LIVE: ROWETT RETURNS | Blues Focus Podcast S4:E24

We discuss Gary Rowett’s return to St. Andrew’s.
Also, we’re joined by former Blues captain and legend Stephen Carr.

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Oh He A Oh W This video is sponsored by voxy hello everybody and welcome back to the blues Focus podcast with me Tommy Kel Jamie Lawler and tonight’s special Blues guest Paul hip kiss from the Tilton talk how are you doing mate I’m good thanks Tommy yeah not too bad thanks for uh asking me on it’s a

Pleasure to be here it’s a pleasure to have you on it’s good to have a bit of an outside opinion rather than just me and Jamie rambling on about stuff as usual um but yeah Jamie how are you doing this evening Man sound all all good all good ready ready for hopefully

A more positive Pub than we had last week for the love of God yeah they’ve seemed to be good at timing like the fans mood I think the board recently haven’t they like they’ve they’ve sort of regained a bit of their sort of perhaps I don’t know I can’t F

Of the word but we are rolling blue shirts tonight for the first time ever um Paul’s obviously wearing the 93 9994 shirt I’m wearing row shirt that he wore um from the time he was with us as a player um I did look for like um some of

The shirts he had um we had when he he was manager last time but um I suppose it could have warn this season shirt now um but yeah uh to kick us off I’m just going to read a little bit of the statement that the club released last

Night at around 10:00 or quarter to 10 sort of time um and the statement said Birmingham city can confirm manager Tony mry will take a formal medical leave until the start of the preseason the club has appointed interim manager Gary row with immediate effects for the remaining eight games of the season the

Statement goes on to say that the decision was made by the board and leadership team with mry who identified right rows as the right man for the role uh also assistant Mark Venus will be uh taking a leave leave of absence and rejoin Moby at the same time at the

Start of the Season uh first team coaches Ashley Cole Pete shuttleworth and Mike Taylor will still be at the club uh chairman Tom Wagner said uh quoted saying uh the board and Club leadership fully support Tony’s decision to take his time off and focus on his

Health and his family we wish uh we continue to wish Tony and his family the very best based on Tony’s decision to take some additional time away we agreed it is in the club’s best interest to appoint Gary RIS to lead the team forward from the touchline uh for the

Final eight games of the season and CEO Gary cook said the team is in a challenging position and so a stronger leader is needed to guide the players through the through to the end of the season uh Tony wanted to be a part of the solution together we agreed to

Identify it as a manager uh Gary R was the number one choice we’re pleased to welcome back Gary to the blues he has the necessary experience and the requisite passion for the club and the Loy and our loyal fans Gary will provide all the support needed to keep the club

In the Sky Bet championship and finish by saying we look forward to welcoming Tony and Mark back to the club before the start of next season and continue to wish Tony a very speedy recovery so there we go guys a bit of a brief overview of the statements a couple of

Quotes in there from uh big leaders at the club so yeah let’s take it from there Paul I’ll come to you first what your immediate thoughts to all of this well first and foremost I hope that obviously it’s nothing too serious with Tony you know we want him to get well as

Soon as possible and see him back in the dogout you know because he’s still the man for me to take us forward um you know he’s a top six Championship manager that’s where we uh aspired to be but in the meantime you know Gary RIT is a is a

Great interim replacement and the fact that we’ve got Paul Robinson back at the club with him as well he’s a massive massive massive bonus um you know because he’s the kind of player you need or the kind of man that you need now in the dressing room um who knows what it’s

Like as well to put the shirt on and go out there and you know um wore his heart on his sleeve he was our captain and he led us through hard times he led us through as a captain a time that’s very similar to the to the time that we’re

Going through now didn’t he so um you know I think uh he he it’s ideal that he’s coming with Gary as well but no I think um when I heard the news break yesterday I was pleased I thought great you know that’s that’s that’s the ideal

Solution to the problem that we have but um you know and I think Mark Venus will do you know it’ll do Mark Venus from good as well to have a rest because he looks worn out doesn’t he to be honest yeah he definitely does yeah after the

Last game you know after the Watford game you could see in his interview couldn’t you that he just looked a bit drained to me so give him a bit of rest bite as well you know go recharge the batteries and hopefully we’ll see the pair of them back you know fit and

Firing in the in the summer but uh between now and then we need to get through this storm don’t we we’ve definitely got for me in my opinion now the right people in to do it um you know and obviously Gary rit’s football I don’t think he’s going to be no fear of

Football um you know but I think need we need to get over that now and we need to just do what we need to do with the players we got to get the results and all these Tippy tappy football rolling out from the keeper across the

Back of the Penalty Box has cost us like two goals in the last two games I think we need to uh we need to reset and we need to play to the strength of the players that we’ve got for the last eight games and that’s I think exactly

What Gary rght will do he’ll get us yeah he’ll get us starting from the from the back rather than than um when I say starting from the back he’ll make us harder to break down and then we’ll play on the Counterattack and score goals from set pieces and on this

Counterattack and that’s exactly what we did when we finished I think we finished 10th under him didn’t we the first season he was here and um you know we were in we were in trouble then as a club weren’t we off the field yeah you

Know so and I I think the squad that we’ve got now is probably better than what we had then you know I know yeah you could go through you could go through some players and say that you know some of Gary rit’s players that you bought in would probably get in this

Team there but you put a combined 11 together then I think you know you you’d have a few of these Lads in as well wouldn’t you so um oh definitely yeah but yeah you know I’m I’m I’m more optimistic than I was a week ago I’ll

