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Birmingham City F.C.

January 26, 2023

This article is about the men's football club. For the women's football club, see Birmingham City W.F.C.
"Birmingham City" redirects here. For the city itself, see Birmingham.

Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943.[8] Since 2011, the first team have competed in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football.

Birmingham City
Full nameBirmingham City Football Club
Nickname(s)Blues[1][2]
Founded1875; 148 years ago (1875) as Small Heath Alliance
GroundSt Andrew's
Capacity29,409 (restricted to c. 19,000 pending completion of repairs)[3][4]
Coordinates52°28′32″N 1°52′04″W / 52.47556°N 1.86778°W / 52.47556; -1.86778
Owner
ChairmanWenqing Zhao[6]
Head coachJohn Eustace[7]
LeagueEFL Championship
2021–22EFL Championship, 20th of 24
WebsiteClub website
Current season

As Small Heath, they played in the Football Alliance before becoming founder members and first 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 First Division in the 1955–56 season and reached the 1956 FA Cup Final. Birmingham played in two Inter-Cities Fairs Cup finals, in 1960, as the first English club side to reach a major European final, and again the following year. They won the League Cup in 1963 and again in 2011. Birmingham have played in the top tier of English football for around half of their history:[9] the longest period spent outside the top division, between 1986 and 2002, included two brief spells in the third tier of English football, during which time they won the Football League Trophy twice.

St Andrew's 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 Second City derby. The club's nickname is Blues, after the colour of their kit, and the fans are known as Bluenoses.

History

Further information: History of Birmingham City F.C.

The early years (1875–1943)

 
Small Heath F.C., champions of the inaugural Football League Second Division in 1892–93

Birmingham City were founded as Small Heath Alliance in 1875, and from 1877 played their home games at Muntz Street. The club turned professional in 1885,[10] and three years later became the first football club to become a limited company with a board of directors,[11] under the name of Small Heath F.C. Ltd.[12] From the 1889–90 season 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 via the test match system; the following season promotion to the First Division was secured after a second-place finish and test match victory over Darwen.[13] The club adopted the name Birmingham Football Club in 1905, and moved into their new home, St Andrew's Ground, the following year.[14] Matters on the field failed to live up to their surroundings. Birmingham were relegated in 1908, obliged to apply for re-election two years later, and remained in the Second Division until after the First World War.[13]

Frank Womack's captaincy and the creativity of Scottish international playmaker Johnny Crosbie contributed much to Birmingham winning their second Division Two title in 1920–21.[15] Womack went on to make 515 appearances, a club record for an outfielder, over a twenty-year career.[16] 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 caps for England.[17] In 1931, manager Leslie Knighton led the club to their first FA Cup Final, which they lost 2–1 to Second Division club West Bromwich Albion. Though Birmingham remained in the top flight for 18 seasons, they struggled in the league, with much reliance placed on England goalkeeper Harry Hibbs to make up for the lack of goals, Bradford excepted, at the other end.[18] They were finally relegated in 1939, the last full season before the Football League was abandoned for the duration of the Second World War.[19]

Birmingham City: Post-war success (1943–1965)

The name Birmingham City F.C. was adopted in 1943.[8] Under Harry Storer, appointed manager in 1945, the club won the Football League South wartime league and reached the semifinal of the first post-war FA Cup. Two years later they won their third Second Division title, conceding only 24 goals in the 42-game season.[20] Storer's successor Bob Brocklebank, though unable to stave off relegation in 1950, brought in players who made a major contribution to the club's successes of the next decade.[21] When Arthur Turner 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 season confirmed them as champions.[22] In their first season back in the First Division, Birmingham achieved their highest league finish of sixth place. They also reached the FA Cup final, losing 3–1 to Manchester City 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 the club lost in the FA Cup semifinal for the third time since the war, this time beaten 2–0 by Manchester United's "Busby Babes".[22]

Birmingham became the first English club side to take part in European competition when they played their first group game in the inaugural Inter-Cities Fairs Cup competition on 15 May 1956;[23][24][25] they went on to reach the semifinal where they drew 4–4 on aggregate with Barcelona, losing the replay 2–1. They were also the first English club side to reach a European final, losing 4–1 on aggregate to Barcelona in the 1960 Fairs Cup final and 4–2 to A.S. Roma the following year.[25] In the 1961 semifinal they beat Internazionale home and away;[25] no other English club won a competitive game in the San Siro until Arsenal managed it in 2003.[26] Gil Merrick's side saved their best form for cup competitions. Though opponents in the 1963 League Cup final, local rivals Aston Villa, were pre-match favourites, Birmingham raised their game and won 3–1 on aggregate to lift their first major trophy.[27] In 1965, after ten years in the top flight, they returned to the Second Division.[28]

Investment, promotion and decline (1965–1993)

Businessman Clifford Coombs took over as chairman in 1965, luring Stan Cullis out of retirement to manage the club.[29] Cullis's team played attractive football which took them to the semifinals of the League Cup in 1967 and of the FA Cup in 1968, but league football needed a different approach.[30] Successor Freddie Goodwin produced a team playing skilful, aggressive football that won promotion as well as reaching an FA Cup semifinal.[31] Two years later, the club raised money by selling Bob Latchford to Everton for a British record fee of £350,000, but without his goals the team struggled.[32][33] Sir Alf Ramsey briefly managed the club before Jim Smith took over in 1978. With relegation a certainty, the club sold Trevor Francis to Nottingham Forest, making him the first player transferred for a fee of £1 million;[34] Francis had scored 133 goals in 329 appearances over his nine years at Birmingham.[35]

Smith took Birmingham straight back to the First Division, but a poor start to the 1981–82 season saw him replaced by Ron Saunders, who had just resigned from league champions Aston Villa. Saunders' team struggled to score goals and were relegated in 1984.[36] They bounced back up, but the last home game of the 1984–85 promotion season, against Leeds United, 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 City stadium fire, and the events at St Andrew's formed part of the remit of Mr Justice Popplewell's inquiry into safety at sports grounds.[37] The club lacked stability both on and off the field. Saunders quit after FA Cup defeat to non-League team Altrincham, staff were laid off, the training ground was sold, and by 1989 Birmingham were in the Third Division for the first time in their history.[38]

In April 1989 the Kumar brothers, owners of a clothing chain, bought the club.[38] A rapid turnover of managers, the absence of promised investment, and a threatened mass refusal of players to renew contracts was relieved only by a victorious trip to Wembley in the Associate Members' Cup.[39] Terry Cooper delivered promotion, but the collapse of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) put the Kumars' businesses into receivership; in November 1992 BCCI's liquidator put up for sale their 84% holding in the football club.[40]

Sale and reconstruction (1992–2007)

The club continued in administration for four months, until Sport Newspapers' proprietor David Sullivan bought it for £700,000,[41] installed the then 23-year-old Karren Brady as managing director and allowed Cooper money for signings. On the last day of the season, the team avoided relegation back to the third tier,[42] but after a poor start to the 1993–94 season 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 as champions, and victory over Carlisle United in the Football League Trophy via Paul Tait's golden goal completed the "lower-league Double".[43] After one more year, Fry was dismissed to make way for the return of Trevor Francis.[44]

Reinforced by players with top-level experience, including Manchester United captain Steve Bruce, Francis's team narrowly missed out on a play-off position in 1998, and three years of play-off semifinal defeats followed.[10] They reached the 2001 League Cup final against Liverpool at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. Birmingham equalised in the last minute of normal time, but the match went to a penalty shoot-out which Liverpool won.[45] 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.[46] Bruce's return as manager shook up a stale team; he took them from mid-table to the play-offs, and beat Norwich City on penalties in the final to secure promotion to the Premier League.[47][48]

Motivated by the inspirational Christophe Dugarry,[49] Birmingham's first top-flight season for 16 years finished in mid-table. Loan signing Mikael Forssell's 17 league goals helped Birmingham to a top-half finish in 2003–04, but when he was injured, the 2004–05 team struggled for goals. In July 2005, 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".[50] Injuries, loss of form, and lack of transfer window investment saw them relegated in a season whose lowlight was a 7–0 FA Cup defeat to Liverpool.[51] Jermaine Pennant and Emile Heskey left for record fees,[52][53] many others were released,[54] but Bruce's amended recruitment strategy, combining free-transfer experience with young "hungry" players and shrewd exploitation of the loan market, brought automatic promotion at the end of a season which had included calls for his head.[55]

The Chinese years (2007–present)

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.[56] Uncertain as to his future under possible new owners, Bruce left in mid-season.[57] His successor, Scotland national team manager Alex McLeish, was unable to stave off relegation, but achieved promotion back to the Premier League at the first attempt.[58] Yeung's company completed the takeover in 2009,[59] and the team finished in ninth place, their highest for 51 years.[60] In 2011, they combined a second League Cup, defeating favourites Arsenal 2–1 with goals from Nikola Žigić and Obafemi Martins and securing qualification for the Europa League,[61] with relegation back to the second tier, after which McLeish resigned to join Aston Villa.[62]

Birmingham narrowly failed to reach the knockout rounds of the Europa League and the play-off final. With the club in financial turmoil and under a transfer embargo, manager Chris Hughton left.[63] Under Lee Clark, Birmingham twice retained their divisional status, albeit through Paul Caddis's 93rd-minute goal in the last match of 2013–14 to avoid relegation on goal difference,[64] but continued poor form saw him dismissed in October 2014.[65] Gary Rowett stabilised the team and led them to two tenth-place finishes before being controversially dismissed by new owners Trillion Trophy Asia in favour of the "pedigree" of Gianfranco Zola, who would aid the club's "strategic, long-term view" to take the club in a new direction.[66]

Two wins from 24 matches under Zola left Birmingham needing two wins from the last three games to stay up, which they achieved under the managership of Harry Redknapp.[67] Redknapp lasted another month,[68] his former assistant Steve Cotterill five months, leaving successor Garry Monk another – ultimately successful – relegation battle.[69][70] Despite budgetary restrictions and a nine-point deduction for breaches of the League's Profitability and Sustainability (P&S) rules, the team finished 17th in 2018–19; however, Monk was sacked in June after conflict with the board.[71] He was succeeded by his assistant, Pep Clotet, initially as caretaker.[72] In the 2019–20 season, a season that was suspended from March to June 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the club once again avoided relegation despite a 14-match winless run at the end of the season and the threat of a further points deduction.[73][74] Academy product Jude Bellingham was sold to Borussia Dortmund in the summer for a club-record deal reported to be worth up to £30 million,[75] after which Aitor Karanka lasted eight months as head coach before being replaced by former Birmingham player Lee Bowyer.[76] After 16 months and yet another relegation struggle, amid rumours of an imminent takeover, Bowyer was replaced by John Eustace.[77][78][7]

