A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| 2011–12 season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Vico Hui | |||
| Manager | Chris Hughton | |||
| Stadium | St Andrew's | |||
| Football League Championship | 4th | |||
| Play-offs | Semi-final (eliminated by Blackpool) | |||
| Europa League | Group stage (3rd in group H) | |||
| FA Cup | Fifth round (eliminated by Chelsea) | |||
| Football League Cup | Third round (eliminated by Manchester City) | |||
| Top goalscorer | League: Marlon King (16) All: Marlon King (18) | |||
| Highest home attendance | 28,483 vs. Blackpool, play-off semi-final 2nd leg, 9 May 2012[1] | |||
| Lowest home attendance | 14,494 vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers, FA Cup 3rd round, 7 January 2012[1] | |||
| Average home league attendance | 19,126[2] | |||
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The 2011–12 season was Birmingham City Football Club's 109th season in the English football league system. It ran from 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2012.
After relegation from the Premier League in 2010–11 under previous manager Alex McLeish, the team finished in fourth position in the 24-team Football League Championship under manager Chris Hughton, who was appointed in June. They lost on aggregate to fifth-placed Blackpool in the promotion play-offs semi-finals. Having won the 2011 League Cup, they qualified for the Europa League, in which they reached the group stage and finished third in their four-team group, only one point behind the two teams qualifying for the knockout rounds. In the 2011–12 League Cup, they were eliminated in the third round by Manchester City, and they lost to Chelsea in the fifth round of the FA Cup after a replay.
Twenty-nine players made at least one appearance in first-team competition, and there were thirteen different goalscorers. Chris Burke, who received Birmingham's Player of the Season and Players' Player of the Season awards,[3] played in 61 of the 62 matches over the season, scored 14 goals and made 19 assists. Marlon King was leading scorer with 18 goals, of which 16 came in league games; he also made 12 assists.[4] Nathan Redmond was the club's young player of the year.[3] Curtis Davies was named in the PFA Championship Team of the Year.[5]
Background and pre-season
After leading the club to victory in the League Cup and relegation from the Premier League in 2010–11, Alex McLeish unexpectedly resigned on 12 June, having already made two signings and with another two players close to an agreement with the club. He was immediately linked with the managerial vacancy at Aston Villa.[6][7] Acting chairman Peter Pannu threatened to report Villa to the League for making an illegal approach to McLeish, and insisted that they could speak to him only if they agreed to pay the £5.4 million compensation due under the terms of his contract.[8] On 17 June, McLeish was appointed manager of Aston Villa.[9] The matter was finally settled on 11 July, when the clubs issued a joint statement confirming that Villa would pay an undisclosed amount in compensation, all proposed legal action would cease, and coach Peter Grant and medical officer Dr Ian McGuinness would be free to follow McLeish to his new club.[10] Chris Hughton, who had led Newcastle United to the Championship title in 2010, was appointed manager on 21 June.[11] He confirmed that promotion back to the Premier League, rather than progress in the Europa League, was his main objective for the season,[12] and brought Paul Trollope in to replace Andy Watson as first-team coach.[13]
On 29 June, club president Carson Yeung was arrested in Hong Kong on charges of money laundering, relating to a period before his involvement with the club. He was bailed to re-appear in August, his assets were frozen, and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange suspended trading of shares in the club's holding company, Birmingham International Holdings (BIHL), in which Yeung was the single largest shareholder with around 26%.[14][15] BIHL appointed acting chairman Peter Pannu and Yeung's 18-year-old son Ryan to the board of the football club, and Michael Wiseman stepped down from the board, ending an 83-year formal association between the club and the Wiseman family.[16] Although it appeared that HSBC, the club's bankers, were unlikely to call in a loan secured on the St Andrew's site, as such a course of action would make it difficult for the club to continue, thus reducing the likelihood of HSBC recovering their money, Yeung's situation impeded the search for new investment.[15][17] Such a combination of factors, added to the reduced income to be expected following relegation, left the club in financial difficulty and ready to off-load high-earning players, particularly in light of the Football League's adoption of UEFA's financial fair-play regulations relating to clubs not spending in excess of their revenue.[18]