Say that um all I was doing before yesterday’s announcement was hoping that Tony was going to get back before the end of the season he hoping he be back for QPR but um it’s kind of like a bit of sweet one because I was hoping he

Would be just for the sake of him being well sooner as well but you know is this is definitely the best thing for Tony and Mark Venus and the best thing for the club um in the short term and then hopefully in talking longer term we get

Through this uh we get through this cloud and uh we come through the other end and we survive that’s the first and foremost thing and then we can move forward with him in the summer and then who knows what’s going to happen obviously with the logs of Robo and Gary

Row after that whether or not you know there’s something that they can come up with for them to stay at the club or what I don’t know I don’t know what they’ll want to do but I would imagine Gary will still want to be a manager won

But yeah I’d love to think that Robo will still stay and and play a big part in us moving forward because he’s got a good relationship with Tony as well obviously you play for him at the baggie so you know yeah I I think it’s a perfect match really from everything

That’s been going off the pitch really because obviously there’s been issues with the players and the way that we’ve been playing the football and everything so I think it’s been a good time now to getting an inter a manager who can you know you know sort of steady the ship

For the end of the season it’s eight games as well you know it’s not like um as difficult a situation that redn had a couple of seasons ago where it was like three games towards the end of the season you know he’s got a good month

And a half to finish the season off strongly but I’ll come to you Jamie and obviously Paul gave some really good insight there into thinking what you know could be perhaps implemented into the team for the rest of the season but like what what what do you agree with

What you just said there I agree with pretty much everything Paul has just said and I think it’s massive I think Moby is well the same I agree and I think whatever health condition he’s got we just need him to rest up and be ready

For next season he for me is also the man to push us forward I think the way obviously we all have heard rumors and spits and spats of why row initially obviously got the chalk all them years ago and I think it’s good for him to

Come back and finish the story as well yeah get his proper send off to St Andrews come back to the club he played for the club he managed the club you know we had we had good times under him the round the club was mental but he got

Us on the pitch and we got a solid and if there’s anyone who understands this club right now who was out there as a manager it was row if there’s anyone who understands what it means to wear this badge wear this go out and fight Robo is

That guy who’s gonna fire them up in that dressing room we said last week we the only one who looked like he could be asked is dukovic who knows what his s to wear the badge in these situations you’ve now got a leader in Robo understands that as well nothing but

Massive and great things come from that no absolutely I think the thing with with Robo as well is the fact that I’ve been seeing a couple of comments here um in the chat saying uh I remember let me see if I can find the initial points uh

Mitch Greenwood says can someone tell me the fascination Paul Robinson uh all I remember from him is blaming everyone except himself and thr Academy players under the bus there there probably might be some of those things in there um but I I personally think that a lot of

Blow’s fans have a real good connection with Robinson is because he was sort of The Last of a Dying era I think for a lot of Blues players where like keft and Bell was in the team we had duuk we had Robinson uh and a couple of other

Players who were like proper blue style players you know who were going to willing to die for the badge get stuck in every week and have a real good atmosphere and obviously we’ll bring in Steven car interview later on uh We’ve obviously tweeted about that if it

Should be along the ticker I did forget to mention it in the intro um but we he did touch on that as well he’s saying about um how the fans will be driven by those players and it’d be interesting to listen to that a bit later on but I

Think like with Robo particular like like he wasn’t a particular Blues Legend for us and in a kind of way I kind of understand that because you know he wasn’t the um hero that we had you know during a car Carling cup SE like like Stephen Carr or anything but I still

Personally think though like he was a player who Blues fans could relate to just because he was you know like I mean like darl saying in the comments here even like Morris Morrison as well he just like got stuck in every week you know we had a good team with that we had

A good solid team I should say actually because Gleason Morrison cadis Donaldson David Davis you know they would scrap away and they would get us points they get us results you know and they weren’t in a relegation battle team throughout the whole time under row and I think

That he can reinstall that belief into the players and things and say to them and relate to them and say to them look you’re good players you’re much better quality players than players I’ve had before in my teams and I I I can assure you you can stay up and you can battle

Away with it CU I don’t know about you Paul but we were talking about this on a couple of podcasts um how like the players that we’ve got the set of players we got currently they don’t seem to have that um negative response to them if if that makes sense because I

Think a lot of the players we’ve had before in relegation battles have been a bit like to trying to prove us wrong almost it’s like we look like we’re relegation candidates and the teams we’ve had before have had that grip between a bit between the teeth to go

Back to the fans and say no we’re going to stay up but I don’t know about this set of fans uh this set of players they look like they Thrive under really positive conditions I don’t know about you what you make to that yeah I mean you back to last season we were

Favorites for a relegation weren’t we with John eust Us in charge and we we stayed up quite comfortably in the end but um I think you know we have got we have got fighters in there you know the L are lead get stuck in and I like Ian

Sunich for that as well I think Ian sunich is good for getting his foot in but you’re right we don’t have enough soldiers if you like as M would put it you know we don’t have enough soldiers and we have more artists you know and we

Can’t really play the way in my opinion that suits the players better and you know there’s nothing wrong with an oldfashioned 442 and getting the ball in the box when jovic is fit especially and if he’s fit you want players to get to the ball on and get the ball into him so

He can head it down for Jay Stanfield to put it away or flick it on you know you think back to the goal we scored at Southampton away you think back to the goal the winning goal in the last second against pouth at home you know the flick

On from jovic and Stan stansfield’s put it away you know and I’m thinking come on here we go we got a new Shay and Juke partnership going there and I don’t think I ever saw it again after that you know so in my opinion that’s what would

