Barclays Premiership
Villa v Birmingham City
12th December 2004 at 13:00
SkyDaz Preview
The pony tailed midfield maestro wants to leave us then for having the temerity to show disapproval at the standard of football played this season. Apparently we are fickle. Well poor little Robbie, when you are pocketing your next cash cow at whatever club tickles your fickle fancy we will all still be watching Birmingham City. And when you finally put on your smoking jacket and comedy slippers and retire to your gorgeous mansion in the Valleys we will again still be watching Birmingham City. That makes us fickle, apparently.
I’ve never been a Robbie critic. Many a Sky Monday Night Show I have defended him and his robust industrial style. He makes us tick, he is the engine room, the driving force, the conductor, he speeds us up and very occasionally slows us down. With Robbie you know what you are getting every week, all action, all heart, tons of sweat with the odd moment of skill. Robbie’s game was never about beating four men on a mazy run and cleverly chipping the keeper. He mastered the art of tackling four men and the keeper, often in the same move.
Call me cynical but I feel this sudden accusation of fickle suits Mr Savage perfectly. He can no longer be branded as a traitor for deserting us to join a ‘bigger’ club like his boyhood team Everton or Blackburn managed by the ex Wales boss, after all we drove him away. He can meet with the top people at Blues and blame his decision to leave on the fans and depart on good terms cos we, the fans, drove him away. I think in the early eighties it was labelled the ‘Galtieri Syndrome’ in honour (?) of the Argentine General who invaded the Falklands to divert attention away from the problems on the mainland. The ‘Look an Eagle’ tactic might sit well in Robbie’s mind but to the fans it is simply an excuse to leave for what he perceives as better things. By his own admission he has not performed as well as last season and, although by his own study of the match statistics he is by all counts our most successful player, generally I have found his displays lacking in the precision of previous seasons. This is not necessarily all the Afghan Hound’s fault. The Dream Team line up failed early on due to various calamities and the transfer blockade has prevented the influx of replacements. Perhaps in the next few matches before the fans start barracking individuals they should put themselves in the player’s boots for that split second when he looks up and studies the options available to him when in possession. We aren’t Chelsea or Arsenal with a Red Arrows midfield display team going in all directions in an entertainment bonanza. We are Birmingham City, winners of nowt much, and not exactly feared foe.
In all seriousness if Robbie bangs in two last minute winners over the next couple of games his name will become legend for years and all those moaners will be eating their humble pie. Hopefully the same sequence of results will silence the muppets complaining about Brucie. This time last season David Moyes was hot favourite to lose his job. Everton had failed to build on their previous season and were flirting with relegation. At the end of the season he was then forced to lose his most precocious talent and looked to be heading for a difficult campaign. The faith shown in him has paid off as the Toffees ride on the shirt tails of the cockney Championship contenders.
For the match against Villa I would love us to win. I’d take a draw. This is the best chance they will have of beating us. If the form guide is anything to go by we don’t stand a chance. It would be wrong of me to blindly ignore the omens going into the match. Therefore I predict, with a heavy heart, a home win. And pray that my prediction is wildly inaccurate.
For those unable to attend the match you can tune in and listen to me give the Villa loads of grief via Fanzone on Sky Sports Interactive. And if we score you had better turn the volume down, cos I will launch into a Brazilian commentator’s goal frenzy. I can see it now, long ball to Heskey, a deft header in to the path of Dunn and the Villa net bulges before the Orcs even realise what has happened. Come on you Blue boys, do us proud.
Keep Right On.