Colours and badge

 
 
 
 
 
 
Small Heath Alliance original kit

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.[79] The first uniform kit was a dark blue shirt with a white sash and white shorts.[80] Several variations on a blue theme were tried; the one that stuck was the royal blue shirt with a white "V", adopted during the First World War 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.[81] Since then they have generally worn plain, nominally royal blue shirts, though the actual shade used has varied. Shorts have been either blue or white, and socks usually blue, white or a combination. White, yellow, red and black, on their own or in combination, have been the most frequently used colours for the away kit.[80][82]

There were aberrations: the 1992 kit, sponsored by Triton Showers, was made of a blue material covered with multicoloured splashes which resembled a shower curtain.[83][84] The home shirt has only once featured stripes: in 1999, the blue shirt had a front central panel in narrow blue and white stripes, a design similar to the Tesco supermarket carrier bag of the time.[82][85]

When the club changed its name from Small Heath to Birmingham in 1905 it adopted the city's coat of arms as its badge, although this was not always worn on the shirts. The 1970s "penguin" shirt carried the letters "BCFC" intertwined at the centre of the chest. The Sports Argus newspaper ran a competition in 1972 to design a new badge for the club. The winning entry, a line-drawn globe and ball, with a ribbon carrying the club's name and date of foundation, in plain blue and white,[86] was adopted by the club but not worn on playing shirts until 1976,[87] after the design was granted by the College of Arms in 1975. The design recorded at the College did not include the ribbon and was blazoned as "A football ensigned by a terrestrial globe proper". This was granted as an heraldic badge to the English Football League and was licensed to Birmingham City.[88] An experiment was made in the early 1990s with colouring in the globe and ball, but was soon abandoned.[87]

In June 2020, the club announced a four-year partnership with Nike as supplier of kits, which carry the logo of the club's principal sponsor, Irish bookmaker BoyleSports.[89] The 2022–23 home kit consists of a blue shirt with navy horizontal stripes and white trim, blue shorts and white socks, while the away kit has a red shirt with a navy graphic pattern and trim, red shorts and navy socks.[90]

The club rarely spends more than three seasons with the same kit supplier.[87] The first sponsor to have its name on the shirt was Birmingham-based brewery Ansells in 1983.[87] They withdrew in mid-1985,[91] and the shirts went unsponsored until January 1987, when Co-op Milk paid a "five-figure sum" to have its name displayed until the end of the season, which was a relief to the club not only financially; the vice-chairman claimed that as a "big club ... people expect us to have a shirt sponsor and we have been lagging behind".[92] Later sponsors included car retailer PJ Evans/Evans Halshaw (1988–1989), Mark One (1989–1992), Triton Showers (1992–1995), Auto Windscreens (1995–2001), Phones 4u (2001–2003), Flybe (2003–2007), F&C Investments (2007–2011), foreign exchange company RationalFX (2011–2012), "lifestyle and leisure" business EZE Group (2012–2013 and 2015–2016), e-cigarette company Nicolites (2013–2014), mobile payment enabler Zapaygo (2014–2015), and 888sport (2016–2019).[87][93]

Stadiums

Main articles: Muntz Street, St Andrew's, and City of Birmingham Stadium

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, near the main Coventry Road, with a capacity of about 10,000. The Muntz Street ground 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 First Division match against Aston Villa, it became clear that it could no longer cope with the demand.[94]

Director Harry Morris 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, could go ahead.[94] The ground is reputed to have been cursed by gypsies evicted from the site;[95] although gypsies are known to have camped nearby,[96] there is no contemporary evidence for their eviction by the club.

 
Average and peak league attendances at St Andrew's

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.[94] By 1938 the official capacity was 68,000, and February 1939 saw the attendance record set at the fifth round FA Cup tie against Everton, variously recorded as 66,844 or 67,341.[A] On the outbreak of the Second World War, the Chief Constable ordered the ground's closure because of the danger from air raids; it was the only ground to be thus closed, and was only re-opened after the matter was raised in Parliament. It was badly damaged during the Birmingham Blitz: the Railway End and the Kop as a result of bombing, while the Main Stand burnt down when a fireman mistook petrol for water.[94]

 
Main Stand, St Andrew's, 2005

The replacement Main Stand used a propped cantilever roof design, which meant fewer pillars to block spectators' view of the pitch. Floodlights were installed in 1956, and officially switched on for a friendly match against Borussia Dortmund in 1957.[100] 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.[100]

Resulting from the 1986 Popplewell Report into the safety of sports grounds and the later Taylor Report, the capacity of St Andrew's was set at 28,235 for safety reasons,[37][100] but it was accepted that the stadium had to be brought up to modern all-seated standards. After the last home game of the 1993–94 season, the Kop and Tilton Road terraces were demolished – fans took home a significant proportion as souvenirs – to be replaced at the start of the new season by a 7,000-seat Tilton Road Stand, continuing round the corner into the 9,500-seat Kop which opened two months later.[94] The 8,000-seat Railway Stand followed in 1999;[101] ten years later, this was renamed the Gil Merrick Stand, in honour of the club's appearance record-holder and former manager,[102] but the Main Stand has still to be modernised. In 2019, the club website listed the stadium capacity as 29,409.[3]

In 2004 a proposal was put forward to build a "sports village" comprising a 55,000-capacity City of Birmingham Stadium, other sports and leisure facilities, and a super casino, to be jointly financed by Birmingham City Council, 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,[103] but this did not happen. The club have planning permission to redevelop the Main Stand,[104] but club and council continued to seek alternative sources of funding for the City of Birmingham Stadium project.[105]

In 2013, the Birmingham City Supporters' Trust's application for listing St Andrew's as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) – a building or other land whose main use "furthers the social wellbeing or social interests of the local community" and where it is realistic to believe it could do so in the future.[106] – under the Localism Act 2011 was approved by Birmingham City Council.[107] This requires any proposed sale to be notified to the Council, and provides for a six-month moratorium on that sale to allow the Trust and other community groups to submit their own bid.[107] In 2018, the club's owners agreed a three-year sponsorship deal under which the name became St Andrew's Trillion Trophy Stadium.[108]

Supporters

Birmingham fans consider their main rivals to be Aston Villa, their nearest neighbours geographically, with whom they contest the Second City derby. Lesser rivalries include fellow West Midlands clubs Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Bromwich Albion. According to a 2003 Football Fans Census survey, Aston Villa fans thought of Birmingham City as their main rivals, though this was not always the case.[109]

 
Birmingham City mascot Beau Brummie

Birmingham's supporters are generally referred to as "Bluenoses" in the media and by the fans themselves; the name is also used in a derogatory manner by fans of other clubs.[109][110] A piece of public sculpture in the form of a ten-times-life-size head lying on a mound near the St Andrew's ground, Ondré Nowakowski's Sleeping Iron Giant, has been repeatedly defaced with blue paint on its nose.[111] Between 1994 and 1997, the club mascot took the form of a blue nose,[112] though it is now a dog named Beau Brummie, a play on the name Beau Brummell and Brummie, the slang word for a person from Birmingham.

A number of supporters' clubs are affiliated to the football club, both in England and abroad.[113] An action group was formed in 1991 to protest against chairman Samesh Kumar,[39] the club blamed an internet petition for the collapse of the purchase of player Lee Bowyer in 2005,[114] and antipathy towards the board provoked hostile chanting and a pitch invasion after the last match of the 2007–08 season,[115] but when the club was in financial difficulties, supporters contributed to schemes which funded the purchase of players Brian Roberts in 1984[116] and Paul Peschisolido in 1992.[39] A supporters' trust was formed under the auspices of Supporters Direct in 2012.[117]

There have been several fanzines published by supporters. Made in Brum, first issued in 2000, was the only one regularly on sale in 2013.[118] The Zulu began some years earlier and ran for at least 16 seasons.[119] The hooligan firm associated with the club, the Zulu Warriors, were unusual in that they had multi-racial membership at a time when many such firms had associations with racist or right-wing groups.[120][121]

 
Visiting Birmingham fans during the club's first away appearance in group stage of the UEFA Europa League in 2011

The fans' anthem,[122] an adaptation of Harry Lauder's "Keep Right On to the End of the Road",[123] was adopted during the 1956 FA Cup campaign. The Times's football correspondent described in his Cup Final preview how

the Birmingham clans swept their side along to Wembley – the first side ever to reach a final without once playing at home – on the wings of the song "Keep right on to the end of the road".[124]

Player Alex Govan is credited with popularising the song, by singing it on the coach on the way to the quarter-final[125] and when he revealed in an interview that it was his favourite.