Have done that’s what I would do because it’s no good lumping eyeballs up to Stansfield and mioshi and you know people like that it’s you know you need the way they want to play the way we’ve been trying to play is on the floor isn’t it you know the the the one touch

You know uh into play which has been good at times don’t get me wrong we have had good results and when we played well we played well but it’s it’s not worked more often than it’s wored this season which is why we are where we are and you

Know at the same time we’ve had battles off the field as well trying to you know get stuff right um with regards to the management team and obviously we had the Rooney disaster halfway through the season and we finally get the right man in and due to unem circumstances we’ve

Had to change the manager again you know so you couldn’t write it really could just six managers in one season I mean I read somewhere earlier that um manager of the month he’s an award at Birmingham city it’s it’s actually a it’s actually a job yeah literally like we haven’t had

A manager it doesn’t feel like at least for a whole solid month but just honestly it’s like we’ve been a circus really as a club this season because we started out like perfectly really didn’t we like after an absolute flyer we’re undefeated for like seven or eight games

I think it was really getting up to standards really getting at the at the teams that we were playing up in the first games and then we had a little bit of a dip and we thought okay but it’s not going to be as bad as the seasons

That have gone by but it it just always seems to end up that way I don’t know why it is but whenever any Blues fan always say it’s just like well it’s going to go wrong at some point isn’t it because it just does you know and like

The way I sort of look with it now is that if he does a really good job until the end of the season he gets us well away from the relegation zones what do we do then you know because do we then say to Moby say look you be in

Particular if hypothetically I do need to be careful with my words here if he’s not um particularly feeling too great to come back into a managerial position and decides to take his uh time away a bit longer then do we put Row in charge again you know and does that then falter

For the next season because we’ve had this with managers before like we had it with redn we had a great end of the season where he was so solid with us and he kept us up and the feeling around this was great and we put him in charge

And then he did terribly you know horrible start of the Season lost so many games and all the players that bought in you know just never really worked out for us as well so it’s like what do we do now with towards the end of the season because we’ve obviously

Had Tony Mo we have Tony mry in who is going to be a fantastic manager for us I’m sure of it still but then with ramit on top of it it’s like what happens at the end of the season if R it does well I think that a decision will have to be

Made in the summer um a lot of it will depend on how Tony is by then you know and I’m sure Tony’s um the kind of guy that will just come out and say look you know I’m not well enough and I need to step away and he probably will do that

If he’s not well enough but I hope to God he is well enough and I hope to see him back because for me you know without sounding harsh obviously I know Gary RIT is a good interim replacement for him in the meantime but if you if you if you

Offered M ton mry or Gary rarry as the manager I would probably go for I would would go for Tony mry I’m you know no I agree with that yeah yeah I agree I do yeah because I think you still got more of a managerial Hiatus than uh no not Hiatus status than

Row does because he just he’s done more really as well he’s been a premier league manager and been a fairly stand up to standard Premier League manager as well um but yeah what what do you me to with Jamie then because like with the point I just made in terms like if row

Does a really good job till the end of the season I’ve had so many I’ve got a couple of group chats and we’ve had so many debates about this exact situation someone lot saying imagine R walks in wins five out of eight towards the end of the season can’t really sack him up

Then can you and I’m like well but if it’s if he he’s coming with the knowledge surely that Moby will come back in the summer I think for him he didn’t have a job it’s probably the longest in his manager career he’s gone with a job this is the chance of grow as

Well to Kickstart his managerial career back after mil they the doors with a lot of things yeah sorry Jamie I think it’s a win-win I think you know we’re hopefully we’re going to win because he’ll keep us up and he’ll win because he’s putting his stocks back up and

There he’s getting himself out there again and he’s putting himself out there as a good Championship manager which is what Gary RIT is you know so he’s got Derby to the playoffs hasn’t he before and you know unfortunately lost in the semi-finals didn’t need to F him I think

It was at the time um you know and he’s he’s 10 years younger than Tony mry so he’s got plenty of time on his side and you know I do wish him well in the future if he does move on at the end of the season and I hope he does well uh

Wherever he goes after but um for me Tony mry you know is the man to take us forward and get us into that top six eventually agreed yeah I I do agree with that as much as like it’s I think what a lot of people are having at the moment

Is the sort of nostalgia with RIT and obviously we haven’t played any games yet so if we play against QPR on uh next Saturday and then it might be a bit of a wakeup call if we lose or something like that you know it’s it’s all up in a at

The moment because we don’t know exactly what’s going on with the club and what’s the future is going to hold and everything so I think it’s still interesting to have a look at and everything but obviously there was other suggestions going through before row was put in charge obviously um Neil waro was

Another suggestion that was perhaps in the fre and everything but I think rout is just the best for the club and like they said in the statement earlier it just it fits everything that’s going right with the club at the moment you know it’s it’d be a good boost for the

Fans I think as well because they they remember remember the good times with rowt and to have them back it’s like I don’t think we’ve ever done that before as a club have we ever REO reappointed the manager before I don’t think we have in my time

I’m trying to think no I don’t think we have it definitely hasn’t been something anywhere near as that you know we’ve had players that have come back as managers you know like Bo when he got put in charge that was like a real good boost for the fans and everything but I feel

Like that’s the sort of same thing we’re at the moment because we’re we’re in real trouble of we’re in a mathematical relegation battle even though I don’t think we’ll be in a relegation battle coming in last two games of the season I think we just need that good boost I

