Birmingham City

Birmingham City is a football (soccer) club from England.

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Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham F.C. in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City F.C. in 1943.
At the end of the Football League Championship 2008–09, they were promotion and relegation from the Football League Championship to spend their sixth season in the Premier League.

As Small Heath, they were founder members and first ever champions of the Football League Second Division. The most successful period in their history was in the 1950s and early 1960s. They achieved their highest finishing position of sixth in the Football League First Division in the 1955–56 in English football and reached the 1956 FA Cup Final, progressed to the final of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1958-60 and Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1960-61, and won their only major trophy, the Football League Cup, in 1963 Football League Cup Final, beating Aston Villa F.C. 3–1 on aggregate. They have spent the majority of their history in the top tier of English football, though their darkest era came between 1986 and 2002, when they were continuously outside the top division. This period included two brief spells in the third tier of the English League, during which time they twice won the Football League Trophy.

St Andrew's (stadium) has been their home ground since 1906. They have a long-standing and fierce rivalry with Aston Villa, their nearest neighbours, with whom they play the Birmingham derby. The club's nickname is Blues, due to the colour of their kit, and their fans are known as Bluenoses.

History

Birmingham City were founded as Small Heath Alliance in 1875, and from 1877 played their home games at Muntz Street. Birmingham City turned professional in 1885, under the name of Small Heath F.C. Ltd.
From the 1889-90 in English football they played in the Football Alliance, which ran alongside the Football League. In 1892, Small Heath, along with the other Alliance teams, were invited to join the newly-formed Football League Second Division. They finished as champions, but failed to win promotion and relegation via the test match (football) system; the following season promotion to the Football League First Division was secured after a second place finish and test match victory over Darwen F.C.. Birmingham City adopted the name Birmingham Football Club in 1905, and moved into their new ground, which became known as St Andrew's (stadium), the following year, though matters on the field failed to live up to their surroundings. Birmingham were relegated in 1907-08 in English football, obliged to apply for re-election two years later, and remained in the Second Division until after World War I. Womack went on to make 515 appearances, a club record for an outfielder, over a twenty-year career. 1920 also saw the debut of the 19-year-old Joe Bradford, who went on to score a club record 267 goals in 445 games, and won 12 cap (sport)s for England national football team. In 1931, manager Leslie Knighton led Birmingham City to their first 1931 FA Cup Final, which they lost 2–1 to Second Division club West Bromwich Albion F.C.. Though Birmingham remained in the top flight for 18 seasons, they struggled in the league, with much reliance placed on England goalkeeper Harry Hibbs (footballer) to make up for the lack of goals, Bradford excepted, at the other end. They were finally relegated in 1938-39 in English football, the last full season before the Football League was abandoned for the duration of the World War II.

The club's current name of Birmingham City F.C. was adopted in 1943. Storer's successor Bob Brocklebank, though unable to stave off relegation in 1950, brought in players who made a major contribution to Birmingham City's successes of the next decade. When Arthur Turner (footballer born 1909) took over as manager in November 1954, he made them play closer to their potential, and a 5–1 win on the last day of the 1954–55 in English football confirmed them as champions. In their first season back in the First Division, Birmingham achieved their highest league finish of sixth place. They also reached the 1956 FA Cup Final, losing 3–1 to Manchester City F.C. in the game notable for City's goalkeeper Bert Trautmann playing the last 20 minutes with a broken bone in his neck. The following season Birmingham City lost in the FA Cup semifinal for the third time since the war, this time beaten 2–0 by Manchester United F.C.'s "Busby Babes". they went on to reach the semifinal where they drew 4–4 on aggregate with FC Barcelona, losing the replay 2–1. They were also the first English club side to reach a European final, losing 4–1 two-legged match to Barcelona in Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1958-60 and 4–2 to A.S. Roma in Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1960-61. Gil Merrick's side saved their best form for cup competitions. Though opponents in the 1963 Football League Cup Final, local rivals Aston Villa F.C., were pre-match favourites, Birmingham raised their game and won 3–1 on aggregate to lift their only major trophy to date. In 1964-65 in English football, after ten years in the top flight, they returned to the Second Division.

