England’s second city has one of the strongest football heritages anywhere in the country. Not only has Birmingham been the home to some of England’s greatest-ever players, but it has hosted World Cup games and a plethora of FA Cup semi-finals. The rivalry between Aston Villa and Birmingham City is ferocious. Although the teams have spent time away from each other over the last couple of decades, with both falling in and out of the top division, you only need to look at social media to see how fierce the rivalry still is.
The Turbulent ‘90s
Birmingham City flirted with liquidation in the early 1990s, and it wasn’t until David Sullivan purchased the club and made many fundamental changes that they could get themselves above the clouds and out of the turbulence of administration and onto greater horizons. Brum legend Trevor Francis steered the club to a League Cup final against Liverpool in 2001, and despite being relieved of his duties the following season, the club made it through the playoffs and enjoyed their first year in the top flight in 2002.
An inspired first season, fuelled by a very talented squad, and players like Mikael Forssell notching up impressive goal tallies, helped the Blues stay in the Premier League for consecutive years. However, one of the most difficult challenges clubs often face is staying in the division after riding the highs of their first season. If you’re somebody who keeps up to date with Premier League information, you’ll know how much this statement rings true. It’s not just Birmingham City that have struggled to maintain their Premier League status through the years; there are over a dozen clubs that have been promoted only to get relegated within two or three years.
The Return and Escape from the Championship
The 2005/06 season ended Birmingham City’s stint as a Premier League outfit. However, immediate promotion meant that the club could have a second bite of the cherry and attempt to become a stalwart of the league and not a yo-yo club. However, the late 2000s was a fantastic time to be at St Andrew’s; the club won the League Cup in 2011 after defeating Arsenal in the final and qualified for Europe.
During this period, the club had its highest-ever league finish in over five decades, with scintillating displays from the enigmatic Mauro Zarate keeping Blues fans incredibly entertained and the despair of the second tier feeling like a distant memory. The 2011 League Cup Final was a huge win, one of the finest days in the club’s history. Many Blues felt this could have been the springboard and catalyst to propel them into the top six of the league and establish themselves as the number-one team in Birmingham.
The McLeish Debacle and Subsequent Fallout
Few Brum fans could have predicted that McLeish would decide to leave the club when he did, but even more perplexing was that he chose to join arch-inter-city rivals Aston Villa. The club and fanbase were understandably furious, resulting in legal action and protests about his decision to switch allegiances to the club’s most bitter rivals.
Although some Blues would have taken some solace in the fact it didn’t work out for McLeish at Villa, it kickstarted a rocky road for the club that has seen them spend the last decade in the second tier, coming a lot closer to being relegated than they have been to returning to the top flight. While there have been bright sparks throughout the last decade, with some real quality players ending up at St Andrews, Blues fans are itching to get back into the Premier League.
Can Birmingham City Return to the Top Flight?
The unexpected and unpopular decision to appoint Wayne Rooney couldn’t have got off to a worse start. The England and Manchester United legend is still unproven as a manager. Despite only two games into his tenure, he has found himself on the wrong end of some highly critical and vocal musings of a significant minority of the Blues support.
Like any manager, Wayne needs to be given time to implement his playing style and philosophy, but football fans can be impatient and fickle, and this is something Rooney will have to put up with for now. If he strings a few wins together and starts to climb the table, these boos will quickly turn around and become more positive, but the next few weeks could be extremely rocky for Manchester United’s highest-ever goal scorer.