Think they’ve timed it well with the international right this time whereas they timesed it terribly with the international B when they put Rooney in charge um to really have that sort of good boost again because I think to really to point to talk about Rooney a bit more actually it’d be interesting to

Sort of work out what their thought pattern was with that because obviously we’ve coming into the international right now it’s like perfect time you know R um R’s going to come in have a good week or so to out the players and everybody you know who’s been pictured

Um with some of the players today in the training groups so you know already the fans are going to feel great about that but with Rooney like the timing of it all I mean like obviously everybody’s pointed this out in the podcast before but like it it’s a good demonstration of

How to do business football business in particular right you know you got to time these things as well because like we all agree like this is a perfect time to put R in charge but whereas the one we used to sacking after we just won against the albian for the

Was it fourth time in a row or something like that he did for us you know like with this one it’s much better than it was with Rooney yeah you got me thinking now the first thing I’m going to first thing you racking my brains with is as a

Manager ever left and come back and I remember God Rest his soul Trevor Francis resign it um when he was our manager he resigned because I think somebody said something to his son in the main stand that he didn’t like um so he just decided to step away immediately

And he was gone for about 48 hours I think and then he came back in it was he was again I remember that I don’t if it was as long as 48 hours but don’t quote me on that it might have only been like one night or something but he did

Resign he did hand in his resignation and left and I remember I remember being gutted as like a teenager at the time yeah um you know but yeah he don’t been here about a year at the time as well and we just missed out on the playoffs

And we were doing quite well that season as well so yeah I remember Trevor resigning and then changing his mind um as a manager that’s the only thing I can come up with remotely like what you’ve just asked um yeah and then I think if you remember when Rooney took over it

Was also the international break but the problem then was Ashley Cole was with the under 21s England under 21s and and John OA was with the Republic of Ireland yeah so there was only Rooney and um Pete shorth I think on the training ground with the lads so it was all a bit

Unorganized and a bit of unorganized chaos at the time wasn’t it if I remember yeah it definitely was because all all the photos you you’re right actually yeah it was just shut work from Rooney at the time yeah you’re right yeah yeah yeah so I think the

Their intention there was to get us to try and play more possessive based football and you know they showed us didn’t they that all most clubs that do well in this league are the clubs that look the teams that look after the ball the most and and keep possession the

Most and that was it yeah that was it the open house wasn’t it last time yeah but I remember saying at the time you know I’m thinking it at the time that we just don’t have the players to do that we have not got the play to do that you

Know you can’t ask Ruddy to play out from the back and be a sweeper keeper you know he’s a good goalkeeper John rdy is but he St isn’t the ball at his feet you know so you know you have to play to the play strength that you’ve got and I

Think you know Rooney really should have grasp that quite early into his reign with us I thought but he never did did he he kept persisting we trying to play this way and ultimately there was only going to be one outcome wasn’t there I don’t know what the thing was with

Rooney I don’t want to say like it was arrogance or anything because I don’t think it was I don’t want to say ignorance either because the terms probably don’t defy him very well but I don’t there was just never something right with Rooney but they’ve timed this

One perfectly because of the where we are in the championship as well it’s not just from where the fans are feeling with obviously the lull of having mob out and obviously off the back of everything that Rooney’s done it’s also the fact that you know that the the man

Who theyve put in charge is going to get the tune out of the players until the end of the season the only thing I am slightly cautious about is the end of the season now and the start of next season how that goes on afterwards because I just don’t know whether the

Owners can or or the board or anybody who’s got the decisive say on how the players and the team were going to look on the pitch you know cuz like really what we do need is that core culture of Blues back you know that team that are

Going to be dying on the hill really for the club you know and everything and those type of characters back and you know the reason why fans love row last time is because that he identified with the fans what they wanted to see and we were talking about that a couple of

Podcasts ago weren’t we Jamie just in terms of that we need that sort of identity back in the team and then the fans will give them the reaction won’t we we just yeah and we said we just need to be a horrible team again there’s no point playing this Pander Ticky Tacker

Football on like I’m all for it yeah it looks great on the eye when it works like you said Paul we haven’t got the footballers to be playing this my God we’re just gifting teams ridiculous errors at the minute for One n one nil wins three one n Win losses on the back

Back to back and then them last two are just defensive balls that’s man like we can’t like that a going to a r i don’t care about the style of football we’re playing right now you’ll get a result under row and that’s to play dirty nasty 90 minutes of football route one if

You’ve got to flick it down get it up to juky be fit and play off him that’s wor before it will work again at the minute right now we can’t afford to go down no I I go to St Andrews for the three points that’s what that’s my biggest

Hope when I’m traing there and when we lose games playing well I’m not walking away soing that’s all right we played well you know what I mean I’m I’m gutty because we lost I’d rather I’d rather win ugly than lose playing well no 100%

I think the most fans do as well CU like the there isn’t a a game that I’ve been to lately is where we’ve just been like all right fair enough we played well but you know the results are not one of those it’s just like we’re not in that

Position you know and we’ve been in the championship for 13 14 years now haven’t we or coming up to those that that sort of time really and like fans don’t want to see good football but unlucky results you know we’ve had that for [ __ ] ages you know we want solid results after

Maybe a little bit of a crap performance you know want to be up and away you know we’ve had far too long in the championship and when people have been saying on social media and it is only a handful but it just sort of irritate me

Where I see them saying oh well maybe going down to League one will be a good time to reset and everything I’m like oh please just don’t honestly because we we don’t need that at this current stage the fan base is in a tricky position

We’ve had all sorts go on in these last however many years you know we’ve had a proper roller coaster as well from winning The Carling cup to getting relegated to having a europ Europa League season in the championship and then consistent relegation battles and everything like it’s just been like that