Businessman Clifford Coombs took over as chairman in 1965, luring Stan Cullis out of retirement to manage the club. Cullis's team played attractive football which took them to the semifinals of the League Cup in 1967 and the FA Cup in 1968, but league football needed a different approach. Successor Freddie Goodwin produced a team playing skilful, aggressive football that won promotion as well as reaching an FA Cup semifinal. Two years later, Birmingham City raised money by selling Bob Latchford to Everton F.C. for a British record fee of £350,000, but without his goals Birmingham City struggled. Alf Ramsey briefly managed Birmingham City before Jim Smith (footballer) took over in 1978. With relegation a certainty, Birmingham City sold Trevor Francis to Nottingham Forest F.C., making him the first player transferred for a fee of £1 million; Francis had scored a total of 133 goals in 329 appearances over his nine years at Birmingham. Smith took Birmingham straight back to the First Division, but a poor start to the 1981-82 in English football saw him replaced by Ron Saunders, who had just resigned from league champions Aston Villa. Saunders' team struggled to score goals and in 1984 they were relegated. They bounced back up, but the last home game of the 1984-85 in English football promotion season, against Leeds United A.F.C., was marred by rioting, culminating in the death of a boy when a wall collapsed on him; this was on the same day as the Bradford fire, and the events at St Andrew's formed part of the remit of Mr Oliver Popplewell's inquiry into safety at sports grounds. Birmingham City lacked stability both on and off the field. Saunders quit after FA Cup defeat to Altrincham F.C., staff were laid off, the training ground was sold, and by 1989 Birmingham were in the Football League Third Division for the first time in their history.

In April 1989 the Kumar brothers, owners of a clothing chain, bought the club. A rapid turnover of managers, the absence of promised investment, and a threatened mass refusal of players to renew contracts was only relieved by a victorious trip to Wembley Stadium (1923) in the Associate Members Cup. Terry Cooper delivered promotion, but the collapse of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) bank put the Kumars' businesses into receivership; in November 1992 BCCI's liquidator (law) put up for sale their 84% holding in the football club. Birmingham City continued in administration for four months, until Sport Newspapers' proprietor David Sullivan bought it for £700,000, installed the then 23-year-old Karren Brady as managing director and allowed Cooper money for signings. On the last day of the season, Birmingham City avoided relegation back to the third tier, but after a poor start to the 1993-94 in English football Cooper was replaced by Barry Fry. The change did not prevent relegation, but Fry's first full season brought promotion back to the second tier and victory in the Football League Trophy at Wembley, beating Carlisle United F.C. with a Paul Tait (footballer born 1971) golden goal. After one more year, Fry was sacked to make way for the return of Trevor Francis.

Francis introduced players with top-level experience such as Manchester United F.C. skipper Steve Bruce. In his second season Birmingham City narrowly missed out on a Football League Championship play-offs position, followed by three years of play-off semifinal defeats. They also reached the 2001 Football League Cup Final against Liverpool F.C. at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. Birmingham equalised in the last minute of normal time, but the match went to a penalty shootout (association football) which Liverpool won. By October 2001, lack of progress had made Francis's position untenable. After a 6–0 League Cup defeat to Manchester City, he left by mutual consent, replaced two months later by Steve Bruce. Bruce shook up a stale team, taking them from mid-table into the play-offs where they beat Norwich City F.C. on penalties to win promotion.

Motivated by the inspirational Christophe Dugarry, Birmingham's first top-flight season for 16 years finished in mid-table. FA Premier League 2003-04 saw loan signing Mikael Forssell's 17 league goals help Birmingham to a top half finish, though performances and results tailed off badly towards the end of the season. First-team coach Mark Bowen (footballer) was sacked and replaced by Eric Black, international players were signed, but an injury to Forssell left the FA Premier League 2004-05 team struggling for goals. More transfer window loan signings ensured another mid-table finish. Only two months later, chairman David Gold said it was time to "start talking about being as good as anyone outside the top three or four" with "the best squad of players for 25 years". Injuries, lack of form, and a lack of investment during the transfer window saw them relegated before the last game of a season whose lowlight was a 0–7 FA Cup defeat to Liverpool F.C.. Jermaine Pennant and Emile Heskey left for record fees, many more were released, but Bruce retained the confidence of the board. His amended recruitment strategy, combining young "hungry" players with free-transfer experience and shrewd exploitation of the loan market, brought automatic promotion at the end of a season which had included calls for his head.