After the shirt sponsorship deal with F&C Investments expired at the end of the 2010–11 season, no long-term sponsor met the value the club set on the brand, so they chose to sell advertising on the shirt on a match-by-match basis. This had the by-product of replica shirts being sold without advertising.[19] However, a one-year shirt sponsorship deal was reached with foreign exchange and money transfer company RationalFX.[20] It emerged that the club had taken legal action against kit manufacturers Xtep for using a derivative version of the club's logo on their own leisurewear, thus infringing intellectual property rights and reducing royalties from sales of officially licensed clothing on the Chinese market.[17]
The players reported back for pre-season training on 4 July[13] ahead of a training camp in Ireland that included a friendly fixture with League of Ireland First Division side Cork City. Without Cameron Jerome and Nikola Žigić, who did not travel due to injury, and Barry Ferguson, who returned to England ahead of his transfer to Blackpool, Hughton used 19 players in a game settled by a 30th-minute goal from new signing Adam Rooney.[21] In the next friendly, at League Two club Hereford United, Hughton made fewer changes but the game finished goalless as his team failed to convert several chances,[22] a pattern continued at Oxford United, also of League Two, where Curtis Davies and Chris Burke both hit the bar as Birmingham lost 2–0.[23] A Birmingham side without Scott Dann, Liam Ridgewell, Jerome, Žigić and Marlon King lost 2–1 to a strong Everton eleven. Everton opened the scoring after an hour through a Leighton Baines free kick, then after Louis Saha was allowed too much time on the edge of the penalty area, his shot bounced awkwardly in front of debutant Boaz Myhill. Rooney pulled one back with a back-heel to turn Morgaro Gomis' shot into the net.[24]
| Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A |
Scorers | Attendance | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 July 2011 | Cork City | A | W | 1–0 | Rooney 30' | 1,917 | [21] |
| 23 July 2011 | Hereford United | A | D | 0–0 | 2,848 | [22] | |
| 26 July 2011 | Oxford United | A | L | 0–2 | 2,744 | [23] | |
| 30 July 2011 | Everton | H | L | 1–2 | Rooney 79' | 7,572 | [24] |
Championship
August–September
Birmingham fielded five new signings, Boaz Myhill, Steven Caldwell, Chris Burke, Morgaro Gomis and Adam Rooney, on the opening-day visit to Derby County. Curtis Davies opened the scoring with a header from Jordon Mutch's 19th-minute corner, but soon afterwards a Ben Davies free kick was headed home by the unmarked Jason Shackell. Just before half time, Steve Davies was allowed time on the ball to set himself and beat Myhill with a swerving shot from 20 yards (18 m). In the second half, Stephen Carr missed a fine chance to equalise when Burke's shot after a fine forward run rebounded into his path.[25] At home to Coventry City, loanee Chris Wood started as a lone striker. Birmingham were fortunate that Lukas Jutkiewicz failed to convert a good chance after turning Caldwell, and Myhill came close to carrying the ball over his line when saving a misplaced cross. After 73 minutes, Rooney, who had replaced Wood five minutes before, headed against the post, was first to the rebound, and turned the ball back into the path of the oncoming Keith Fahey who shot home from ten yards out.[26]
Playing on the Sunday because of their Europa League play-off match on the Thursday, Rooney opened the scoring from the penalty spot after Burke was fouled, but Middlesbrough went on to complete their third consecutive victory by three goals to one.[27] Rooney again opened the scoring the following Sunday, at Watford, with a first-half tap-in after David Murphy headed on Jean Beausejour's corner. Marvin Sordell equalised from distance in the 80th minute, then Beausejour intercepted a pass and fed Chris Wood who finished neatly with two minutes of normal time remaining. However, in stoppage time, Myhill could only parry Sordell's shot up in the air, and former Birmingham defender Martin Taylor was first to the ball as it came down.[28]
Myhill made two early saves against Millwall before Wood's first senior hat-trick, courtesy of Beausejour and Burke crosses and hard work by Rooney, took Birmingham into mid-table. Marlon King made a debut delayed by injury.[29] Southampton beat Birmingham 4–1 at St Mary's to go top of the division,[27] before a first half at home to Barnsley that Chris Hughton called "as poor as we've played since I've been here".[30] Davies suffered a knee injury after nine minutes and Jacob Butterfield scored the first opposition goal of the season at St Andrew's, but the introduction of Nikola Žigić for his first league appearance since April put pressure on the visitors, a late Burke goal from 25 yards (23 m), his first for the club, saved a point, and King nearly stole all three when his stoppage-time shot hit the inside of the post and came out.[27]
October–November