In the build-up to the 1956 FA Cup semi-final with Sunderland I was interviewed by the press and happened to let slip that my favourite song was Harry Lauder's old music hall number "Keep Right on to the End of the Road". I thought no more about it, but when the third goal went in at Hillsborough the Blues fans all started singing it. It was the proudest moment of my life.[126]

Ownership

Small Heath F.C. became a limited company in 1888; its first share issue was to the value of £650.[127] The board was made up of local businessmen and dignitaries until 1965, when the club was sold to Clifford Coombs.[128] By the mid-1980s the club 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 the club's training ground. Still unable to make the club pay, Wheldon sold it to the Kumar brothers, owners of a clothing chain.[38] Debt was still increasing when matters came to a head; the collapse of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) put the Kumars' businesses into receivership. The club continued in administration for four months until Sport Newspapers' proprietor David Sullivan bought the Kumars' 84% holding for £700,000 from BCCI's liquidator in March 1993.[40][41] Birmingham City plc, of which the football club was a wholly owned subsidiary, was floated on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) in 1997 with an issue of 15 million new shares,[129] raising £7.5 million of new investment.[130] It made a pre-tax profit of £4.3M in the year ending 31 August 2008.[131]

In July 2007, Hong Kong businessman Carson Yeung, via the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (SEHK)-listed company Grandtop International Holdings Limited (GIH), bought 29.9% of the plc from its directors. Although his intention to take full control of the club initially came to nothing,[132] GIH completed the purchase in October 2009 at a total cost of £81.5M, re-registered the club as a private company, and renamed the holding company Birmingham International Holdings (BIH).[133][59][134]

Trading in BIH shares was suspended in June 2011 after Yeung's arrest on charges of money-laundering.[135] Publication of financial results was repeatedly delayed,[136] which led the Football League to impose a transfer embargo,[137] and offers for the club were entertained from 2012 onwards.[138] After Yeung resigned his positions with both club and company in early 2014, share trading resumed,[139] and following his conviction,[140] efforts intensified to dispose of the club, which had to be done piecemeal in order to retain BIH's share listing.[141]

Going into 2015, the Football League made public their concerns over Yeung's attempts to impose his choice of directors on the BIHL board despite his conviction disqualifying him from exerting influence over a club.[142] Relationships became increasingly factional, as illustrated by the failure of three directors, including the club's de facto chief executive Panos Pavlakis, to gain re-election, followed the next day by their reinstatement.[143] On 17 February, the board voluntarily appointed receivers from accountants Ernst & Young to take over management of the company. Their statement stressed that no winding-up petition had been issued and the company was not in liquidation.[144][145]

In June 2015, the receivers struck deals with the previous major shareholders such that legal action against them would be dropped in return for their agreement not to obstruct any transfer of ownership to their preferred bidder, the British Virgin Islands-registered investment vehicle Trillion Trophy Asia (TTA), wholly owned by Chinese businessman Paul Suen Cho Hung, who in turn agreed that the company would not be sold on within two years. The process completed in October 2016, leaving TTA owning 50.64% of BIH's share capital, a level of ownership that required them to make an offer for the remainder.[146]

A consortium led by fashion industry businessman Paul Richardson and former Argentine footballer Maxi López, pulled out of a deal to buy the club in December 2022, after five months of negotiations. Their company Maxco Capital, were unable to agree terms after being granted exclusivity for a takeover the previous summer.

Honours

 
Trophy cabinet with the Carling Cup trophy

Birmingham City's honours include the following:[147]

Records and statistics

Further information: List of Birmingham City F.C. records and statistics
 
Chart of English Football League performance of Birmingham City F.C. since the 1892–93 season

Birmingham achieved their highest finishing position, of sixth in the top flight, in the 1955–56 First Division.[153][28] 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.[154] The player who won most international caps while at the club is Maik Taylor with 58 for Northern Ireland.[155]

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, with 34 league goals in the Second Division and 42 goals in total.[52]

The club's widest victory margin in the league was 12–0, a scoreline which they achieved once in the Football Alliance, against Nottingham Forest in 1899, and twice in the Second Division, against Walsall Town Swifts in 1892 and Doncaster Rovers in 1903. They have lost a league match by an eight-goal margin on eight occasions: twice in the Football Alliance and five times in the First Division, all away from home,[156] and once at home, beaten 8–0 by AFC Bournemouth in the Championship in 2014.[157] Their record FA Cup win was 10–0 against Druids in the fourth qualifying round of the 1899 competition;[158] their record FA Cup defeat was 7–0 at home to Liverpool in the 2006 quarter-final.[157]

Birmingham's home attendance record was set at the fifth-round FA Cup tie against Everton on 11 February 1939. It is variously recorded as 66,844 or 67,341.[A] The highest transfer fee received for a Birmingham player is, according to the Sky Sports website, "a guaranteed £25 million up front" received in July 2020 from Borussia Dortmund for Jude Bellingham, which made him the most expensive 17-year-old in world football; the deal also included add-ons "worth 'several millions more'".[159] The highest fee paid is £6.3m for Croatian midfielder Ivan Šunjić, who joined from Dinamo Zagreb in July 2019.[160]

Players

Main article: List of Birmingham City F.C. players

First-team squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Squad correct as of 17 January 2023.[161][162][163][164]

No. Pos. Player Nation
1 GK Neil Etheridge   Philippines
2 DF Maxime Colin   France
3 DF George Friend   England
4 DF Marc Roberts   England
5 DF Auston Trusty (on loan from Arsenal for the season[165])   United States
6 MF Hannibal Mejbri (on loan from Manchester United for the season[166])   Tunisia
7 MF Juninho Bacuna   Curaçao
8 FW Troy Deeney (club captain[161])   England
9 FW Scott Hogan   Republic of Ireland
10 FW Lukas Jutkiewicz   England
11 MF Jordan Graham   England
12 DF Harlee Dean   England
17 MF Reda Khadra (on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion for the season[167])   Germany
18 MF Tahith Chong   Netherlands
19 MF Jordan James   Wales
20 MF Gary Gardner   England
21 GK John Ruddy   England
23 DF Emmanuel Longelo (on loan from West Ham United for the season[168])   England
25 DF Nico Gordon   England
26 DF Kevin Long   Republic of Ireland
27 MF Jobe Bellingham   England
28 DF Dion Sanderson (on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers for the season[169])   England
30 MF Tate Campbell   England
31 DF Krystian Bielik (on loan from Derby County for the season[170])   Poland
32 DF Marcel Oakley   England
33 MF Finley Thorndike   England
35 MF George Hall   England
38 GK Zach Jeacock   England
40 FW Adan George   England
41 MF Remi Walker   England
42 MF Alfie Chang   England
43 DF Mitchell Roberts   England
45 FW Keyendrah Simmonds   England
46 MF Brandon Khela   England
47 MF Ryan Stirk   Wales
48 MF Josh Williams   England
49 MF Romelle Donovan   England
— FW Josh Andrews   England

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.[161][163]

No. Pos. Player Nation
16 FW Sam Cosgrove (on loan to Plymouth Argyle for the season[171])   England
— MF Ivan Šunjić (on loan to Hertha BSC for the season[172])   Croatia

Reserves and Academy

Main article: Birmingham City F.C. Reserves and Academy

Retired numbers

Main article: List of retired numbers in association football

In appreciation of Jude Bellingham's contribution in a short time with the first team – the club's youngest debutant, at 16 years and 38 days, and youngest goalscorer, he completed a full season in the Championship before becoming Birmingham's record transfer and the world's most expensive 17-year-old,[159] "showing what can be achieved through talent, hard work and dedication" while retaining a "caring, humble and engaging off-the-field demeanour" – the club retired his number 22 shirt "to remember one of our own and to inspire others."[173]

Birmingham City Women

Main article: Birmingham City W.F.C.

Birmingham City Ladies Football Club was formed in 1968. The first team worked their way through the leagues until promoted to the FA Women's Premier League in 2002. After Birmingham City F.C. withdrew financial support in 2005, the club were only able to continue because of a personal donation. They re-affiliated with Birmingham City in 2010, were founder members of the FA WSL the following year, and won the FA Women's Cup in 2012.[174] A second-place finish in the 2012 FA WSL earned them qualification for the 2013–14 Champions League, in which they reached the semi-final. After TTA took over Birmingham City F.C. in November 2016, the women's club became an integral part of the organisation.[175] It was formally renamed Birmingham City Women in 2018, and would be known as plain Birmingham City except where that would cause confusion with the men's team.[176]

Club officials

Owners:

As of 23 June 2022[5]

Board:

As of 2 September 2022[6]
  • Chairman: Wenqing Zhao
  • Directors: Chun Kong Yiu, Gannan Zheng, Yao Wang
  • Managing director: Ian Dutton

Football staff:

As of 1 August 2022

Managers

Main article: List of Birmingham City F.C. managers

Gil Merrick was the first Birmingham manager to win a major trophy, the League Cup in 1963. Merrick also led the club to the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup final in 1961, following Pat Beasley who had done the same in 1960.[179] Leslie Knighton took the club to the final of the FA Cup in 1931;[18] Arthur Turner did likewise in 1956, as well as taking charge of the club's highest league finish, sixth place in the 1955–56 First Division.[22] Birmingham reached the 2001 Football League Cup Final under Trevor Francis,[45] whose successor as permanent manager, Steve Bruce, twice achieved promotion to the Premier League.[48][55] Birmingham won the League Cup for the second time under Alex McLeish in 2011.[61] The 1966 World Cup-winning manager, Sir Alf Ramsey, took charge of the club briefly in 1977.[179]

Notes

  1. ^ a b Some sources give the record attendance as 66,844: these include the records page of Birmingham City F.C.'s website[52] and Rothmans Football Yearbook.[97] Others, including the history page of Birmingham City F.C.'s website,[10] Matthews' Encyclopedia,[98] and The Times newspaper from the Monday following the match,[99] say 67,341.