In July 2007, Hong Kong-based businessman Carson Yeung bought 29.9% of shares in the club, making him the biggest single shareholder, with a view to taking full control in the future. Uncertain as to his future under possible new owners, Bruce left in mid-season to become manager of Premier League rivals Wigan Athletic F.C.. His successor, Scotland national football team manager Alex McLeish, was unable to stave off relegation, but achieved promotion back to the Premier League at the first attempt.

Colours and badge

The Small Heath Alliance members decided among themselves that their colours would be blue; in the early days, they wore whatever blue shirt they had. Their first uniform kit was a dark blue shirt with a white sash and white shorts. Several variations on a blue theme were tried; the one that stuck was the royal blue shirt with a white "V", adopted during the World War I and retained until the late 1920s. Though the design changed, the royal blue remained. In 1971 they adopted the "penguin" strip – royal blue with a broad white central front panel – which lasted five years. Since then they have generally worn plain, nominally royal blue shirts, though the actual shade used became gradually lighter over the years. Shorts have been either blue or white, and socks either blue, white or a combination. The colours of Birmingham's change strip have varied greatly over the years; white or yellow (on their own or with blue or black) and red with white or black have been the most frequently used combinations.

There have been aberrations. The 1992 kit, sponsored by Triton Showers, was made of a blue material covered with multicoloured splashes which resembled a shower curtain. Birmingham have only ever worn stripes on their home shirt once; in 1999 they wore a blue shirt with a front central panel in narrow blue and white stripes, was adopted by Birmingham City but not worn on playing shirts until 1976. An experiment was made in the early 1990s with colouring in the globe and ball, but Birmingham City soon reverted to the plain version.

For the 2008-09 in English football season, Birmingham's home kit is in a traditional, darker shade of royal blue, plain apart from a white collar and arm trim, with blue shorts and white socks. For the 2009-10 in English football season, the away kit consists of a black shirt with gold, grey and white trim on collar and sleeves, black shorts and black socks. The kit is manufactured by Umbro and carries the name of the sponsors, F&C Asset Management.

Stadiums

Small Heath Alliance played their first home games on waste ground off Arthur Street, Bordesley Green. As interest grew, they moved to a fenced-off field in Ladypool Road, Sparkbrook, where admission could be charged. A year later, they moved again, to a field adjoining Muntz Street, Small Heath, Birmingham, near the A45 road, with a capacity of about 10,000. Muntz Street was adequate for 1880s friendly matches, and the capacity was gradually raised to around 30,000, but when several thousand spectators scaled walls and broke down turnstiles to get into a Football League First Division match against Aston Villa, it became clear that it could no longer cope with the demand.

Director Harry Morris Sr. identified a site for a new ground in Bordesley Green, some three-quarters of a mile (1 km) from Muntz Street towards the city centre. The site was where a brickworks once operated; the land sloped steeply down to stagnant pools, yet the stadium was constructed in under twelve months from land clearance to opening ceremony on Boxing Day 1906. Heavy snow nearly prevented the opening; volunteers had to clear pitch and terraces before the match, a goalless draw against Middlesbrough F.C., could go ahead. gypsies are known to have camped nearby, but there is no contemporary evidence for their eviction by the club.

The original capacity of St Andrew's was reported as 75,000, with 4,000 seats in the Main Stand and space for 22,000 under cover. By the early 1960s a stand had been built at the Railway End to the same design as the Main Stand, roofs had been put on the Kop and Tilton Road End, and the ground capacity was down to about 55,000. but the Main Stand has still to be modernised.