For the first time, Birmingham won the match after a Europa League fixture. A goal down at Nottingham Forest with 15 minutes left, Burke gathered a loose ball and hit a powerful shot from 25 yards, then set up Wood to score with the help of a deflection. Wood's second came from the Forest defence's failure to compete for a through ball. Manager Steve McClaren resigned after the match.[31] After a change of referee at half-time because of injury, King converted a penalty before Leicester City's captain, Matt Mills, was sent off for a two-footed tackle on Gomis, and Wood brought his league goal tally to eight in nine games.[32] They followed up with another win, away to Bristol City, despite missing several chances: Burke converted Beausejour's cross and beat the offside trap to score a 95th-minute second through David James's legs.[33] Žigić's first goal since the League Cup final secured a 1–0 win at home to Leeds United, a sixth successive win in all competitions that placed Birmingham eighth in the table, one point off the playoff positions with two games in hand.[34] October ended with a goalless "game of few chances" at home to Brighton & Hove Albion.[27]
In sharp contrast, November began with a game of many chances, with both goalkeepers "in sensational form", in which Reading's Noel Hunt scored the only goal with his first touch.[35] After Grant McCann's "spectacular" free kick earned Peterborough United a 1–1 draw at St Andrew's, a disappointed King stressed the need "to be more clinical in the final third all around the team".[36] Beausejour followed up a Lee Grant save to give Birmingham an early lead against Burnley, but again it looked as though the forwards' profligacy would prove costly. King produced what the Independent proposed as a candidate for miss of the season, and Marvin Bartley equalised after a corner was cleared straight to his feet, but in the first minute of stoppage time, Redmond and Murphy combined down the wing and Burke converted Murphy's cross from close range.[37] Second-half substitute Žigić headed wide "from point-blank range" in the 85th minute at Blackpool, then equalised from Jonathan Spector's cross two minutes later.[27]
December–January
A string of Birmingham errors helped Cardiff City to third place in the table. Having missed two headed chances in the first half, just after the interval Žigić chose to pass rather than shoot with only the goalkeeper to beat. Then Davies was sent off for a clumsy tackle on Kenny Miller on the edge of the penalty area. Although Peter Whittingham's free kick hit the post, substitute centre-half Pablo gifted Miller a goal shortly afterwards by heading a cross straight to his feet.[38] Chris Hughton thought that "over 90 minutes we certainly had enough chances not to lose the game" at Hull City, blaming the defeat on failure to take chances and failure to defend well enough.[39] Birmingham came from behind to beat Doncaster Rovers 2–1, with goals created by Burke and scored by King,[27] before losing at Crystal Palace to a late Kagisho Dikgacoi header in a match dominated by the goalkeepers.[40]
West Ham United, watched by joint chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold, former owners of Birmingham City, were the visitors on Boxing Day. They took an early lead when Pablo failed to deal with a ball in from the left, and goalscorer Carlton Cole's shot on the turn in stoppage time was thwarted only by a fine save by Myhill. But Birmingham had the better of the second period, Murphy's glancing header tied the scores, and Robert Green kept out King's close-range header.[41] They went into the new year in 12th place, six points off the playoff positions with two games in hand, and still unbeaten at home in the league, after a comfortable victory against Blackpool, with goals from Davies, King and Redmond. Blackpool captain and former Birmingham midfielder Barry Ferguson was sent off for elbowing Guirane N'Daw.[42]
After a minute's applause in memory of former Birmingham defender Gary Ablett, who died of blood cancer the previous day, Peterborough United took the lead after 29 seconds of the first match of 2012 when Emile Sinclair beat the offside trap. Birmingham had the better of the match, but equalised only in the 94th minute, when the ball took an unkind bounce, striking man-of-the-match Gabriel Zakuani on the hand, and King converted the resultant penalty.[43] Another late goal, this time by Žigić at home to Ipswich Town, gave them a win in the first of their two games in hand. Colin Doyle made his first league appearance of the season when illness prevented Myhill from continuing after half-time.[27][44] Millwall had the better of the first half at The Den, despite being a goal and a man down, but when a second player was sent off (both for fouls on Žigić), they were unable to cope with the numerical imbalance and Birmingham scored another five. A 3–0 win at home to Watford[27] followed by Žigić's four goals at Leeds United took Birmingham fourth, five points off automatic promotion and still with a game in hand.[45]
February–March
