Bigger than John Carew: Birmingham City Signs Nikola Žigić

Has there been one article written about Birmingham City's newest signing, Nikola Žigić, that hasn't mentioned that he's now the tallest player in the Premier League? I sure haven't seen one. He's 6 feet 7 1/2 inches, beating out Peter Crouch by 1/2 an inch and towering over Big John Carew by 3.5 inches.

Be warned, Žigić isn't just about height--although it certainly helps. Obviously he's to be BCFC's target man up front. Žigić hasn't come through with the goals at Valencia, scoring just five in his 28 league games. Still, as Villa fans dealing with our own low-tallying target man in Emile Heskey, judgment based solely on club goals over the last couple seasons is probably not the route to take. Žigić also saw limited playing time with Valencia, as the preferred formation involved using David Villa up front as the lone striker.

We'll see more of his abilities in the World Cup. Nikola was named the Serbian player of the year three times, and is set to go to South Africa. Pay attention to his play on the world stage and you'll likely find a closer approximation to the play we'll see from him next season. He's known for confounding defenders, but hey, we're known for having an excellent back line.

Get to know your rivals...we shut down city twice this year. Keeping their new striker from scoring will be essential in keeping up our streak. Six straight league wins for the Villans--let's make it eight next season.