The whole time really it’s just trying to keep some sort of Sanity in the fan base we don’t need to go down to Le one we need to push back towards the top of the table and have like some real emphasis in feeling good about the club

Again and I think that’s perfect with rck coming in now because even though there’s a couple of people saying um poor football’s on the horizon they won’t mind as as long as we’re winning and that’s all that I care and everybody particularly cares about isn’t it

You can go back to Alex MCC Alex MCCC Alex MCC was a defensive coach that played counterattacking football and we got a lot of one bill if you remember the season in 200920 we finished like ninth in the Premier League that high and I think we

Had something like 91 nil wins didn’t we That season we went yeah about 13 games or 14 games on beaten and we had Cameron Jerome up front with Christian benitz God Rest him and um they had a good partnership going and we we we just we

Were so hard to break down with Johnson and D at the back and I know we had better players then don’t get me wrong but we were never playing you know sexy football was we it was all it was always like a a goal off a set piece or I

Remember the one going in off Jerome’s ass that Stoke away yeah exactly yeah won one nil you know yeah who cares exactly yeah that’s that’s the thing like players really like we I mean like the whole fan base knows this and just like flicking my eyes over to the chat

As well everybody’s sort of agreeing with what we’re saying because we’re Blues fans AR we we we know that we know the score with it you we’ve been Blues fans for all our lives you know like we were talking about bit before we came on

The chat about uh before we came on live and talking about first Blues games and The Carling Cup games and everything you know like it’s it’s it’s enriched with us you know we want to see that type of football you know because we all do you

Know like when um I’m trying to think back to a more recent one than just keft and beld sliding in against greish against pher like it’s the only one that sticks in my mind but everybody loves that you know we need a bit of that back

You know don’t we yeah I know absolutely yeah yeah you want someone who’s going to put a tackle in like that and get the crowd lifted you know and that’s what Robo was good at as well weren’t he yeah 100% I mean I I didn’t go to as many

Games that season because obviously um it was it was sort of the uh tail end of sort of Carson young wasn’t it I think from a blues and personal standpoint me my dad and my mom was deciding not to go to the games because they didn’t want to

Fund sort of Carson young a bit more really so they decided to just watch them from Home Instead um but we did go to a couple of row games that season but every time Paul Robinson Michael Morris ke beld and those type of players GLE in particular as well just like proper

Solid players you know and that something went wrong between that point where Ric got sacked and Gary monk got appointed you know what I mean like there was a frame that sort of has changed us from the blues that we were before that where we got relegated to

The sort of solidified championship team that we became isn’t it it’s like that that period there from RIT being sacked to monk being appointed where we’ve just sort of turned into a championship side haven’t we yeah no definitely but no I mean the other thing as well I know

Obviously Tony was a Defender as well but you know Gary Ro was a great defender for us as well you know the couple of years he was a player for us he was with us for two seasons and for both of those Seasons he was absolutely fantastic honestly I was surprised

Trevor managed to attract a lot of players as our manager that you’d never believe we’ get from the Premier League like Gary RIT and like Peter un and you know Stan Lazar some players like that stepped down a division to play for us and a Trevor you know and these were

Players I mean Peter un was tearing it up in the Premier League for centry you know and I couldn’t believe it when we signed him honestly I’m like we got him I think Stan’s the big one though isn’t it it’s like Stan Lazarus he was the one

That sort of made people think okay we’re we’re we’re back in for a premier league push here now because we’ve been is it three seasons we had on the chart in that sort of late 90s period where we just lost Al all the semifinals yeah don’t remind me it’s the one against

Barnsley that makes me laugh the most it’s just like 4-0 in the first League that was that was in the shirt you’re wearing there Tommy yeah is it 40 is it 5 nil 4N at home to Bar Yeah Yeah we actually we actually won the second leg

Two I think it was 2-1 or one nil away as well and R scored in that he scored ah header uh yeah but um yeah we had uh we had Watford in 99 that was our first attempts and we lost our pen Chris Holland missed the decisive penalty in

That one uh and Gary RIT scored a penalty in that um I remember him having a header as well off the corner which went just over the bar um and that was one of the best atmospheres of ever sat in in St Andrews before game the buildup

To that game it gives me like tingles now talking about it and thinking about it um and then after that it was obviously barnesley in 2000 which we’ve just mentioned and then 2001 was Preston and we got um we won one in the first leg and then we drew one one actually no

We um I think we lost two one away I think it was if I remember uh which made it 2-2 on aggregate um because horfield scored there we were one n up and then I think they equalized um and then Mark rankings scored like in the last kick of the

Game all the way to extra time and then we lost we missed out on penalties and there was a big uproar about which end the penalties were going to be taken yeah of course yeah and Francis walks us off doesn’t he yeah yeah yeah so not to

Be a part of it but then obviously comes back and we lose yeah yeah yeah but the um the Preston one was after because R had moved on to Leicester then he wasn’t with us then but he was with us for the wat for the Watford and the um barnesley

Playoff semi-finals and then obious the following year 2002 we finally make it and we beat which was one of the best days of my life well speaking of which actually now that you’ve mentioned that um we’ve had like a good couple of defensive managers it’s like Steve Bruce

Defender great manager for us Gary rowt Defender great manager for us MCC Defender great manager for us Gary monk Defender great manager for us yeah defensive coaches must make great managers for blues yeah exactly yeah I mean sa I mean sa G is not everyone’s C

