SkyDaz Banter: Pre-Charlton

So the big derby turned into more Halloween than Bonfire Night, more a wet Tuesday in Blackpool than a rave in Ibiza. Blues fans everywhere looked like David Blaine on Sunday night whereas our neighbours were celebrating as if they had got six numbers on a Saturday night. Regarding points it would have been better to have won one of the games against Chelsea or Villa and lost the other one but the boys didn’t deserve to lose to Chelsea and we certainly didn’t want to lose to Villa. This is surely indicative of how far we have travelled and the expectations we have this season. Talk of Europe or even a top ten finish is way too premature, the first landmark is avoiding relegation and after that any improvement on thirteenth is a success.

On Friday last week Sky asked if I would share the trip down to the studios on Monday night with the Villa fan selected to represent his club. This was a big decision to make; what if we lost? What if he kept mentioning FA Cup victories or even worse the European Cup? What if he only had one eye? What if my family found out and never spoke to me again? I decided to trust the Blues ability not to concede a goal and agreed for him to collect me. I like being chauffeured these days!

We spent the journey in heated debate. Rob Carless (the Villa fan) was very keen on giving me a football history lesson; I stared out of the window and wondered what I was having for my dinner. Eventually he reluctantly agreed that it was my turn to speak. Unfortunately for him we were just passing Star City and that was the last time I let him say anything. 5-0, the Leyland Daf, the Autowindscreen Shield and the Atari 6 a-side etc. By the time we reached the studio he had been completely brainwashed. I’m sure I heard him humming ‘Keep Right On’.

Sky Sports Ian Payne showed the brief highlight of the game and asked me for my feedback. I launched into an emotionally charged speech about the different reactions to the result and the shift in power in the city. Ian Payne then asked Rob if Birmingham were now the biggest team in the Midlands. Poor Rob was like a rabbit caught in the studio lights, the brainwashing kicked in and he uttered the immortal line that has seen him excommunicated from his family ‘Yes at the moment the Blues are the biggest team’. Cheers Rob, we all knew you would see sense eventually.

Article reproduced with kind permission of the BCFC official matchday programme.