Kampfakta Southamton-Birmingham (0-0) oktober 2004

Premier League England 2004/05 (Stand 24.10.2004)

Spielbericht

10. Spieltag – Sonntag, 24.10.2004 – 15:00 – Friends Provident St Mary`s Stadium

Southampton – Birmingham 0:0

 

Schiedsrichter: Mike Dean; Note: 7

 

Zuschauer: 27568

 

Gelbe Karte: – / Darren Anderton

Southampton-Blues 0-0

 

24-10-2004 22:33:51
Birmingham manager Steve Bruce forsøkte å tenke positivt etter Blues målløse Canal + oppgjør mot Southampton på søndag.
Bruces stjernelag som er satt sammen til en pris av hele £20m, måtte nøye seg med sitt femte strake uavgjorte Premiership oppgjør. Klubben har nå bare vunnet en av sine 18 siste seriekamper.
Dette er selvsagt under par for en klubb av vår kaliber!

Steve Bruce sier at det ikke er noen menneskerett for Blues å kunne stille opp og tro at man bare kan hente tre poeng borte mot Southampton, et godt etablert Premier League lag!
Bruce innrømmer at laget har brukt tid på å sette seg.
-Det blir mye viss, dersom, at, men av de 5 siste kampene kunne vi fort ha vunnet 2 eller 3! Ser vi positivt på det, er vi ubeseiret på 6 kamper.
Etter en tam førsteomgang på St. Marys steg underholdningen i de siste 45 minuttene. Begge lagene skapte muligheter, men effektiviteten foran mål var alt annet enn god.

Darren Anderton spilte sin første kamp fra start for Birmingham og ble til tider pepet ut. Anderton var Southampton-supporter som liten, men fikk sitt gjennombrudd hos rivalene Portsmouth. Derfor fikk den tidligere landslagsspilleren en noe varm velkomst fra «Saints-fansen».
Anderton misbrukte gjestenes største sjanse, da finske Antti Niemi reddet mesterlig. Brett Ormerod kom inn for hjemmelaget. Spissen som har vært på utlån spilte lørdag for Leeds mot Brighton. Heller ikke Ormerod klarte å finne nettmaskene.
Jeg vil la Roger Teig fra Dagsavisen oppsummere, (hentet fra bskn forum): Syns vi spilte sånn som vi må gjøre nå (i hvert fall etter pause), hver eneste gang: Tett bak, intenst på midten og gjennombruddshissig framover. Vi er på rett spor!

Blues: Maik Taylor, Melchiot, Upson, Cunningham, Gray, Anderton, Dunn (Clapham), Savage, Johnson, Heskey, Yorke ( Grønkjær).

Southampton, Birmingham in dour goalless draw

Posted Mon Oct 25, 2004 6:03am AEST
Updated Mon Oct 25, 2004 6:17am AEST

Southampton clawed their way off the foot of the English Premiership table with a hard-fought 0-0 draw at home to struggling Birmingham City at St Mary’s overnight.

The result left the south coast club, who have spent the past 26 years in English football’s top flight, on six points alongside Blackburn but ahead of their relegation rivals on goal difference.

Birmingham remained 14th, just two points outside the drop zone, as both sides saw their winless runs in the Premiership extended.

Southampton came into this match searching for their first win in eight league games under fledgling coach Steve Wigley while Birmingham had just one victory in their past 17 league matches.

But it was injury-hit Southampton who started the brighter with 18-year-old striker Dexter Blackstock, on his home debut, looping a 10th minute header onto the top of Maik Taylor’s net from Rory Delap’s long throw into the box.

However, in a first half of few clear chances, Birmingham responded three minutes later when England forward Emile Heskey played in strike partner Dwight Yorke only for the Trinidad and Tobago international to shoot low across the face of goal.

Taylor then showed good awareness to gather a dangerous, low cross from Neil McCann.

But on the stroke of half-time Northern Ireland international Taylor almost gifted Southampton a goal.

He came racing out of his box only to hesitate as Mikael Nilsson took the ball around him following Fabrice Fernandes’s precise pass. But the Swedish midfielder shot into the side-netting from the right-hand side with the goal unprotected and McCann free in the middle.

Birmingham were far sharper at the start of the second half and it needed close marking from Jelle van Damme to prevent Mario Melchiot getting on the end of David Dunn’s through ball on the hour mark.

Blues manager Steve Bruce brought on wing Jesper Gronkjaer in place of Yorke in the 63rd minute in a bid to freshen his attack.

Wigley made a change at the same time with Brett Ormerod, who played as an on-loan striker on Saturday for Leeds in their Championship defeat by Brighton, replacing Nilsson.

Meanwhile Darren Anderton, a boyhood Saints supporter but booed by the home fans after making his name at arch-rivals Portsmouth, saw his first Premiership start for Birmingham since joining from Tottenham marred by a 71st minute booking for a foul on McCann.

But five minutes later former England midfielder Anderton almost broke the deadlock when his volley, after the Saints defence failed to clear a cross, was well-saved by keeper Antti Niemi, who dived low to his left and blocked the shot one-handed.

Southampton though kept pressing for the winner and it needed a well-judged tackle on the edge of the box by Birmingham’s Kenny Cunningham to rob Anders Svensson of the ball in injury time.

And there was still time for Melchiot to shoot tamely at Niemi before the final whistle.

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