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External links

 
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  • Birmingham City F.C. on BBC Sport: Club news – Recent results and fixtures
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January 26, 2023
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This article is about the men s football club For the women s football club see Birmingham City W F C Birmingham City redirects here For the city itself see Birmingham Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham England Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance it was renamed Small Heath in 1888 Birmingham in 1905 and Birmingham City in 1943 8 Since 2011 the first team have competed in the EFL Championship the second tier of English football Birmingham CityFull nameBirmingham City Football ClubNickname s Blues 1 2 Founded1875 148 years ago 1875 as Small Heath AllianceGroundSt Andrew sCapacity29 409 restricted to c 19 000 pending completion of repairs 3 4 Coordinates52 28 32 N 1 52 04 W 52 47556 N 1 86778 W 52 47556 1 86778OwnerBirmingham Sports Holdings 75 00 Oriental Rainbow Investment 21 64 5 ChairmanWenqing Zhao 6 Head coachJohn Eustace 7 LeagueEFL Championship2021 22EFL Championship 20th of 24WebsiteClub websiteHome coloursAway coloursCurrent seasonAs Small Heath they played in the Football Alliance before becoming founder members and first 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 First Division in the 1955 56 season and reached the 1956 FA Cup Final Birmingham played in two Inter Cities Fairs Cup finals in 1960 as the first English club side to reach a major European final and again the following year They won the League Cup in 1963 and again in 2011 Birmingham have played in the top tier of English football for around half of their history 9 the longest period spent outside the top division between 1986 and 2002 included two brief spells in the third tier of English football during which time they won the Football League Trophy twice St Andrew s 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 Second City derby The club s nickname is Blues after the colour of their kit and the fans are known as Bluenoses Contents 1 History 1 1 The early years 1875 1943 1 2 Birmingham City Post war success 1943 1965 1 3 Investment promotion and decline 1965 1993 1 4 Sale and reconstruction 1992 2007 1 5 The Chinese years 2007 present 2 Colours and badge 3 Stadiums 4 Supporters 5 Ownership 6 Honours 7 Records and statistics 8 Players 8 1 First team squad 8 2 Out on loan 8 3 Reserves and Academy 8 4 Retired numbers 8 5 Birmingham City Women 9 Club officials 10 Managers 11 Notes 12 References 13 Sources 14 External linksHistory EditFurther information History of Birmingham City F C The early years 1875 1943 Edit Small Heath F C champions of the inaugural Football League Second Division in 1892 93 Birmingham City were founded as Small Heath Alliance in 1875 and from 1877 played their home games at Muntz Street The club turned professional in 1885 10 and three years later became the first football club to become a limited company with a board of directors 11 under the name of Small Heath F C Ltd 12 From the 1889 90 season 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 via the test match system the following season promotion to the First Division was secured after a second place finish and test match victory over Darwen 13 The club adopted the name Birmingham Football Club in 1905 and moved into their new home St Andrew s Ground the following year 14 Matters on the field failed to live up to their surroundings Birmingham were relegated in 1908 obliged to apply for re election two years later and remained in the Second Division until after the First World War 13 Frank Womack s captaincy and the creativity of Scottish international playmaker Johnny Crosbie contributed much to Birmingham winning their second Division Two title in 1920 21 15 Womack went on to make 515 appearances a club record for an outfielder over a twenty year career 16 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 caps for England 17 In 1931 manager Leslie Knighton led the club to their first FA Cup Final which they lost 2 1 to Second Division club West Bromwich Albion Though Birmingham remained in the top flight for 18 seasons they struggled in the league with much reliance placed on England goalkeeper Harry Hibbs to make up for the lack of goals Bradford excepted at the other end 18 They were finally relegated in 1939 the last full season before the Football League was abandoned for the duration of the Second World War 19 Birmingham City Post war success 1943 1965 Edit The name Birmingham City F C was adopted in 1943 8 Under Harry Storer appointed manager in 1945 the club won the Football League South wartime league and reached the semifinal of the first post war FA Cup Two years later they won their third Second Division title conceding only 24 goals in the 42 game season 20 Storer s successor Bob Brocklebank though unable to stave off relegation in 1950 brought in players who made a major contribution to the club s successes of the next decade 21 When Arthur Turner 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 season confirmed them as champions 22 In their first season back in the First Division Birmingham achieved their highest league finish of sixth place They also reached the FA Cup final losing 3 1 to Manchester City 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 the club lost in the FA Cup semifinal for the third time since the war this time beaten 2 0 by Manchester United s Busby Babes 22 Birmingham became the first English club side to take part in European competition when they played their first group game in the inaugural Inter Cities Fairs Cup competition on 15 May 1956 23 24 25 they went on to reach the semifinal where they drew 4 4 on aggregate with Barcelona losing the replay 2 1 They were also the first English club side to reach a European final losing 4 1 on aggregate to Barcelona in the 1960 Fairs Cup final and 4 2 to A S Roma the following year 25 In the 1961 semifinal they beat Internazionale home and away 25 no other English club won a competitive game in the San Siro until Arsenal managed it in 2003 26 Gil Merrick s side saved their best form for cup competitions Though opponents in the 1963 League Cup final local rivals Aston Villa were pre match favourites Birmingham raised their game and won 3 1 on aggregate to lift their first major trophy 27 In 1965 after ten years in the top flight they returned to the Second Division 28 Investment promotion and decline 1965 1993 Edit Businessman Clifford Coombs took over as chairman in 1965 luring Stan Cullis out of retirement to manage the club 29 Cullis s team played attractive football which took them to the semifinals of the League Cup in 1967 and of the FA Cup in 1968 but league football needed a different approach 30 Successor Freddie Goodwin produced a team playing skilful aggressive football that won promotion as well as reaching an FA Cup semifinal 31 Two years later the club raised money by selling Bob Latchford to Everton for a British record fee of 350 000 but without his goals the team struggled 32 33 Sir Alf Ramsey briefly managed the club before Jim Smith took over in 1978 With relegation a certainty the club sold Trevor Francis to Nottingham Forest making him the first player transferred for a fee of 1 million 34 Francis had scored 133 goals in 329 appearances over his nine years at Birmingham 35 Smith took Birmingham straight back to the First Division but a poor start to the 1981 82 season saw him replaced by Ron Saunders who had just resigned from league champions Aston Villa Saunders team struggled to score goals and were relegated in 1984 36 They bounced back up but the last home game of the 1984 85 promotion season against Leeds United 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 City stadium fire and the events at St Andrew s formed part of the remit of Mr Justice Popplewell s inquiry into safety at sports grounds 37 The club lacked stability both on and off the field Saunders quit after FA Cup defeat to non League team Altrincham staff were laid off the training ground was sold and by 1989 Birmingham were in the Third Division for the first time in their history 38 In April 1989 the Kumar brothers owners of a clothing chain bought the club 38 A rapid turnover of managers the absence of promised investment and a threatened mass refusal of players to renew contracts was relieved only by a victorious trip to Wembley in the Associate Members Cup 39 Terry Cooper delivered promotion but the collapse of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International BCCI put the Kumars businesses into receivership in November 1992 BCCI s liquidator put up for sale their 84 holding in the football club 40 Sale and reconstruction 1992 2007 Edit The club continued in administration for four months until Sport Newspapers proprietor David Sullivan bought it for 700 000 41 installed the then 23 year old Karren Brady as managing director and allowed Cooper money for signings On the last day of the season the team avoided relegation back to the third tier 42 but after a poor start to the 1993 94 season 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 as champions and victory over Carlisle United in the Football League Trophy via Paul Tait s golden goal completed the lower league Double 43 After one more year Fry was dismissed to make way for the return of Trevor Francis 44 Reinforced by players with top level experience including Manchester United captain Steve Bruce Francis s team narrowly missed out on a play off position in 1998 and three years of play off semifinal defeats followed 10 They reached the 2001 League Cup final against Liverpool at Cardiff s Millennium Stadium Birmingham equalised in the last minute of normal time but the match went to a penalty shoot out which Liverpool won 45 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 46 Bruce s return as manager shook up a stale team he took them from mid table to the play offs and beat Norwich City on penalties in the final to secure promotion to the Premier League 47 48 Motivated by the inspirational Christophe Dugarry 49 Birmingham s first top flight season for 16 years finished in mid table Loan signing Mikael Forssell s 17 league goals helped Birmingham to a top half finish in 2003 04 but when he was injured the 2004 05 team struggled for goals In July 2005 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 50 Injuries loss of form and lack of transfer window investment saw them relegated in a season whose lowlight was a 7 0 FA Cup defeat to Liverpool 51 Jermaine Pennant and Emile Heskey left for record fees 52 53 many others were released 54 but Bruce s amended recruitment strategy combining free transfer experience with young hungry players and shrewd exploitation of the loan market brought automatic promotion at the end of a season which had included calls for his head 55 The Chinese years 2007 present Edit 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 56 Uncertain as to his future under possible new owners Bruce left in mid season 57 His successor Scotland national team manager Alex McLeish was unable to stave off relegation but achieved promotion back to the Premier League at the first attempt 58 Yeung s company completed the takeover in 2009 59 and the team finished in ninth place their highest for 51 years 60 In 2011 they combined a second League Cup defeating favourites Arsenal 2 1 with goals from Nikola Zigic and Obafemi Martins and securing qualification for