Guirane N'Daw returned from Africa Cup of Nations duty with Senegal to play second-placed Southampton in freezing conditions and heavy snow. He missed an early headed chance as the game finished goalless.[27] Birmingham's last game in hand was against a Portsmouth team who had not received their wages with the club on the verge of liquidation. An 86th-minute volley by substitute Nathan Redmond gave Birmingham a win that moved them up to third in the table.[46] The visit of Hull City, the only team to have conceded fewer goals than Birmingham,[47] finished predictably goalless. Winger Burke and playmaker Fahey starred in a 3–1 win at Barnsley, but the unbeaten run finally ended on 25 February at home to Nottingham Forest.[27]
Birmingham made three loan signings, Andros Townsend, Erik Huseklepp and Peter Ramage, in the days before the Football League imposed a transfer embargo because the club's accounts had not been submitted by the due date. They went 2–0 up at home to Derby County when Townsend's shot was deflected to Huseklepp and then after Townsend's "dazzling" run set up King, then after "slack defending" allowed Derby to draw level, both N'Daw and Caldwell came close to a winning goal. Mutch was sent off as relegation candidates Coventry City's Gary McSheffrey and Marlon King each scored against their former club, and Spector went off injured as Leicester City beat Birmingham with two late goals. Birmingham returned to winning ways in their 50th match of the season, at home to Middlesbrough.[27] On the same day, Fabrice Muamba, who spent two seasons as a Birmingham player, suffered a cardiac arrest during a televised match. His heart stopped for 78 minutes before it was restarted, and after lengthy hospital treatment he recovered, but retired from football on medical advice.[48]
Žigić's tenth goal of the season gave Birmingham an early lead at Portsmouth, but it did not last. Chris Maguire equalised with a deflected free kick after a foul by Davies on Luke Varney, then Murphy received a second yellow card for a foul on Maguire, and from the resultant free kick, David Norris controlled the ball before turning to score; Birmingham lost their composure and the match, by four goals to one.[27] Hughton said afterwards that he had "not been as angry with any other refereeing performance this season",[49] suggesting that the foul on Varney, for which Davies was booked, was in fact a foul by Varney, as the player himself admitted,[50] that Norris had used his hand to control the ball as he turned to shoot, and that Murphy's second booking, for "minimal" shoulder-to-shoulder contact, was harsh[49][50] – a view reinforced by the normally undemonstrative Murphy's aggressive reaction to his dismissal.[51] King had a penalty saved in a draw with Cardiff City, and a 3–1 win at Doncaster Rovers in which both King and Žigić struck the woodwork and King was booked for diving when apparently fouled by the goalkeeper, moved Birmingham up to fourth in the table.[27]
April
Mutch scored his first senior goal just a minute after Burnley's equaliser, and David Murphy made the final score 3–1.[27] The scoreline was repeated at home to Crystal Palace; Birmingham were 3–0 up after 32 minutes, and the result was never in doubt. Mutch's second, a clever solo goal, opened the scoring at West Ham United, and King's 17th of the season gave Birmingham a two-goal lead. Ricardo Vaz Tê pulled one back going into half-time, but Burke restored the two-goal margin even further into stoppage time when his downward volley bounced over everyone. After the interval, West Ham pressed repeatedly but caused few problems until N'Daw, a big, strong, defensive midfielder, went off injured. Within two minutes, Kevin Nolan touched a long ball to Carlton Cole, who drove it low past Myhill,[52] and West Ham equalised through Vaz Tê's 89th-minute penalty awarded for handball when "Lansbury's vicious shot struck the raised arm of Burke, who was in close proximity to the effort."[27]
Myhill injured his thumb while warming up for the match against Bristol City, so Doyle kept goal. The injury kept Myhill out for the rest of the season.[53] Birmingham came back from two goals down but were unable to find a winner. A draw at Ipswich Town was followed by a visit to Brighton & Hove Albion. Gomis' aggressive attitude provoked Hughton into replacing him by Redmond after only half an hour, and it was Redmond who gave Birmingham the lead with a low 30-yard shot. Despite Brighton's late equaliser, the draw confirmed Birmingham's playoff place, barring exceptional results. Birmingham rested King and Burke for the last match of the season, at home to champions Reading. Žigić left the field after 19 minutes with an ankle injury and his replacement, Adam Rooney, gave Birmingham the lead soon afterwards. Pablo's eventful match – after two goalline clearances and hitting the post at the right end – culminated in conceding a penalty, which Doyle saved. Elliott increased the lead from the penalty spot, and then had a second penalty saved. The win placed Birmingham fourth in the table, which gave them home advantage for the second leg of the playoff semi-final against Blackpool.[53]
Match details
- General source (match reports):[27] Any match content not verifiable from that source is referenced individually.
