There has been much debate over the Pandiani signing and whether or not it should have been made permanent. Firstly let’s congratulate Steve Bruce and the board for securing such a high profile and talented striker at the last second. God bless the inventor of fax machines, Albert Fax. 
The move suits El Rifle because he was desperate to depart Espagne and with his proposed move to Italia falling over easier than Ashley Cole he needed to secure first team football. We all accept that playing for Birmingham City is a step down for one used to performing in the Champions League but for the Rifle it’s a no lose situation.
He gets to play in the English Premiership. The majority of players around the world hope to perform in the best league on the planet and only the intellectually challenged few pass up such opportunities in order to play in a parks league, are you listening Mr Bellamy?
If it all goes wrong for Pandiani then he is a free agent in the summer to negotiate a whole new deal with anywhere he considers driving his truck to. If it all goes well for him then he has put himself in the shop window and no doubt the Champions League qualifiers will be sniffing around like a Heathrow Airport dog that has just spotted Pete Doherty.
The Charlton manager Alan Curbishley was at the Blues v Southampton match the other week. When he was quizzed about who he was looking at he replied that as part of his never ending search for players he often watches loan signings as he knows they will be available at the end of the temporary agreement. He confessed that he was keen to see the Rifle in action and would make recommendations on what he saw.
We have to accept that Walter Pandiani is a striker used to playing at a bigger theatre than the Little Civic Small Heath. However, having had artistic differences with the Producer at Deportivo, the Blues have benefited by his willingness to display his doubtless performing abilities at a provincial arena. The remaining dilemma is whether we make him so welcome he doesn’t want to leave and the two parties can agree a long term contract or alternatively he accepts one of the blockbuster scripts being pushed under his stage door. Until that time comes we should enjoy the show and make the most of the prodigious talent on display.
Brucie was adamant that the Liverpool victory was the probably the best performance since being in the Premiership. This omits the countless and never to be forgotten matches against our nearest rivals. It also excludes games like the Southampton victory the other season when Dugarry was immense. But he’s entitled to his opinion and we can understand his reasons.
The media would have you believe that it was simply Liverpool playing poorly. The glaring truth was that the Blues were fantastic. Absolutely superb. We have played that well before in Premiership games and got nothing. The difference in the Premiership is the quality of the finishing. Just ask West Brom! Teams that get promoted from Division One can ONLY escape the immediate drop if they have a successful and instinctive striker. At the moment Palace look favourites to avoid the drop and they have AJ. Norwich are relying on Huckerby and Ashton, WBA on Kanu and Earnshaw and Southampton on Crouch!
When the going got tough for Birmingham previously we signed Dugarry and Forssell. Ok Dugarry didn’t score many but we can never forget the impact he had on the club when he arrived. Phenomenal. Forssell is simply the finest and most natural goalscorer I have ever seen at St Andrews, I would pay to watch him warm up before the game when he strokes the ball into the net without hesitation with either foot. Get well soon Mikael.
The penalty against Liverpool was clear. The only debating point is whether Hyppia should have received a card. I don’t wish to see players being dismissed all the time but Palace had a defender sent off against Albion for a dubious foul ten yards outside the penalty area and you have to question the referee’s interpretation of a goal scoring opportunity. For crying out loud in the match at the Hawthorns it was Geoff Horsfield running through. Do you honestly think he would have scored?
It was great to see Pandiani rifle the penalty home and a clever tactical ploy of Bruce to bring him off near the end with the game won so that he could receive a standing ovation. The Rifle is already a crowd favourite and surely there are going to be more goals from the sharpshooter.
Julian Gray’s volley at the far post was incredible. His finishing has been woeful for the Blues. He works hard and gets into some great positions but never looks confident enough to finish the job. Hopefully this goal will spur him on and he can become an all round better player.
None of the above would have been possible without the tremendous displays of all the team. Clemence, DJ, Upson and Cunningham were superb but special praise must go to Pennant. He is a real talent and looked well at home on the right causing problems for Liverpool all day but hitting some great crosses. Surely Heskey and Pandiani will benefit from such quality service. Heskey was man of the match, again, and will surely be the player of the season if he keeps up this run of form.
Speaking of Clemence our old favourite pile of complete and utter poo, The Sunday People came up with a corker in their SP sports section last weekend. In their ‘Original Column for Transfer News’ they say that “Tottenham are willing to let Stephen Clemence go in the summer – and Crystal palace are favourites to snap up the midfielder”! Call me controversial but surely that’s got more chance of rocking the football world than the Rifle’s fax! Is it legal to sell a player who plays for another club to someone else? I think not.
Crystal Palace is a bitch of a ground to get to and I wish you all well on your travels. Work sends me to Scandinavia and to be honest it’s probably easier to get to Norway than it is South London! Little AJ robbed the three points for Palace earlier this season in a poor game. Ian Dowie has created a team in his own image, ugly! They battle and they press and they work damned hard. Dowie knows what he needs to stay up and given that no one gave them a hope at the start of the campaign it is a remarkable feat that they lead the drop zone. The pyjama wearing goalkeeper has been a great signing but I hope the Rifle makes him soil his baggy bottoms.
Keep Right On and remember, "If you can keep your head whilst all around you are losing theirs, clearly you have misjudged the situation".