the Europa League 61 with relegation back to the second tier after which McLeish resigned to join Aston Villa 62 Birmingham narrowly failed to reach the knockout rounds of the Europa League and the play off final With the club in financial turmoil and under a transfer embargo manager Chris Hughton left 63 Under Lee Clark Birmingham twice retained their divisional status albeit through Paul Caddis s 93rd minute goal in the last match of 2013 14 to avoid relegation on goal difference 64 but continued poor form saw him dismissed in October 2014 65 Gary Rowett stabilised the team and led them to two tenth place finishes before being controversially dismissed by new owners Trillion Trophy Asia in favour of the pedigree of Gianfranco Zola who would aid the club s strategic long term view to take the club in a new direction 66 Two wins from 24 matches under Zola left Birmingham needing two wins from the last three games to stay up which they achieved under the managership of Harry Redknapp 67 Redknapp lasted another month 68 his former assistant Steve Cotterill five months leaving successor Garry Monk another ultimately successful relegation battle 69 70 Despite budgetary restrictions and a nine point deduction for breaches of the League s Profitability and Sustainability P amp S rules the team finished 17th in 2018 19 however Monk was sacked in June after conflict with the board 71 He was succeeded by his assistant Pep Clotet initially as caretaker 72 In the 2019 20 season a season that was suspended from March to June 2020 due to the COVID 19 pandemic the club once again avoided relegation despite a 14 match winless run at the end of the season and the threat of a further points deduction 73 74 Academy product Jude Bellingham was sold to Borussia Dortmund in the summer for a club record deal reported to be worth up to 30 million 75 after which Aitor Karanka lasted eight months as head coach before being replaced by former Birmingham player Lee Bowyer 76 After 16 months and yet another relegation struggle amid rumours of an imminent takeover Bowyer was replaced by John Eustace 77 78 7 Colours and badge Edit Small Heath Alliance original kit 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 79 The first uniform kit was a dark blue shirt with a white sash and white shorts 80 Several variations on a blue theme were tried the one that stuck was the royal blue shirt with a white V adopted during the First World War 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 81 Since then they have generally worn plain nominally royal blue shirts though the actual shade used has varied Shorts have been either blue or white and socks usually blue white or a combination White yellow red and black on their own or in combination have been the most frequently used colours for the away kit 80 82 There were aberrations the 1992 kit sponsored by Triton Showers was made of a blue material covered with multicoloured splashes which resembled a shower curtain 83 84 The home shirt has only once featured stripes in 1999 the blue shirt had a front central panel in narrow blue and white stripes a design similar to the Tesco supermarket carrier bag of the time 82 85 When the club changed its name from Small Heath to Birmingham in 1905 it adopted the city s coat of arms as its badge although this was not always worn on the shirts The 1970s penguin shirt carried the letters BCFC intertwined at the centre of the chest The Sports Argus newspaper ran a competition in 1972 to design a new badge for the club The winning entry a line drawn globe and ball with a ribbon carrying the club s name and date of foundation in plain blue and white 86 was adopted by the club but not worn on playing shirts until 1976 87 after the design was granted by the College of Arms in 1975 The design recorded at the College did not include the ribbon and was blazoned as A football ensigned by a terrestrial globe proper This was granted as an heraldic badge to the English Football League and was licensed to Birmingham City 88 An experiment was made in the early 1990s with colouring in the globe and ball but was soon abandoned 87 In June 2020 the club announced a four year partnership with Nike as supplier of kits which carry the logo of the club s principal sponsor Irish bookmaker BoyleSports 89 The 2022 23 home kit consists of a blue shirt with navy horizontal stripes and white trim blue shorts and white socks while the away kit has a red shirt with a navy graphic pattern and trim red shorts and navy socks 90 The club rarely spends more than three seasons with the same kit supplier 87 The first sponsor to have its name on the shirt was Birmingham based brewery Ansells in 1983 87 They withdrew in mid 1985 91 and the shirts went unsponsored until January 1987 when Co op Milk paid a five figure sum to have its name displayed until the end of the season which was a relief to the club not only financially the vice chairman claimed that as a big club people expect us to have a shirt sponsor and we have been lagging behind 92 Later sponsors included car retailer PJ Evans Evans Halshaw 1988 1989 Mark One 1989 1992 Triton Showers 1992 1995 Auto Windscreens 1995 2001 Phones 4u 2001 2003 Flybe 2003 2007 F amp C Investments 2007 2011 foreign exchange company RationalFX 2011 2012 lifestyle and leisure business EZE Group 2012 2013 and 2015 2016 e cigarette company Nicolites 2013 2014 mobile payment enabler Zapaygo 2014 2015 and 888sport 2016 2019 87 93 Stadiums EditMain articles Muntz Street St Andrew s and City of Birmingham Stadium 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 near the main Coventry Road with a capacity of about 10 000 The Muntz Street ground 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 First Division match against Aston Villa it became clear that it could no longer cope with the demand 94 Director Harry Morris 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 could go ahead 94 The ground is reputed to have been cursed by gypsies evicted from the site 95 although gypsies are known to have camped nearby 96 there is no contemporary evidence for their eviction by the club Average and peak league attendances at St Andrew s 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 94 By 1938 the official capacity was 68 000 and February 1939 saw the attendance record set at the fifth round FA Cup tie against Everton variously recorded as 66 844 or 67 341 A On the outbreak of the Second World War the Chief Constable ordered the ground s closure because of the danger from air raids it was the only ground to be thus closed and was only re opened after the matter was raised in Parliament It was badly damaged during the Birmingham Blitz the Railway End and the Kop as a result of bombing while the Main Stand burnt down when a fireman mistook petrol for water 94 Main Stand St Andrew s 2005 The replacement Main Stand used a propped cantilever roof design which meant fewer pillars to block spectators view of the pitch Floodlights were installed in 1956 and officially switched on for a friendly match against Borussia Dortmund in 1957 100 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 55 000 100 Resulting from the 1986 Popplewell Report into the safety of sports grounds and the later Taylor Report the capacity of St Andrew s was set at 28 235 for safety reasons 37 100 but it was accepted that the stadium had to be brought up to modern all seated standards After the last home game of the 1993 94 season the Kop and Tilton Road terraces were demolished fans took home a significant proportion as souvenirs to be replaced at the start of the new season by a 7 000 seat Tilton Road Stand continuing round the corner into the 9 500 seat Kop which opened two months later 94 The 8 000 seat Railway Stand followed in 1999 101 ten years later this was renamed the Gil Merrick Stand in honour of the club s appearance record holder and former manager 102 but the Main Stand has still to be modernised In 2019 the club website listed the stadium capacity as 29 409 3 In 2004 a proposal was put forward to build a sports village comprising a 55 000 capacity City of Birmingham Stadium other sports and leisure facilities and a super casino to be jointly financed by Birmingham City Council 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 103 but this did not happen The club have planning permission to redevelop the Main Stand 104 but club and council continued to seek alternative sources of funding for the City of Birmingham Stadium project 105 In 2013 the Birmingham City Supporters Trust s application for listing St Andrew s as an Asset of Community Value ACV a building or other land whose main use furthers the social wellbeing or social interests of the local community and where it is realistic to believe it could do so in the future 106 under the Localism Act 2011 was approved by Birmingham City Council 107 This requires any proposed sale to be notified to the Council and provides for a six month moratorium on that sale to allow the Trust and other community groups to submit their own bid 107 In 2018 the club s owners agreed a three year sponsorship deal under which the name became St Andrew s Trillion Trophy Stadium 108 Supporters EditBirmingham fans consider their main rivals to be Aston Villa their nearest neighbours geographically with whom they contest the Second City derby Lesser rivalries include fellow West Midlands clubs Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Bromwich Albion According to a 2003 Football Fans Census survey Aston Villa fans thought of Birmingham City as their main rivals though this was not always the case 109 Birmingham City mascot Beau Brummie Birmingham s supporters are generally referred to as Bluenoses in the media and by the fans themselves the name is also used in a derogatory manner by fans of other clubs 109 110 A piece of public sculpture in the form of a ten times life size head lying on a mound near the St Andrew s ground Ondre Nowakowski s Sleeping Iron Giant has been repeatedly defaced with blue paint on its nose 111 Between 1994 and 1997 the club mascot took the form of a blue nose 112 though it is now a dog named Beau Brummie a play on the name Beau Brummell and Brummie the slang word for a person from Birmingham A number of supporters clubs are affiliated to the football club both in England and abroad 113 An action group was formed in 1991 to protest against chairman Samesh Kumar 39 the club blamed an internet petition for the collapse of the purchase of player Lee Bowyer in 2005 114 and antipathy towards the board provoked hostile chanting and a pitch invasion after the last match of the 2007 08 season 115 but when the club was in financial difficulties supporters contributed to schemes which funded the purchase of players Brian Roberts in 1984 116 and Paul Peschisolido in 1992 39 A supporters trust was formed under the auspices of Supporters Direct in 2012 117 There have been several fanzines published by supporters Made in Brum first issued in 2000 was the only one regularly on sale in 2013 118 The Zulu began some years earlier and ran for at least 16 seasons 119 The hooligan firm associated with the club the Zulu Warriors were unusual in that they had multi racial membership at a time when many such firms had associations with racist or right wing groups 120 121 Visiting Birmingham fans during the club s first away appearance in group stage of the UEFA Europa League in 2011The fans anthem 122 an adaptation of Harry Lauder s Keep Right On to the End of the Road 123 was adopted during the 1956 FA Cup campaign The Times s football correspondent described in his Cup Final preview howthe