But he’s not doing too bad for England is he he’s done a lot better than Roy Hodson did and pre well true that is very true yeah so um yeah but whether he’s got what it takes to actually win the Euros in the summer is another question that remains to be answered but

He’s he’s certainly got me believing again I’ll say that oh absolutely yeah now it’s it’s it’s a it’s a fascinating one to think about really in terms of how the future’s going to lay out for blows and everything um I I’m hoping it won’t be a terrible end to the season

Now um because it will will be a big kick in the teeth when they if um we do get relegated after such of the Season we’ve had I do just want to shout out for edgy again he’s given us another £999 donation mate thank you again man

You top top lad and everything um but yeah Paul thank you very much for joining us at this opening section of the podcast tonight it’s absolutely pleasure to have you on it’s been fantastic um pleas we will we will just cut to a quick advert but we are about

To bring you a interview with Steven Carr who Sam was speaking to yesterday but in the meantime Paul thank you very much for joining us mate absolutely sounds forever you want and uh yeah we’ll be back after the short break this video is brought to you by voxy the pay

You go mobile network that gives you unlimited social media for as little as £10 a month sign up today using the link in the description to stop eating your data away while on the Move foxy has got you covered with unlimited social media video and music or with 5G ready in

Every voxy plan and you’ll also get a free 20 PayPal just detour Amazon voucher so be sure to sign up today now back to the video hi Stephen uh first of all how are you doing and what are you up to at the moment yeah oh good um I live in Spain

Now at the moment so I do a few things out here obviously I got investing in um Lala group that we own some restaurants Beach Club so I get involved in that with all the contracts of the staff and also something different um so yeah

That’s what I’m up to out out here now nice and um obviously there’s only one place we can start on Blues Focus the Birmingham Channel All About The Carling Cup Final and you the captain of that side the greatest side I’ve ever watched um I was 9 years old front row sort of

In the middle bit and uh it’s a Memory that I’ll never forget and in terms of sort of your emotions playing in that game and lifting the trophy what was I suppose the overriding emotion in that time um to be honest like going to the stadium obviously going to a special

Place Wembley you know what I mean has such memories over the years for football I’ve been there before the old Wembley um you see the C you come out you see all the fans they I think the thing for us we do underdogs and I think even Blues fans were happy that they

Were there more so when we’re happy to be there but it’s all right being there but you need to win because it can be the worst place in the world if you don’t win so the atmosphere was Unreal obviously really underdogs taking on the big boys of Arsenal who had some top

Players in there but we had a belief in us um that we could win and that’s not because we won that’s how we felt we didn’t see ourselves as The Underdogs we seen ourselves that we’ve matched them in the league during that season we done

Well against the big clubs so we had a game plan um and that’s how it went as I say the atmosphere is always un believable at Wembley and especially I think when you’ve got fans there that haven’t been there as such a a big game

It just adds that bit more but to me it didn’t add pressure it just added more like Arsenal fans expected to win Birmingham fans hoped we win and I think that’s the difference players expected to win and Arsenal me us and Arsenal probably on a different wave for them it’s just it

It’s car c whatever you call it um so it was everything to us more so I think than to Arsenal and that’s not saying every football player goes down the pitch to win but for us we were going to be going down in in the history of the

Club so it’s it’s huge um and thank God the way the game unfolded yeah and I think you speak about the psychology of the team there as well like the whole expecting hope in scenario and I think that’s what made that Birmingham Squad so good is because

Everybody fought for each other no sort of Primadonna is in the team and that team went on a spectacular run sort the season before uh 12 games unbeaten in the Top Flight our best run there you played every minute of though that run and you know that team I suppose when

You look back at it and the core qualities of that team what do you perhaps look at now with the Birmingham team and go okay this could be something that we could look to do with this team because obviously now it looks like Gary Row’s coming into Birmingham it’s all

Change at Birmingham so in terms of the psychology of that team and looking to translate that onto what’s happening now with Birmingham what would you say as a key advice well here at the end of the day as you say made the point there there was no primat on us uh anybody stepped

Out line they’re put into line we we a good balance of players who never played in the Premier League who are coming into it the Roger Johnson’s quite down and all that but then you had players like me BOS Ben Foster um bar fergon but we all had a

Point to prove as well because we did a little second bite of it um Ferguson especially come from Scotland can he do it in England which he was top first um so it’s togetherness you know mean because you’ll have tough times and you all have to stayed together nothing gets

Outside that dress room you’re all fighting that obviously in a very very difficult position now which they’ve been in difficult positions before but this is quite unfortunate with Tony having to step down for the time being for his personal reason which is which is unfortunate because he’s a top man Jo

Tony and and then it it lands on the assistant it’s not quite the same even though he’s very experience Gary Robert was done really well at Birmingham as I said I just seen that that he could come in as an inter manager because they’re in a desperate situation now this

Changes the whole dynamics of the club God forbid they went to League one because it’s not easy getting over any of these leag and they all just get tougher and tougher to get out of and I suppose with Birmingham one of the things that makes us stand out from

The rest is our atmosphere at home and you’ve played in games before where it’s just been you know chaos I guess and the quarterfinal against Villa semi-final against West Ham where you said before that the crowd were just willing the ball in almost and in terms of building

Up that atmosphere what’s it like being on the pitch in those atmospheres as well the atmosphere is built by the players you can’t always expect the fans to build atmosphere uh with a team which they knew would die for each other die for the club um that’s not to say the

Players now won’t but momentum comes from you you see other clubs and then they get behind they’re behind you and I but they need that push and as you said that Villa Game West Ham game I think were the two memorable games where you had the fans were pushing that ball into

