Reasons To Be Cheerful Part Two: Birmingham City

Birmingham City make their return to the Championship next season thanks to their relegation from the Premiership. It was a miserable season for the Blues, that saw them part company with manager Steve Bruce half way through and replace him with Alex McLeish. They still ended up finishing second from bottom in the table with 36 points.

Not only have the club had to deal with troubles on the pitch, but they’ve had them off it too. Chairman David Gold threatened to walk away from the club following angry scenes on the final day of the season.

Despite all that, they will be a force in the Championship next season and have already added Everton’s Lee Carsley to their ranks to bolster the squad for the next campaign. With the parachute payments they will receive from the Premier League, they will be competing at the top end of the transfer market in an effort to make a swift return to the Promised Land. Easier said than done though, if they don’t sort out the boardroom troubles before the season starts.

Forest and City have a long and illustrious past, that stretches all the way back to 1894. In 116 meetings between the two sides, the Reds’ just edge it in the bragging stakes, with 37 wins, 27 draws and 32 defeats. Last time the two sides met was in the 2001/02 season. Both games ended in draws, 1-1 at St. Andrews and 0-0 at the City Ground.

The fixture will possibly see us face old stalwart Neill Danns, the man who has been tipped to sign for us more times than any other. He’s definitely the player who’s turned us down more than any other. Hopefully he’ll have such a mare against us, that we’ll be glad we never got him.

St. Andrews is a tidy little ground for those who haven’t been before, but you’ll need to have your wits about you on the day, as they still have a reputation and there is a bit of history from back in the day. Still, it’s a fixture to be relished and a visit to the Second City is always a good day out.