Birmingham clans swept their side along to Wembley the first side ever to reach a final without once playing at home on the wings of the song Keep right on to the end of the road 124 Player Alex Govan is credited with popularising the song by singing it on the coach on the way to the quarter final 125 and when he revealed in an interview that it was his favourite In the build up to the 1956 FA Cup semi final with Sunderland I was interviewed by the press and happened to let slip that my favourite song was Harry Lauder s old music hall number Keep Right on to the End of the Road I thought no more about it but when the third goal went in at Hillsborough the Blues fans all started singing it It was the proudest moment of my life 126 Ownership EditSmall Heath F C became a limited company in 1888 its first share issue was to the value of 650 127 The board was made up of local businessmen and dignitaries until 1965 when the club was sold to Clifford Coombs 128 By the mid 1980s the club 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 the club s training ground Still unable to make the club pay Wheldon sold it to the Kumar brothers owners of a clothing chain 38 Debt was still increasing when matters came to a head the collapse of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International BCCI put the Kumars businesses into receivership The club continued in administration for four months until Sport Newspapers proprietor David Sullivan bought the Kumars 84 holding for 700 000 from BCCI s liquidator in March 1993 40 41 Birmingham City plc of which the football club was a wholly owned subsidiary was floated on the Alternative Investment Market AIM in 1997 with an issue of 15 million new shares 129 raising 7 5 million of new investment 130 It made a pre tax profit of 4 3M in the year ending 31 August 2008 131 In July 2007 Hong Kong businessman Carson Yeung via the Hong Kong Stock Exchange SEHK listed company Grandtop International Holdings Limited GIH bought 29 9 of the plc from its directors Although his intention to take full control of the club initially came to nothing 132 GIH completed the purchase in October 2009 at a total cost of 81 5M re registered the club as a private company and renamed the holding company Birmingham International Holdings BIH 133 59 134 Trading in BIH shares was suspended in June 2011 after Yeung s arrest on charges of money laundering 135 Publication of financial results was repeatedly delayed 136 which led the Football League to impose a transfer embargo 137 and offers for the club were entertained from 2012 onwards 138 After Yeung resigned his positions with both club and company in early 2014 share trading resumed 139 and following his conviction 140 efforts intensified to dispose of the club which had to be done piecemeal in order to retain BIH s share listing 141 Going into 2015 the Football League made public their concerns over Yeung s attempts to impose his choice of directors on the BIHL board despite his conviction disqualifying him from exerting influence over a club 142 Relationships became increasingly factional as illustrated by the failure of three directors including the club s de facto chief executive Panos Pavlakis to gain re election followed the next day by their reinstatement 143 On 17 February the board voluntarily appointed receivers from accountants Ernst amp Young to take over management of the company Their statement stressed that no winding up petition had been issued and the company was not in liquidation 144 145 In June 2015 the receivers struck deals with the previous major shareholders such that legal action against them would be dropped in return for their agreement not to obstruct any transfer of ownership to their preferred bidder the British Virgin Islands registered investment vehicle Trillion Trophy Asia TTA wholly owned by Chinese businessman Paul Suen Cho Hung who in turn agreed that the company would not be sold on within two years The process completed in October 2016 leaving TTA owning 50 64 of BIH s share capital a level of ownership that required them to make an offer for the remainder 146 A consortium led by fashion industry businessman Paul Richardson and former Argentine footballer Maxi Lopez pulled out of a deal to buy the club in December 2022 after five months of negotiations Their company Maxco Capital were unable to agree terms after being granted exclusivity for a takeover the previous summer Honours Edit Trophy cabinet with the Carling Cup trophy Birmingham City s honours include the following 147 Second Division First Division The Championship level 2 Champions 1892 93 1920 21 1947 48 1954 55 Runners up 1893 94 1900 01 1902 03 1971 72 1984 85 2006 07 2008 09 Play off winners 2001 02 Third Division Second Division level 3 Champions 1994 95 Runners up 1991 92 FA Cup Runners up 1930 31 1955 56 Football League Cup Winners 1962 63 2010 11 Runners up 2000 01 Inter Cities Fairs Cup Runners up 1958 60 1960 61 Associate Members Cup Football League Trophy Winners 1990 91 1994 95 Birmingham Senior Cup Winners 1905Small Heath first entered the Birmingham Senior Cup in 1878 79 ten years before the foundation of the Football League and won for the first time in 1905 defeating West Bromwich Albion 7 2 in the final Its importance declined with the increase in League fixtures and from 1905 06 onwards Birmingham fielded teams containing reserve team players 148 149 Football League South wartime Champions 1945 46Preparatory to the Football League resuming in 1946 47 the First and Second Division clubs from the last pre war season were divided geographically between the Leagues North and South for 1945 46 Going into the last day of the season Aston Villa were top of League South but had finished their programme two points one win ahead of the chasers but with a worse goal average Charlton Athletic were second above Birmingham by 0 002 of a goal 150 While Charlton could only draw at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers Birmingham won away at Luton Town so claimed the title by 0 3 of a goal 151 152 Records and statistics EditFurther information List of Birmingham City F C records and statistics Chart of English Football League performance of Birmingham City F C since the 1892 93 season Birmingham achieved their highest finishing position of sixth in the top flight in the 1955 56 First Division 153 28 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 154 The player who won most international caps while at the club is Maik Taylor with 58 for Northern Ireland 155 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 with 34 league goals in the Second Division and 42 goals in total 52 The club s widest victory margin in the league was 12 0 a scoreline which they achieved once in the Football Alliance against Nottingham Forest in 1899 and twice in the Second Division against Walsall Town Swifts in 1892 and Doncaster Rovers in 1903 They have lost a league match by an eight goal margin on eight occasions twice in the Football Alliance and five times in the First Division all away from home 156 and once at home beaten 8 0 by AFC Bournemouth in the Championship in 2014 157 Their record FA Cup win was 10 0 against Druids in the fourth qualifying round of the 1899 competition 158 their record FA Cup defeat was 7 0 at home to Liverpool in the 2006 quarter final 157 Birmingham s home attendance record was set at the fifth round FA Cup tie against Everton on 11 February 1939 It is variously recorded as 66 844 or 67 341 A The highest transfer fee received for a Birmingham player is according to the Sky Sports website a guaranteed 25 million up front received in July 2020 from Borussia Dortmund for Jude Bellingham which made him the most expensive 17 year old in world football the deal also included add ons worth several millions more 159 The highest fee paid is 6 3m for Croatian midfielder Ivan Sunjic who joined from Dinamo Zagreb in July 2019 160 Players EditMain article List of Birmingham City F C players First team squad Edit Note Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules Players may hold more than one non FIFA nationality Squad correct as of 17 January 2023 161 162 163 164 No Pos Player Nation1 GK Neil Etheridge Philippines2 DF Maxime Colin France3 DF George Friend England4 DF Marc Roberts England5 DF Auston Trusty on loan from Arsenal for the season 165 United States6 MF Hannibal Mejbri on loan from Manchester United for the season 166 Tunisia7 MF Juninho Bacuna Curacao8 FW Troy Deeney club captain 161 England9 FW Scott Hogan Republic of Ireland10 FW Lukas Jutkiewicz England11 MF Jordan Graham England12 DF Harlee Dean England17 MF Reda Khadra on loan from Brighton amp Hove Albion for the season 167 Germany18 MF Tahith Chong Netherlands19 MF Jordan James Wales20 MF Gary Gardner England21 GK John Ruddy England23 DF Emmanuel Longelo on loan from West Ham United for the season 168 England25 DF Nico Gordon England26 DF Kevin Long Republic of Ireland27 MF Jobe Bellingham England28 DF Dion Sanderson on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers for the season 169 England30 MF Tate Campbell England31 DF Krystian Bielik on loan from Derby County for the season 170 Poland32 DF Marcel Oakley England33 MF Finley Thorndike England35 MF George Hall England38 GK Zach Jeacock England40 FW Adan George England41 MF Remi Walker England42 MF Alfie Chang England43 DF Mitchell Roberts England45 FW Keyendrah Simmonds England46 MF Brandon Khela England47 MF Ryan Stirk Wales48 MF Josh Williams England49 MF Romelle Donovan England FW Josh Andrews England Out on loan Edit Note Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules Players may hold more than one non FIFA nationality 161 163 No Pos Player Nation16 FW Sam Cosgrove on loan to Plymouth Argyle for the season 171 England MF Ivan Sunjic on loan to Hertha BSC for the season 172 CroatiaReserves and Academy Edit Main article Birmingham City F C Reserves and Academy Retired numbers Edit Main article List of retired numbers in association football In appreciation of Jude Bellingham s contribution in a short time with the first team the club s youngest debutant at 16 years and 38 days and youngest goalscorer he completed a full season in the Championship before becoming Birmingham s record transfer and the world s most expensive 17 year old 159 showing what can be achieved through talent hard work and dedication while retaining a caring humble and engaging off the field demeanour the club retired his number 22 shirt to remember one of our own and to inspire others 173 Birmingham City Women Edit Main article Birmingham City W F C Birmingham City Ladies Football Club was formed in 1968 The first team worked their way through the leagues until promoted to the FA Women s Premier League in 2002 After Birmingham City F C withdrew financial support in 2005 the club were only able to continue because of a personal donation They re affiliated with Birmingham City in 2010 were founder members of the FA WSL the following year and won the FA Women s Cup in 2012 174 A second place finish in the 2012 FA WSL earned them qualification for the 2013 14 Champions League in which they reached the semi final After TTA took over Birmingham City F C in November 2016 the women s club became an integral part of the organisation 175 It was formally renamed Birmingham City Women in 2018 and would be known as plain Birmingham City except where that would cause confusion with the men s team 176 Club officials EditOwners As of 23 June 2022 5 Birmingham Sports Holdings Ltd 75 00 Oriental Rainbow Investment Ltd 21 64 Board As of 2 September 2022 6 Chairman Wenqing Zhao Directors