Feeling Good

Birmingham 0-1 ITFC 3rd November 2012

A new adventure with a new manager got underway at St Andrews on Saturday. We arrived in Birmingham just before one o' clock, limping the Merc into a petrol station with only about ten miles worth of fuel left in the tank. After filling up we parked near to the ground and walked back to the city centre where Max had arranged to meet his mates for a per match drink. We eventually made it to the Trocadero, after he had led us around the Bull Ring and through New Street. By the time we had had a pint it was time to head back to the ground!

The away supporters filled with a new optimism were in very good voice, they gave Mick McCarthy and Terry Connor a rapturous reception as they made their way to the dugouts. What a difference a new manager can make, McCarthy only in the job for two days and without too much time to tinker with the team made only two changes from the side that let Chris Hutchings down so badly last week. Ironically Luke Hyam and Josh Carson, who were the only two players singled out for 

any praise v Sheffield Wednesday were replaced by Guirane N’Daw and Nigel Reo-Coker, the new boss opting for experience over youth. The only other change he made was to use a 442 formation which benefitted DJ Campbell.

We only had to wait eight minutes for the first goal of McCarthy's reign. The on loan (who isn't!) Campbell shot from a tight angle into the net giving keeper Jack Butland no chance whatsoever. Town looked a different side from the one that I berated last week, the want and desire so obviously missing of late was there for all to see. Big Mick & TC were up on their feet barking out orders and organising the team for the whole of the ninety minutes, a different approach from predecessor Paul Jewell who was often criticised for sitting down throughout a game. 

The home supporters were surprisingly quiet, it took the introduction of 6' 7" Nikola Zigic midway through the second half before we really heard them. Birmingham certainly threatened more following his introduction, in fact he could have had a couple of goals, heading wide of the post when in a decent position and was then denied by a good save from Stephen Henderson, who had his best game for Ipswich. Town held on to the end much to the delight of the traveling fans and all involved with he blue army. The three points gained equalled the total achieved from the previous two months, two in September and just one in October!

There seems to be a general malaise from the blue noses towards their team, they don't seem happy with new boss Lee Clark, who lambasted his lackluster side in his post match interview on local radio after the match. It’s strange but you can draw similarities to the situation at Ipswich until just one week ago.

The playlist
Feeling Good by Nina Simone - “It's a new dawn, It's a new day, It's a new life

for me and I'm feeling good” Sums up the start of a new era nicely.