one of the toughest fixtures of the entire season. He can really get the measure of where we stand.

[kl8-2]

My prediction is Shrewsbury Town 0-8 Birmingham City.

[chameleon]

Think Ainsworth will go 4-3-3. He’s going to have them fired up. A top game 2-2. He’ll go with a high press and we’ll attack. Think with our defence attack is the best form of defence.

[themiddleshrews]

Nov 19, 2024 11:47:14 GMT 1 kl8-2 said:

My prediction is Shrewsbury Town 0-8 Birmingham City.

Couldn’t agree more. Great first fixture. A style of play will be hard to implement in just a few days but the old adage of a new boss will surely help us. I’ll go out on a limb, 2-1 Shrewsbury 👍👍

[hectord0g137]

Looking forward to this game. We won't win but as long as our players improve in their attitudes and,as fans we see a change of direction I for one will be happy(ier) 0-2 but a bit of fresh optimisim

[salop99]

Biggest worry for me is we see a huge increase in commitment and desire, but still get absolutely smashed, and the realization that the squad Moore and Hurst put together is even worst than I thought.

[staffordshrew]

That's a fixture I would want to start with. Lose and it was expected, put up some sort of effort - a good start, win - lie back and receive the adulation.

[chirkshrew]

0-2,with our defence, they'll definitely score,and I can't see our powderpuff attack doing much tbh....as long as the team give 100% you can't ask for much more at the moment

[staffordshrew]

Nov 19, 2024 13:44:54 GMT 1 chirkshrew said:

0-2,with our defence, they'll definitely score,and I can't see our powderpuff attack doing much tbh....as long as the team give 100% you can't ask for much more at the moment

Bloxham to score, Lloyd a  banker.

[albionshrew]

0-3 (HT 0-2)
It will feel like a victory if we avoid 0-8!

[harboroughshrew]

The 'new manager bounce' lasted one game with Hurst and it has to be noted we are playing the most expensive team ever seen in League 1. Lets hope Ainsworth can get our team better organised and fighting hard - I do remember his Wycombe team being noted for good attacking set pieces and there is plenty of room for improvement there.

[chirkshrew]

Stafford.....bloxham and Lloyd will be lucky to have a kick!!🤣🤣😉

[chirkshrew]

At the beginning of the season,I thought Hurst would definitely get a tune out of the players....how wrong was I.....for attitude, workrate and everything else,this is one of the worst groups I've seen in over 55 years of watching town.if ainsworth keeps us up with this team/group... I'll be dumbfounded 😳

[kenwood]

It will take time for Ainsworth to get our lot sorted.
So, not expecting miracles against Birmingham but hope to see signs of improvement . A good fixture for the new regime and a chance for GA to see what he has inherited .
This will be a good test , if we get anything it will be a bonus .
Always thought we would survive in this League but with each defeat the challenge becomes more difficult . However , I think if we do get relegated then GA has the experience to get us back up into League 1 fingers crossed .
I suppose with the way things are it may come down to the financial side , would we be able to compete even in League 2 with the money now available to some clubs .
At this point thoughts turn to our “ new owners “ whoever they are .
At the end of the day as long as we survive as Shrewsbury Town F C I will be relatively happy .
Onward and Upward then 👍

[lancsman]

Apart from the team set up three issues are paramount with me, keeping the ball, tackling and second balls. We have been so easily knocked off the ball. Actual tackling has been half hearted. Reading the game and being proactive instead of reactive will give us a chance of second balls.
If nothing else the manager will sort out the also rans in our squad.

[chirkshrew]

Yep...spot on with the tackling part... we're as weak as kittens in that dept...and reading the game from a defence point of view.you don't have to be the fastest in the world,you can see what's going on in front of you,and get yourself in,if you've got a bit of knowhow

[kenwood]

Nov 19, 2024 17:35:25 GMT 1 chirkshrew said:

Yep...spot on with the tackling part... we're as weak as kittens in that dept...and reading the game from a defence point of view.you don't have to be the fastest in the world,you can see what's going on in front of you,and get yourself in,if you've got a bit of knowhow

.. a bit of knowhow and commitment to the cause would be good .

[lancsman]

The players have a choice……commit or the door

[Pilch]

what an awful game for Gareth to kick off with, then again imagine if we win , instant hero

[londonshrew75]

Not sure about this one. An early kick off in cold wet conditions and Ainsworths first game, will give us a better chance of competing at least. I'll go for a scrappy 1-1 draw. Should be 8,000 plus on so you never know?

[secretshrew]

Hopefully we won’t be as passive at home from now considering GA’s wants to be positive from herein. Not sure Saturday will be a day to be gung ho. I’m going to go for a backs to the wall 0-0 which would be a fantastic start.

[pughywasfree]

Nov 19, 2024 16:44:40 GMT 1 chirkshrew said:

At the beginning of the season,I thought Hurst would definitely get a tune out of the players....how wrong was I.....for attitude, workrate and everything else,this is one of the worst groups I've seen in over 55 years of watching town.if ainsworth keeps us up with this team/group... I'll be dumbfounded 😳

I've got to disagree with this. For the first 10 matches we had periods in every game were we could have scored 3/4 goals if we could finish. We went toe to toe with some decent teams but was let down by terrible defensive mistakes and poor finishing. I have never thought we lacked work rate we just shot ourselves in the foot and then heads started to drop and we started making terrible decisions and the performances dropped.

There is a team here capable of staying up if they can gain some confidence and we have some tactical masterstrokes

[chirkshrew]

The table doesn't lie matey🤷🤷🤦

[chirkshrew]

I do hope it pans out like 1973/4,where Durban quickly turned things around,and got a good team together.hopefully it will be the same with ainsworth taking over,but without the relegation 🙏🙏

[blueboy48]

Spot-on assessment of our season under Hurst. I would add;

Signs of improvement but never quite made the breakthrough to actually winning the points we deserved.

I also feel the two legitimate goals that were ruled out plus the blatant Woods penalty not given in two consecutive games played a big part in the recent collapse in confidence and fighting spirit.

In the following three games against Barnsley, Salford and Burton we saw a team that believed they could not win no-matter what.
I don't condone that, especially as that soft touch/lack of fight was on display in the second half of almost all the games we played this season. However, I am baffled by it especially under Paul Hurst from whom I was expecting much more.

I expect Ainsworth to either motivate this group of players or move some on come January.

[blueboy48]

Note:
In response to Pughywasere post.

[Dale]

Weather forecast is very wet and windy for Saturday… that could possibly work in our favour, but if they can adapt to the tricky conditions and against whatever tactics the new gaffer implements then I would still expect them to win.

[Dale]

Nov 19, 2024 18:53:12 GMT 1 Pilch said:

what an awful game for Gareth to kick off with, then again imagine if we win , instant hero

I’d say it couldn’t be a better game to start off with… no pressure whatsoever, no one will expect anything from Salop…

[chirkshrew]

I certainly don't expect anything positive....but football is a "funny old game"!!!

[venceremos]

Five of our next seven games are at home. Unlikely to get anything from the first of these but it has to set a standard for what's to follow, because we need to be getting to 20 points and beyond by January if we're to have a realistic chance of surviving.