Chun Kong Yiu Gannan Zheng Yao Wang Managing director Ian DuttonFootball staff As of 1 August 2022Technical director Craig Gardner 6 Head coach John Eustace 7 Assistant head coach Keith Downing 177 Assistant head coach Matt Gardiner 177 Goalkeeper coach Maik Taylor 177 Head of physical performance Sean Rush 178 Sports scientist Elliott WoolmerManagers EditMain article List of Birmingham City F C managers Gil Merrick was the first Birmingham manager to win a major trophy the League Cup in 1963 Merrick also led the club to the Inter Cities Fairs Cup final in 1961 following Pat Beasley who had done the same in 1960 179 Leslie Knighton took the club to the final of the FA Cup in 1931 18 Arthur Turner did likewise in 1956 as well as taking charge of the club s highest league finish sixth place in the 1955 56 First Division 22 Birmingham reached the 2001 Football League Cup Final under Trevor Francis 45 whose successor as permanent manager Steve Bruce twice achieved promotion to the Premier League 48 55 Birmingham won the League Cup for the second time under Alex McLeish in 2011 61 The 1966 World Cup winning manager Sir Alf Ramsey took charge of the club briefly in 1977 179 Notes Edit a b Some sources give the record attendance as 66 844 these include the records page of Birmingham City F C s website 52 and Rothmans Football Yearbook 97 Others including the history page of Birmingham City F C s website 10 Matthews Encyclopedia 98 and The Times newspaper from the Monday following the match 99 say 67 341 References Edit Rollin amp Rollin 2010 p 70 UEFA Europa League 2011 12 Season Match press kit NK Maribor Birmingham City FC PDF UEFA 27 September 2011 p 5 Retrieved 30 July 2018 a b New to St Andrew s Birmingham City F C Retrieved 20 October 2022 Turner Andy 21 October 2021 Brings a tear to my eye Birmingham City fans react to stadium announcement Birmingham Mail Retrieved 14 November 2022 a b Birmingham City PLC Shareholder Breakdown PDF Birmingham City plc 23 June 2022 Retrieved 11 October 2022 via InCrowd Sports a b c Board Management Birmingham City F C March 2022 Retrieved 2 September 2022 a b c John Eustace appointed as Blues Head Coach Birmingham City F C 3 July 2022 Retrieved 3 July 2022 a b Matthews 2000 p 55 City was added to Birmingham to make Birmingham City Football Club in the summer of 1943 and not 1945 as previously thought The official Blues home programmes for the 1943 44 season clearly show Birmingham City Football Club on the front cover Birmingham City Football Facts and Figures Retrieved 5 February 2017 a b c BCFC club history Birmingham City F C Archived from the original on 29 May 2016 Retrieved 5 February 2013 Williams John Neatrour Sam March 2002 Fact Sheet 10 The New Football Economics PDF Sir Norman Chester Centre for Football Research University of Leicester Archived from the original PDF on 28 January 2015 Retrieved 23 March 2012 Matthews 1995 p 8 a b Small Heath Football Club History Database FCHD Richard Rundle Retrieved 7 June 2012 Matthews 1995 pp 12 13 Matthews 1995 p 14 Matthews 1995 pp 135 136 Matthews 1995 p 74 a b Matthews 1995 pp 15 17 Birmingham FCHD Richard Rundle Retrieved 3 August 2020 Matthews 1995 pp 22 23 Matthews 1995 p 61 a b c Matthews 1995 pp 27 29 Radnedge 1998 p 200 In April 1955 12 representatives from European trade fair cities from 10 countries met in Basle to lay down the rules They decided each city should be represented by a club or a city select team or both as long as no more than two teams competed simultaneously from any one city Goodyear amp Matthews 1988 At this time there seemed a general lack of ambition at Villa Park The club were slow to install floodlights they turned down the chance of combining with Blues to field a Birmingham team for the Inter Cities Fairs Cup a b c Ross James M 8 September 2016 European Cups Archive Rec Sport Soccer Statistics Foundation RSSSF Retrieved 10 May 2017 Arsenal routs Inter Milan The New York Times Reuters 25 November 2003 Archived from the original on 16 December 2019 Retrieved 16 December 2019 Jawad 2005 pp 27 28 It is a mystery how Birmingham won but they did produce perhaps their most impressive display of the season to win the first leg 3 1 Birmingham served up a treat of attacking football controlling the game with such assurance that their supporters must have wondered why the team had performed so badly in the First Division a b Birmingham City FCHD Richard Rundle Retrieved 3 August 2020 Holden 2000 p 161 He had been out of the game for less than a year when Clifford Coombs the chairman of Birmingham City began to make a serious approach to secure the Iron Manager The pair were friends and St Andrew s was close enough to Wolverhampton that Cullis would not necessarily have to move house or area to take up the position Taffy Coombs The man who rebuilt the Blues GOAL magazine 19 August 1972 p 27 Matthews 1995 pp 37 38 63 Corbett James 5 March 2006 Bob Latchford Observer Sport Monthly London Retrieved 6 September 2009 Matthews 1995 pp 38 39 209 15 The European Cup Team 1979 Nottingham Forest F C Archived from the original on 7 August 2012 Matthews 1995 p 88 Matthews 1995 pp 42 219 a b Webster Philip 25 July 1985 Ban on visiting fans urged in judge s football safety report The Times London pp 1 36 via Gale Primary Sources The Birmingham riot in which more than 500 were injured and in which a boy of 15 died when a wall collapsed more resembled the battle of Agincourt than a football match a b c Matthews 1995 pp 44 46 a b c Matthews 1995 pp 48 49 a b Goodbody John 7 November 1992 Receivers put football club up for sale The Times London p 3 via Gale Primary Sources a b Sullivan takes control The Times London 6 March 1993 p 40 via Gale Primary Sources Matthews 1995 pp 48 52 The highs and lows of Carlisle United BBC Cumbria Archived from the original on 22 October 2004 Shaw Phil 8 May 1996 Francis fancied as Fry is sacked The Independent London Retrieved 25 June 2010 a b Worthington Cup final Clockwatch BBC Sport 25 February 2001 Retrieved 25 June 2010 Francis leaves Blues BBC Sport 15 October 2001 Retrieved 12 October 2007 Birmingham unveil Bruce BBC Sport 12 December 2001 Retrieved 27 October 2013 a b May John 12 May 2002 Cool Carter in blue heaven BBC Sport Retrieved 12 October 2007 Haylett Trevor 27 April 2003 Slow starter Dugarry makes up for lost time The Sunday Telegraph London Archived from the original on 11 January 2022 Retrieved 6 September 2009 Those who rubbish the notion that one player can transform a team and inspire 10 others to exciting deeds should consider the case of Christophe Dugarry It is difficult to imagine Birmingham easing their way to safety quite so comfortably without him Scott Ged 7 July 2005 Golden time to talk up Blues Birmingham Post Retrieved 27 October 2013 Shaw Phil 1 May 2006 Birmingham City 0 Newcastle United 0 Shattered Bruce to consider future at Birmingham The Independent London Retrieved 20 June 2019 a b c Birmingham City Football Club Records Birmingham City F C Archived from the original on 22 July 2012 Wigan seal 5 5m move for Heskey BBC Sport 7 July 2006 Retrieved 27 October 2013 Birmingham release seven players BBC Sport 9 May 2006 Retrieved 27 October 2013 a b Jawad Hyder 2 May 2007 Never say die Birmingham Post Retrieved 27 October 2013 via NewsBank Yeung takes stake in Birmingham BBC Sport 16 July 2007 Retrieved 27 October 2013 Bruce leaves Birmingham for Wigan BBC Sport 27 October 2013 Retrieved 19 November 2007 Birmingham unveil McLeish as boss BBC Sport 28 November 2007 Retrieved 27 October 2013 McKenzie Andrew 11 May 2008 Birmingham 4 1 Blackburn BBC Sport Retrieved 31 May 2008 Fletcher Paul 3 May 2009 Birmingham clinch top flight spot BBC Sport Retrieved 6 May 2009 a b Yeung takeover rubber stamped Sky Sports 11 November 2009 Retrieved 20 June 2019 Roopanarine Les 9 May 2010 Bolton 2 1 Birmingham BBC Sport Retrieved 1 June 2010 a b Carling Cup final McLeish hails greatest achievement BBC Sport 27 February 2011 Retrieved 27 October 2013 Aston Villa appoint Alex McLeish as manager BBC Sport 17 June 2011 Retrieved 6 June 2012 Chris Hughton appointed as new Norwich City manager BBC Sport 7 June 2012 Retrieved 7 June 2012 Hart Simon 3 May 2014 Bolton 2 Birmingham 2 match report Paul Caddis gets Birmingham out of jail The Independent London Retrieved 19 November 2017 Gary Rowett Birmingham City appoint Burton boss as manager BBC Sport 27 October 2014 Retrieved 28 October 2014 de Menezes Jack 14 December 2016 Birmingham City Gianfranco Zola confirmed as manager just hours after Gary Rowett is sacked The Independent London Retrieved 8 May 2017 James Stuart 6 May 2017 Fallen giants how Nottingham Forest Birmingham and Blackburn fell so far The Observer London Retrieved 8 May 2017 James Stuart 7 May 2017 Redknapp completes Birmingham s great escape with win at Bristol City The Guardian London Retrieved 8 May 2017 Harry Redknapp Birmingham City sack manager after poor run BBC Sport 16 September 2017 Retrieved 16 September 2017 Steve Cotterill Birmingham City appoint former Bristol City boss as new manager BBC Sport 29 September 2017 Retrieved 7 October 2017 Birmingham City appoint Garry Monk as manager after Steve Cotterill departs The Observer London 4 March 2018 Retrieved 18 April 2018 Birmingham City 3 1 Fulham BBC Sport 6 May 2018 Retrieved 22 May 2018 Stone Simon 13 June 2019 Garry Monk Birmingham City manager remains at Blues following exit rumours BBC Sport Retrieved 19 June 2019 Club statement Garry Monk Birmingham City F C 18 June 2019 Retrieved 18 June 2019 Hughes Matt 20 June 2019 Monk sacked over agent row The Times London p 72 Retrieved 27 January 2022 via Gale OneFile News Pep Clotet Birmingham City appoint caretaker as new head coach BBC Sport 4 December 2019 Retrieved 4 December 2019 Championship season set to restart on 20 June as coronavirus lockdown eases BBC Sport 31 May 2020 Retrieved 3 August 2020 Dale James 11 June 2020 Birmingham City EFL wins appeal but Blues avoid punishment Sky Sports Retrieved 3 August 2020 Pilnick Brent 22 July 2020 Birmingham City 1 3 Derby County BBC Sport Retrieved 3 August 2020 Lee Bowyer Birmingham City appoint new head coach after Aitor Karanka steps down BBC Sport 16 March 2021 Retrieved 16 March 2021 Lee Bowyer Birmingham City head coach sacked by Championship club BBC Sport 2 July 2022 Retrieved 2 July 2022 Stone Simon 13 June 2022 Laurence Bassini Former Watford owner hopes to complete Birmingham City takeover BBC Sport Retrieved 2 July 2022 Lewis 2000 p 25 a b Matthews 2000 pp 56 57 Influential and Classic Football Kits Historical Football Kits Dave Moor Retrieved 23 November 2008 a b Birmingham City PNG Classic Kits Retrieved 22 June 2010 Room 101 The Worst Kits Ever Historical Football Kits Dave Moor Retrieved 23 March 2012 Lewis 2000 p 31 Ball Kev 24 January 2012 Darren Purse speaks to Joys and Sorrows Joys and Sorrows Retrieved 30 October 2018 Lewis 2000 pp 27 29 a b c d e Birmingham City Historical Football Kits Dave Moor Retrieved 4 June 2019 Phillips David Llewelyn Spring 2015 Badges and Crests The Twentieth Century Relationship Between Football and Heraldry PDF The Coat of Arms XI Part I 229 40 41 44 Retrieved 31 January 2022 Blues partner with Nike Birmingham City F C 25 June 2020 Archived from the original on 2 July 2020 Retrieved 13 July 2020 Blues are a safe bet for BoyleSports Birmingham City F C 26 April 2021 Retrieved 19 October 2022 2022 23 Blues home kit released Birmingham City F C 22 June 2022 Archived from the original on 19 October 2022 Retrieved 19 October 2022 2022 23 Blues away kit released Birmingham City F C 27 July 2022 Archived from the original on 19 