There very like what happens at anfield to be honest the cup gets they get going it’s it’s a tough place when then fans are behind you and Perman is quite it’s passionate you know I mean obviously it’s it’s a bit down at the moment like fans are they’re paying good money

They’re coming they’re not getting the results the most important thing is they stay behind the team because it it benefits no one and I understand the frustration obvious obviously they don’t want to be weird or that but no neither do the players no one’s just thrown the

Book in they just find themselves in a very difficult position three managers in a year not ideal and so they just have to stay with them and hopefully if it’s carry rout whatever they just need to get out of this little position they’re in and get it’s amazing in them

Leagues you get a result getting another two three go in a little run and all of a sudden you find yourself getting pushed up that table quite quickly you need to get on them and it’s important to do it very quick because they’re going to run out games and the pressure

Becomes bigger and bigger and unfortunately some players can’t take that pressure it it’s tough you know I Manan you have to you have to roll your sleeves up and be quite tough mentally and you get paid to play for for the club and you just have to keep going at

It and going at it and fingers cross get that little bit you do need a bit of look at times little things goal the result goes the other way as well and all of a sudden you can find yourself getting out of it but it’s a tough

Little run in for them uh you’re going to need men not like boys you’re right and I suppose with that sort of leadership that you need on the pitch and the championship as well as the tough schedule you need everybody to pulling in the same direction don’t

You and um I suppose with the Birmingham team of old the team that you you really got that feeling that everybody was pulling in the same direction so in terms of sort of then to now um with the plays that you had back then in in the

Squad and the players I suppose you’ve got now what are the key qualities that make a good Birmingham city side but as I said we had such a mixture that worked perfect as you say no one stepped out of line everybody knew demanded in training every day everybody

Would have the hump if they lost in training we’d argue all the time because everybody cared there’s that hunger um so it’s very difficult to get that balance in the team you know I mean and we had a special balance one of the best it was one of the best dress rooms of

Been in for just a mixture of everybody pulling together um but said it’s not easy getting there um and obviously it’s it’s very unsettling when you you had a manager who was doing really well they fifth six in the league then the American obviously wanted R in and I get

I kind of get it but he came in then on the backfield because he theander that the fans didn’t want to lose the pressures then all on Rooney that didn’t work out then you get another maner in then he has to step he was a good

Manager said I don’t need to be in the position probably he has to step down so it’s just uncertainty uncertainty so it just needs to steady I say if it is Gary rro comes in who knows the club he’s done well there maybe maybe that is there’s nothing to lose now because

Something has to to change quick you know what I mean another game or two all of a sudden get results going WR way you’re in the bottom bottom three it’s not easy getting out of it when you’re in it and you being the captain of Birmingham before the captain’s arm band

This season has been passed around a bit it started off with Dion Sanderson and then because of his injuries and suspensions it’s been passed around a bit so he had ukovich Captain Maybe Ry captain at one point sunit Captain so when you were captain of Birmingham what

Was the main thing that you demanded off every player in that dressing room because it seems to be now that we really need someone like a focal point someone to look to for that bit of leadership well it’s responsibility you know I mean you’re a captain and you

Need to get the players behind you you only do that by Leading by example and that’s about players in that team people a lot of players played with injuries for a long time and a lot of players were just go they know want I’m injured didn’t they players are getting injections and Barry

Fa is getting in his ribs and all horrible injections before games and that’s what you need you need them type characters everybody just pulls together I train I I had injections other players had injections tablets is it ideal it’s not ideal but unfortunately when you’re

In them positions if you want to win you have to go through playing and not everybody’s willing to do that to be honest that’s that’s just life and but if you’ve got e on that and players look around and go he’s having that it just creates that desire and hunger to fight

And that’s what we had we had a massive desire to win and fight for each other but it’s not easy creating as I say you don’t there’s not a lot of dress rooms you have that in obviously the top teams you have successful but not in these type teams that earned top top

Teams could you speak there about the desire to fight the desire to win and that’s something that Blues fans have been calling out for this season but we’ve seen recent games it just hasn’t happened for us and uh as we’ve mentioned Gary R as of this morning

Looks to be to become inter manager of Birmingham city so I suppose if you’re going into that dressing room as part of that staff or whatever like a hypothetical situation um what players are you looking at in the Birmingham team and going okay you could get a tune

Out of them we could play to this player strengths yeah but it can’t be just one player it has to be every individual like and as I say it’s not players not given at all obviously sometimes the quality isn’t there we had in our team

Not as if we were all top players we’re like there quality wasn’t there at times but if you have a team e think that they all keep working you can still get results the most important in your defense to keep solid but that only keep

Solid if the rest of R are also working to the same level so I don’t think it’s any individual obviously you have senior players who have to gather the players under them of course they have to follow and lead by example but as you just said

But you need Lu injuries do come into it and it’s not a blind game but if you get players that are key to you getting injured and then you’re not scoring as many goals but then you can’t concede then there’s a lot of pressure in you not concede because you know you’re not

Getting the goals you got one nail down you think I need need to score a few we not scoring many goals so it’s a combination of loads but I don’t think there’s any individual I think at the end day not not one of them will want to

Get relegated in that team they don’t want to be part of a relegation team especially going to League one it’s like that’s a disaster so as I say throwing your sleeves up you’re in a fight either fight or you just you go and I said I don’t believe players in

General are happy with just that’s it down the to I might move leave this club I get a move from here G that doesn’t really happen you know what I mean but it as say does it need freshness with another manager I don’t know but at the