In 2004 a proposal was put forward to build a "sports village" comprising a new 55,000 capacity stadium for the club, to be known as the City of Birmingham Stadium, other sports and leisure facilities, and a super casino. The project would be jointly financed by Government of Birmingham, Birmingham City F.C. (via the proceeds of the sale of St Andrew's) and the casino group Las Vegas Sands. The feasibility of the plan depended on the government issuing a licence for a super casino, and Birmingham being chosen as the venue, but this did not happen. Birmingham City have planning permission to redevelop the Main Stand, but club and council have continued to seek alternative sources of funding for the City of Birmingham Stadium project.

Supporters
Birmingham fans consider their main rivals to be Aston Villa F.C., their nearest neighbours geographically, with whom they contest the Birmingham derby. Lesser rivalries exist with fellow West Midlands (county) clubs Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. and West Bromwich Albion F.C.. According to a 2003 Football Fans Census survey, Aston Villa fans think of Birmingham City as their main rivals, though this has not always been the case.

The fans are referred to as Bluenoses, a nickname attributed by the Football Fans Census survey to an "accusation they are left out in the cold when it comes to success". Between 1994 and 1997 Birmingham City mascot took the form of a blue nose, though it is now a dog called Beau Brummie, a play on the name Beau Brummell and Brummie, the slang word for a person from Birmingham.

There are a number of supporters' clubs affiliated to the football club, both in England and abroad. While an action group was formed in 1991 to protest against chairman Samesh Kumar, and antipathy towards the board provoked hostile chanting and a pitch invasion after the last match of the Premier League 2007-08, relations between club and fanbase have never been so poor as to provoke the formation of an independent supporters' group. When Birmingham City was in financial difficulties, supporters contributed to schemes which funded the purchase of players Brian Roberts (English footballer) in 1984 and Paul Peschisolido in 1992. The 2005 film Green Street features hooliganism surrounding a fictional match between West Ham United F.C. and Birmingham.

The fans' anthem, an adaptation of Sir Harry Lauder's Keep right on to the end of the road, was adopted during the 1956 FA Cup campaign. The Times football correspondent described in his Cup Final preview how

Player Alex Govan is credited with popularising the song, by singing it on the coach on the way to the quarter final, and when he revealed in an interview that it was his favourite.

Ownership
Small Heath F.C. became a private company limited by shares in 1888; its first share issue was to the value of £650. The board was made up of local businessmen and dignitaries until 1965, when Birmingham City was sold to Clifford Coombs. By the mid-1980s Birmingham City was in financial trouble. Control passed from the Coombs family to former Walsall F.C chairman Ken Wheldon, who cut costs, made redundancies, and sold off assets, including Birmingham City's training ground. Still unable to make Birmingham City pay, Wheldon sold it to the Kumar brothers, owners of a clothing chain. The public limited company was floated in 1997 with an issue of 15 million new shares, raising £7.5 million of new investment. Birmingham City made a pre-tax profit of £2.7M in the year ending 31 August 2006 which, according to Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu's Annual Review of Football Finance, made them one of only four Premier League clubs to finish the 2005-06 in English football season without debt.

The plc has approximately 81.5M shares in issue. On 27 June 2007, the major shareholders entered into an agreement to sell 29.9% of the company to Hong Kong-based businessman Carson Yeung via the company Grandtop International Holdings Limited ("GIH"), which is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The offer price of 61.331 pence per share valued Birmingham City at approximately £50M, well above any previous market capitalisation. which made Yeung the largest single shareholder, with plc chairman David Sullivan controlling 23.22% via two of his companies, and football club chairman David Gold holding the same amount jointly with his brother Ralph. In August Yeung stated his intention to take full control of Birmingham City once due diligence was complete, but the process became protracted, until on 20 December 2007, the day before a deadline set for completion of the deal, the plc announced that discussions had terminated with the directors "no longer confident that GIH will be able to make a general offer for the Company", though GIH claimed it was they who had "temporarily shelved" the bid due to Birmingham's failure to co-operate.

In April 2008, Sullivan and managing director Karren Brady were arrested and questioned on suspicion of conspiracy (crime) Conspiracy to defraud and fraud in connection with an ongoing investigation of 2006 allegations of corruption in English football.