October 2022 Retrieved 19 October 2022 Jones Stuart 6 July 1985 Death sentence passed on innocent The Times London p 23 via Gale Primary Sources Swain Martin 8 January 1987 Lotta bottle Blues Birmingham Evening Mail p 70 Lillington Catherine 3 August 2011 Birmingham City announce shirt sponsorship deal with RationalFX Birmingham Mail Retrieved 24 January 2020 Birmingham City FC announce major shirt sponsorship deal with EZE Group Birmingham City F C 15 June 2015 Archived from the original on 15 April 2020 Retrieved 24 January 2020 Tattum Colin 23 July 2013 Blues reveal new away kit Birmingham Mail Retrieved 24 January 2020 Walker Andy 9 June 2014 Official Birmingham City announce Zapaygo as new principal partner Birmingham City F C Archived from the original on 13 June 2014 Retrieved 24 January 2020 a b c d e Matthews 1995 pp 57 59 Smith Martin 26 December 2006 Birmingham hope curse has run course The Daily Telegraph London Archived from the original on 11 January 2022 Retrieved 6 September 2009 Marsden Bob March 1987 A B C of Small Heath and Bordesley Green Past and Present Small Heath Local History Society p 44 St Andrew s Church was erected in 1846 the fifth and last to be built by the Church Building Society It was an unsuitable site and for many years after its building the only dwellings nearby were huts where brickworkers lived a few cottages and an occasional gipsy camp Rollin 1990 p 81 Matthews 2000 pp 20 21 Fifth round official figures The Times London 13 February 1939 p 5 via Gale Primary Sources a b c Matthews 2000 pp 193 196 Sharrock Gordon 22 February 1999 Wanderers middle men hailed as the best Bolton Evening News Retrieved 27 October 2013 Tattum Colin 27 April 2009 Railway End to be named after Blues legend Gil Merrick Birmingham Mail Retrieved 5 February 2013 Connor Neil 26 October 2005 Blues unveil stadium plan Birmingham Post Archived from the original on 30 October 2013 Retrieved 6 September 2009 Tattum Colin 24 December 2006 Blues still hoping for new stadium Birmingham Mail Retrieved 5 February 2013 Tattum Colin 9 March 2007 Blues revive bid for new stadium Birmingham Mail Retrieved 5 February 2013 UK Parliament Localism Act 2011 Chapter 20 Section 88 legislation gov uk Retrieved 4 November 2013 a b Barnfield Stacey 2 November 2013 Birmingham City fans succeed in getting St Andrew s awarded Asset of Community Value status Birmingham Mail Retrieved 4 November 2013 Dick Brian 14 June 2018 Birmingham City sign St Andrew s naming rights deal Birmingham Post Retrieved 28 June 2018 a b Rivalry Uncovered PDF The Football Fans Census December 2003 p 3 Archived from the original PDF on 29 July 2012 Kendrick Mat 8 February 2010 So was Craig Gardner a boyhood Villan or a Bluenose Birmingham Post Retrieved 27 October 2013 Sleeping Iron Giant National Recording Project Public Monuments and Sculpture Association Archived from the original on 20 December 2016 Retrieved 10 May 2017 Lewis 2000 pp 167 168 Official Blues supporters clubs Birmingham City F C Retrieved 26 June 2017 Lawton James 18 June 2005 Bowyer and Birmingham given notice that fans loyalty to the shirt is not blind The Independent London Retrieved 6 September 2009 Tattum Colin 12 May 2008 Thanks for the noise Alex McLeish tells Birmingham City fans Birmingham Mail Retrieved 5 February 2013 David Gold hurt by Birmingham City fans attacks Birmingham Mail 12 May 2008 Retrieved 5 February 2013 Matthews 1995 p 120 Welcome Blues Trust 27 May 2012 Retrieved 4 November 2013 Thomas Dave ed 13 May 2000 Made in Brum About MIB Made in Brum 11 February 2013 Retrieved 4 November 2013 Birmingham City Fanzines Midlands Memorabilia Archived from the original on 4 November 2013 Gall 2006 Murray Bill 1994 Football A History of the World Game Aldershot Scolar Press p 184 ISBN 978 1 85928 091 1 cited in Greenfield Steve Osborn Guy 1996 After the Act The re construction and regulation of football fandom Journal of Civil Liberties 1 ISSN 1362 3451 Retrieved 22 January 2009 via urban75 org Keep Right On Birmingham City Swedish Supporters Club Archived from the original on 6 January 2008 Dillon William Lauder Harry The End of the Road A Celebration of Sir Harry Lauder Laird of the Music Hall Archived from the original on 25 April 2008 Every prospect of a good final The Times London 5 May 1956 p 4 via Gale Primary Sources Boyden Malcolm 6 March 1993 Ross finds ways to turn airwaves blue The Times London p 35 via Gale Primary Sources Govan was the man who first sang the Blues anthem Keep Right on to the End of the Road on the way to Birmingham s 1956 FA Cup quarter final against Arsenal The song spread quickly among the players and then to the fans Lewis 2000 p 63 Lewis 2000 p 11 Matthews 1995 p 35 Birmingham City plc company flotation prospectus Shore Capital for Birmingham City plc February 1993 p 1 Karren Brady Birmingham City Football Club Growing Business 17 March 2003 Archived from the original on 20 July 2011 Retrieved 6 September 2009 Annual Report and Financial Statements 2008 PDF Birmingham City plc 13 January 2009 p 16 Archived from the original PDF on 7 July 2011 Retrieved 12 August 2009 Birmingham takeover terminated Raidio Teilifis Eireann 20 December 2007 Retrieved 3 August 2020 Hong Kong bid for Birmingham City BBC News 21 August 2009 Retrieved 31 May 2014 Birmingham International Holdings 19 January 2010 Change of company name stock short name and exchange of share certificates PDF Hong Kong Stock Exchange Retrieved 8 April 2011 Birmingham City owner Carson Yeung denied UK trip BBC News 11 August 2011 Retrieved 2 March 2012 Birmingham International Holdings 28 December 2011 Conditions for resumption of trading of the shares of the company PDF Hong Kong Stock Exchange Retrieved 2 March 2012 Birmingham City placed under transfer embargo BBC Sport 2 March 2012 Retrieved 2 March 2012 Tattum Colin 26 November 2012 Peter Pannu If people don t have the money they should just shut up Birmingham Mail Retrieved 26 November 2012 Birmingham City FC parent company resumes trading BBC News 7 February 2014 Retrieved 30 May 2014 Li Grace 3 March 2014 Birmingham City boss Carson Yeung found guilty of money laundering Reuters Retrieved 30 May 2014 Tattum Colin 15 May 2014 Birmingham City takeover saga drawing to a conclusion Birmingham Mail Retrieved 30 May 2014 Conn David 14 January 2015 Birmingham quizzed by Football League over Carson Yeung s influence The Guardian Retrieved 17 February 2015 Harris Bryan 11 January 2015 Key figures in Birmingham City s Hong Kong parent firm are sacked then reinstated South China Morning Post Retrieved 17 February 2015 Birmingham International Holdings 17 February 2015 Announcement Appointment of receivers PDF Hong Kong Stock Exchange Retrieved 17 February 2015 Birmingham City FC statement Birmingham City F C 17 February 2015 Archived from the original on 4 August 2018 Retrieved 26 June 2017 Birmingham City Asian firm granted two year exclusivity period BBC Sport 25 June 2015 Retrieved 25 June 2016 Dick Brian 10 May 2016 Birmingham International Holdings receivers clear final major hurdle and near end to Carson Yeung era at Birmingham City Birmingham Mail Retrieved 25 June 2016 Dick Brian 7 June 2016 Birmingham City takeover analysis Who is Paul Suen Cho Hung What are his intentions for Blues Birmingham Mail Retrieved 25 June 2016 Birmingham International Holdings Limited BIHL has resumed 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Matthews 2000 p 240 a b Jude Bellingham signs for Borussia Dortmund from Birmingham Sky Sports 20 July 2020 Retrieved 25 July 2020 Ivan Sunjic Birmingham City sign Dinamo Zagreb midfielder on five year deal BBC Sport 26 July 2019 Retrieved 28 February 2020 Dick Brian 19 November 2019 Zigic Jota Sunjic Birmingham City s record transfer deals rated as January window approaches Birmingham Mail Retrieved 28 February 2020 a b c Sources for squad numbers Blues confirm 2022 23 squad numbers Birmingham City F C 26 July 2022 Retrieved 13 August 2022 Teams Mens Squad list Birmingham City F C Retrieved 17 January 2023 a b Sources for representative nationality Birmingham City Players from A Z worldfootball net HeimSpiel Medien Retrieved 31 August 2022 Forest Green Rovers v Birmingham City BBC Sport 17 January 2023 Retrieved 17 January 2023 Auston Trusty joins Blues Birmingham City F C 15 July 2022 Retrieved 15 July 2022 Blues sign Hannibal Mejbri on loan Birmingham City F C 29 August 2022 Retrieved 29 August 2022 Blues secure Reda Khadra on loan Birmingham City F C 10 January 2023 Retrieved 10 January 2023 Emmanuel Longelo joins Blues on loan Birmingham City F C 30 August 2022 Retrieved 31 August 2022 Dion Sanderson Birmingham City re sign Wolves defender on season long loan BBC Sport 5 July 2022 Retrieved 5 July 2022 Krystian Bielik returns to Blues Birmingham City F C 29 July 2022 Retrieved 29 July 2022 Sam Cosgrove signs Plymouth Argyle F C 1 September 2022 Retrieved 2 September 2022 Ivan Sunjic joins Hertha Berlin on loan Birmingham City F C 5 July 2022 Retrieved 5 July 2022 Bellingham expresses his gratitude Birmingham City F C 23 July 2020 Retrieved 11 January 2021 Dhaliwal Jaskirt 10 October 2005 Birmingham City Ladies Football Club history BBC Birmingham Retrieved 12 February 2013 Leighton Tony 8 November 2009 New Birmingham City owners pledge to support women s team The Guardian London Retrieved 12 February 2013 Leighton Tony 26 May 2012 FA Women s Cup Birmingham beat Chelsea on penalties in final BBC Sport Retrieved 12 February 2013 Women s History Birmingham City F C Retrieved 3 August 2020 Ladies to be renamed Birmingham City Women Birmingham City F C 3 July 2018 Archived from the original on 27 October 2020 Retrieved 3 August 2020 a b c Dick Brian 4 July 2022 Confirmed John Eustace names his Birmingham City back room staff Birmingham Mail Retrieved 4 July 2022 Sean Rush returns to Blues Birmingham City F C 31 July 2021 Archived from the original on 3 September 2021 Retrieved 3 September 2021 a b Matthews 1995 pp 62 63 Sources EditGall Caroline 2006 Zulus Black White and Blue the Story of the Zulu Warriors Football Firm Milo Books ISBN 978 1 903854 53 2 Goodyear David Matthews Tony 1988 Aston Villa A Complete Record 1875 1988 Derby Breedon Books ISBN 0 907969 37 2 Holden Jim 2000 Stan Cullis The Iron Manager Derby Breedon Books ISBN 1 85983 211 3 Jawad Hyder 2005 Strange Magic Birmingham City v Aston Villa Birmingham Post Lewis Peter ed 2000 Keeping right on since 1875 The Official History of Birmingham City Football Club Lytham Arrow ISBN 1 900722 12 7 Matthews Tony 1995 Birmingham City A Complete Record Derby Breedon Books ISBN 978 1 85983 010 9 Matthews Tony October 2000 The Encyclopedia of Birmingham City Football Club 1875 2000 Cradley Heath Britespot ISBN 978 0 9539288 0 4 Radnedge Keir 1998 Inter Cities Fairs UEFA Cup The Complete Encyclopedia of Football Carlton Books ISBN 978 1 85833 979 5 Rollin Jack ed 1990 Rothmans Football Yearbook 1990 91 London Queen Anne Press ISBN 0 356 17911 7 Rollin Jack 2005 Soccer at War 1939 45 London Headline ISBN 978 0 7553 1431 7 Rollin Glenda Rollin Jack eds 2010 Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2010 2011 41st ed London Headline ISBN 978 0 7553 6107 6 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Birmingham City F C Birmingham City F C on BBC Sport Club news Recent results and fixtures Graphical History of Birmingham City Kits Blues Trust website Birmingham City F C companies grouped at OpenCorporates Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Birmingham City F C amp oldid 1134993031, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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