Blues need to sign off by giving the fans some home comfort

By Nicole Carroll in Birmingham City Fans Blog

Published 09:31 29/04/10

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It would be quite easy to write a blog this week focusing on the furore around THAT penalty in last weekend's derby. I’m not a bitter Bluenose though, and I know that we’ll have chance to get our revenge, because we are Premier League again next season.

That is all that truly matters. We were seen as cannon fodder at the start of the season. We were the team that were going to be spanked every match, back in the Championship by Christmas if everyone else had their own way.

The story that was written by the other Premier League sides however, must have been altered by a Bluenose God with a big rubber. Gone are the predictions of slumming it in the bottom of the table, and instead a season was written with an FA Cup run, an unbeaten league run and the chance of a top ten finish.

The idea of being unbeaten at home since September probably wasn’t part of the pre-season predictions, but it is the reality of this weekend when we take on Burnley in what is our last home game of the season.

Burnley have been relegated from the Premier League, and now look at rebuilding in the Championship next season to give the top league another go. They’ve gone down in relatively good financial shape, and have every chance of competing in an ever stronger Championship. Although the fans will be naturally disappointed by the club's demotion, they will be expecting the players to send the club out with a bang, and this is why Blues need to be wary this weekend.

Blues have now gone eight league matches without a win, and the form guide shows we have exactly the same points tally of three points in the last six games. Burnley come to St. Andrews off the back of two draws, Blues are coming off the back of a spirited loss, and will be looking to push for the highest point finish possible.

What would be nice this weekend, is to see Christian Benitez for some significant period of play. It is looking highly unlikely that the striker will be back at the club last season, despite the promise he has shown, and giving him a chance to start against Burnley gives him one last throw of the dice to score in front of the home fans, and for us to give him a proper send off.

Despite the fact that Burnley suffered a heavy defeat at Liverpool last weekend, they’ll be looking to end the season well, and we cannot expect them to roll over. Fans were probably over-confident against Hull, and the failure to beat them was disappointing in light of our fantastic season.

With off the field matters causing some concern among fans, such as the departure of Michael Dunford, and the finances of the club being in the public spotlight in the Seymour Pierce affair, the on-field matters need to speak for themselves this weekend, and the players need to prevent the season petering out.

Let’s go out with a bang at St. Andrews, score some goals and give the fans food for thought. Let's keep our unbeaten home record going, and maintain some optimism looking towards what could be quite a difficult second season.

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