EPL Season Preview: Birmingham City

Team Name: Birmingham City Football Club

Nicknames: Blues, Bluenoses, Small Heath, the Scum

Location: Birmingham, England

Ground: St. Andrew's (Capacity: 30,009)

Manager: Alex McLeish managed Rangers from 2001-2006 (and it is worth noting that Martin O'Neill managed Celtic at the time) and took the club to the final 16 of the Champions League in 2006. After his departure from Rangers McLeish managed the Scottish National team for just under a year and was named Birmingham City's manager in November of 2007. Birmingham was relegated at the end of the season, but McLeish revamped the club and lead them a return to the Premier League and a top-half finish.

Last Year's Record:

Premier League: 9^th Position

League Cup: Third round, lost to Sunderland

F.A. Cup: Sixth Round, lost to Portsmouth

Brief History: Birmingham City were founded as Small Heath Alliance in 1875. Because they have a severe personality crisis as a club, they changed names several times until settling on Birmingham City, which is quite creative, in 1943. They have never done anything of note as a club and exist solely to allow Villa to have wail on, and it should be said that they do a fantastic job of being wailed on by Aston Villa.

Rivalries: Aston Villa

Players to Watch:

James McFadden:

Probably Birmingham City's best player, and guess what? He still sucks. He whines and is dirty and I hate his face.

Craig Gardner:

Not good enough to beat out Steve Sidwell for playing time, Gardner was transferred to Scum last season. He kissed the club's crest after scoring his first goal for the club and for all I care he could go ahead and jump in front of a bus.

Stephen Carr: 

Stephen Carr is Birmingham City's captain and was retired until signing with Birmingham City. He is kind of like Birmingham City's version of Richard Dunne, if Richard Dunne were older and a complete and total pile of crap.

A Villa Fan Says...