| Date | League position |
Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A |
Scorers | Attendance | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 August 2011 | 18th | Derby County | A | L | 1–2 | Davies 19' | 27,210 | [25] |
| 13 August 2011 | 12th | Coventry City | H | W | 1–0 | Fahey 73' | 19,225 | [26] |
| 21 August 2011 | 18th | Middlesbrough | A | L | 1–3 | Rooney 36' pen. | 17,567 | |
| 28 August 2011 | 21st | Watford | A | D | 2–2 | Rooney 39', Wood 88' | 11,937 | [28] |
| 11 September 2011 | 12th | Millwall | H | W | 3–0 | Wood (3) 29', 62', 90' | 17,901 | [29] |
| 18 September 2011 | 14th | Southampton | A | L | 1–4 | Wood 49' | 22,155 | |
| 24 September 2011 | 16th | Barnsley | H | D | 1–1 | Burke 86' | 17,836 | [30] |
| 2 October 2011 | 17th | Nottingham Forest | A | W | 3–1 | Burke 75', Wood (2) 79', 88' | 20,556 | [31] |
| 16 October 2011 | 15th | Leicester City | H | W | 2–0 | King 50' pen., Wood 84' | 17,102 | [32] |
| 23 October 2011 | 14th | Bristol City | A | W | 2–0 | Burke (2) 46', 90+5' | 13,577 | [33] |
| 26 October 2011 | 8th | Leeds United | H | W | 1–0 | Žigić 35' | 21,426 | [34] |
| 29 October 2011 | 8th | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | D | 0–0 | 20,095 | ||
| 6 November 2011 | 13th | Reading | A | L | 0–1 | 18,361 | [35] | |
| 19 November 2011 | 12th | Peterborough United | H | D | 1–1 | King 22' | 18,090 | [36] |
| 22 November 2011 | 8th | Burnley | H | W | 2–1 | Beausejour 2', Burke 90+1' | 16,253 | [37] |
| 26 November 2011 | 8th | Blackpool | A | D | 2–2 | King 29', Žigić 87' | 13,436 | |
| 4 December 2011 | 14th | Cardiff City | A | L | 0–1 | 22,010 | [38] | |
| 7 December 2011 | 14th | Hull City | A | L | 1–2 | Wood 34' | 17,438 | [39] |
| 10 December 2011 | 13th | Doncaster Rovers | H | W | 2–1 | King (2) 62, 88' | 17,369 | |
| 19 December 2011 | 14th | Crystal Palace | A | L | 0–1 | 12,057 | [40] | |
| 26 December 2011 | 15th | West Ham United | H | D | 1–1 | Murphy 81' | 20,214 | [41] |
| 31 December 2011 | 12th | Blackpool | H | W | 3–0 | Davies 45+1', King 52', Redmond 89' | 19,995 | [42] |
| 2 January 2012 | 14th | Peterborough United | A | D | 1–1 | King 90+4' pen. | 11,167 | [43] |
| 11 January 2012 | 9th | Ipswich Town | H | W | 2–1 | Žigić (2) 9', 90+1' | 16,528 | [44] |
| 14 January 2012 | 7th | Millwall | A | W | 6–0 | Davies 18', King (2) 59', 83', Burke 74', Rooney 81', Redmond 90+2' | 10,539 | |
| 21 January 2012 | 6th | Watford | H | W | 3–0 | Davies (2) 35', 60', Burke 81' | 18,681 | |
| 31 January 2012 | 4th | Leeds United | A | W | 4–1 | Žigić (4) 31', 61', 64', 68' | 19,628 | [45] |
| 4 February 2012 | 5th | Southampton | H | D | 0–0 | 17,904 | ||
| 7 February 2012 | 3rd | Portsmouth | H | W | 1–0 | Redmond 86' | 16,930 | [46] |
| 14 February 2012 | Zdroj:https://en.wikipedia.org?pojem=2011–12_Birmingham_City_F.C._season