End of the day I suppose there so much a stake the owners obviously very very worried because it’s not there as the players are playing for M they know a lot of players that know Tony M he’s done a very good job where he’s been

Um Gary R I know he’s done really well there does it need that freshness rather than assist the man no disrespect him maybe that’s the answer only time I tell if he’s appointed there’s a lot of pressure on him as well you know what I

Mean so um as I say fingers crossed but it is every individual coming together it’s chatting to each other we can’t be in this position and and as I say no one’s too good of a team to go down so it’s about getting on now and digging in

And finding that extra bit and it’s uh I say together everybody on that pitch working the socks off it’s not always about quality you work your socks off you can just get that bit look at times something goes for you another result goes for you soon you can find yourself

In the better position and confidence gets goes High obviously then you get a little r and you think you can win every game at the moment fans know the wored going into games probably thinking you know that’s natural like don’t see us getting a result here not the way things

Are going but that’s what mean so players will they feel that from the fans in the stadium feel the anxiousness especially if you go goal down it’s not the end of the world but they’ll feel it’s the end of the world the fans think don’t see us getting out this so it’s

Everybody coming together as a club fans players and all going in the same direction just try to get out of it thank you so much for your time Stephen I’m sure the blues fans listen to this would um hopefully have their spirits lifted a bit for what you have to say

And um remember the good times as well because at the moment it’s a bit of a baron run for Birmingham so thank you so much for your time Stephen no problem thank you so there we are Steven Carr on the blues Focus podcast uh absolute pleasure

To have him on what a Legend um yeah Jamie what what you make to that interview there’s quite a lot to unpack see it’s a bit of a longer segment than we usually do but yeah mental to have him on wasn’t it it’s just he’s just amazing I he’s a

Great guy obviously very knowledgeable understands what it’s like to battle and fight as well and it’s just hearing the words of a former Captain understanding the assignment and going right is what we do you pull your socks up you all got a work each at this point he’s writing

What he’s saying you know they a lot of modern day footballers have lost that kind of they’re having injections Barry F had a horrendous ribb inry he’s taking injections in his ribs play for the shirt like and they all had a points to proove and I feel like I feel like we

Need that back and I think R might be the man to install that into with Robo again yeah and kind of gain that fight back again one how many times have we said it this season you know and that mcle team that he speaks about we were

[ __ ] houses from set pieces we haven’t had that this season things like that that I think Row’s going to bring back you know become nasties and set pieces again become become absolute animals on the pitch work hard for each other and just become if you’re not going to win

The game if you can’t win the game avoid losing the game for the love God like how many times we thrown a goal away late on this season just stop just stop goals infuriating yeah it is a frustrating scenario we find ourselves in really because like he’s saying there you know

You’ve got some good players in the team you know you just need to rebuild the sort of Team mentality around it and don’t get sucked into this defe his mentality if you go a goal down and I’m probably a bit of a bit of a that

Sometimes to feel like oh we’re a go down we’re going to lose this game game over pretty much but yeah I think he’s I agree with pretty much everything he says there really in terms of just like getting you know the team back together get a good strong atmosphere back

Together and also I do agree with him on a point that I’ve been raising lately about him uh the players given the atmosphere the fans to make you know so it’s been interesting to see what he was saying about it but I was also quite impressed with what he still kept up

With BL on and everything you know but he’s just he’s just the leader isn’t he and that’s what he gets out of all of this you know he’s just you can see it in him you know he’s just like a proper leader and people that like that

Nowadays like you say just don’t really come as they did as with people like Carr and everyone yeah I mean car came back out of retirement to play for this club you know and that’s the kind of man he was for us and he came out of his home and

He played for us and he he was exceptional wasn’t he yeah he was just such a great player he wasn’t just like the captain on the pitch that every looked at he he led like the captain he was the captain of that club for a reason and that’s what you kind of you

Need to look at now and deon’s Club captain and they are you know I feel like he could and he needs to put his sock up and he needs to look at everyone and draw us all together now and go right is what we do let’s go for it yeah

Absolutely yeah um I think that’s a very good point to stop actually uh we will be doing a podcast next week uh because of this sort of international breaking with the news coming out we’ll do a review of the QPR game maybe a bit of a

Recap of some of the news that’s been coming out as well uh maybe over the next few weeks but apart from that thank you for everybody that’s tuned in tonight we’ve had a fair few views uh coming in from uh different people a few different people in the chat as well uh

Also massive thank you to Paul who joined on the chat earlier uh incredible Insight we had with him a great conversation um but yeah thank you to everybody uh anybody new to the channel be sure to like and subscriber we’ll be doing way more content in the next few

Uh months as well you know we’ll be doing loads of stuff over the summer as well that we’ve got planned and lined up we’ve got a couple of other big podcast guests that we can hopefully get towards the end of the season we are in contact

With them uh obviously we did the Steven Knight podcast at the start of the year that was big for the channel we were massively impressed with Steven and everybody you know it’s just like it’s it’s it’s starting to become like a bit of a reality isn’t it Jamie it’s a bit

Weird for us to you know be a part of this and everything but like we’re trying our hardest to bring you as much great content as we can um so yeah subscribe and any suggestions you’ve got be sure sure to get them in the chat and

In the comments and tweet us uh we’ve put our socials along the bottom um it justes take a while to revolve backround but you know but you can find us in the link in the description um but yeah thank you guys for watching this episode of the Blue’s Focus podcast thank you

Jamie for joining me once again oh God that was a [ __ ] up of an outro keep right On He Oh Oh Oh