In June 2009, Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan admitted that: “There is only one (Premier League) club that is debt-free and that is Birmingham. Everyone else is carrying too much debt."

Honours
Birmingham City's honours include the following:
- Football League Second Division / Football League Championship (level 2)
- - Champions: 1892-93 in English football, 1920-21 in English football, 1947-48 in English football, 1954-55 in English football
- - Runners up: 1893-94 in English football, 1900-01 in English football, 1902-03 in English football, 1971-72 in English football, 1984-85 in English football, 2006-07 in English football, 2008-09 in English football
- - Football League Championship play-offs winners: 2001-02 in English football
- Football League Third Division / Football League Second Division (level 3)
- - Champions: 1994-95 in English football
- - Runners up: 1991-92 in English football
- FA Cup
- - Runners up: 1931 FA Cup Final, 1956 FA Cup Final
- Football League Cup
- - Winners: 1963 Football League Cup Final
- - Runners up: 2001 Football League Cup Final
- Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
- - Runners up: Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1958-60, Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1960-61
- Football League Trophy
- - Winners: 1991, 1995
- Birmingham Senior Cup
- - Winners: 1905

Statistics and records
Frank Womack holds the record for Birmingham league appearances, having played 491 matches between 1908 and 1928, closely followed by Gil Merrick with 485 between 1946 and 1959. If all senior competitions are included, Merrick has 551, less closely followed by Womack's 515 which is the record for an outfield player. As of June 2008, the player who has won most international caps while at Birmingham City is Maik Taylor with 39 for Northern Ireland national football team.

The goalscoring record is held by Joe Bradford, with 249 league goals, 267 altogether, scored between 1920 and 1935; no other player comes close. Walter Abbott holds the records for the most goals scored in a season, in 1898-99 in English football, with 34 league goals in the Football League Second Division and with 42 goals in total. Bradford holds the record for league goals scored in a Football League First Division season with 29 in 1927-28 in English football.

Birmingham's home attendance record was set at the fifth-round FA Cup tie against Everton F.C. on 11 February 1939. It is variously recorded as 66,844 or 67,341. As the current ground capacity is around 30,000, it is unlikely that this record will be broken in the foreseeable future.

The highest transfer fee received for a Birmingham player is £6.7 million, possibly rising to £8m, from Liverpool for Jermaine Pennant in July 2006, while the most expensive player bought was David Dunn, who joined from Blackburn Rovers F.C. in July 2003 for a fee undisclosed by the club, though widely reported as £5.5m. James McFadden was bought from Everton in January 2008 for a fee of £5m, possibly rising to £6.5m depending on appearances; if the full fee becomes payable, this will be Birmingham City's record purchase. A fee of £6.2m rising to £9m was agreed in June 2009 for Christian Benítez of Santos Laguna, but problems revealed at the medical prompted a renegotiation of the deal, such that Birmingham City would pay an initial $2m (£1.2m), with an option to abort the deal on medical grounds after the first year; thereafter the fee could eventually rise, depending on appearances and success, to a club record $12.5m (£7.7m).

Players

Out on loan

Reserves and Academy

Notable players

Managers
Notable managers
Gil Merrick is the only Birmingham manager to have won a major trophy, the Football League Cup in 1963 Football League Cup Final. Merrick also led Birmingham City to the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup final in Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1960-61, following Pat Beasley who did the same in Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1958-60. Leslie Knighton took Birmingham City to the final of the FA Cup in 1931 FA Cup Final;
- Manager: Alex McLeish
- First team coach: Roy Aitken
- First team coach: Andy Watson (Scottish footballer)
- Goalkeeping coach: David Watson (goalkeeper)
- Academy manager: Terry Westley
- Chief scout: Paul Montgomery

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Barnsley, Birmingham City, Blackpool, Bristol City, Burnley, Cardiff City, Charlton Athletic, Coventry City, Crystal Palace, Derby County, Doncaster Rovers, Ipswich Town, Norwich City, Nottingham Forest, Plymouth Argyle, Preston North End, Queens Park Rangers, Reading, Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday, Southampton, Swansea City, Watford, Wolverhampton Wanderers