' LATEST NEWS: BIRMINGHAM v CARDIFF CITY ' MATCH THREAD

BIRMINGHAM v CARDIFF CITY
Championship
Saturday, 6 August, 3pm
St Andrew's

" UPDATED DAILY "

Cardiff City team confirmed
Marshall, Peltier, Manga, Connolly, Jazz Richards, John, Immers, Whittingham, Ralls, Pilkington, Gounongbe

substitutes: Moore, Ajayi, Morrison, Gunnarsson, O'Keefe, Noone, Zohore.





06/08/16

Birmingham are without Nicolai Brock-Madsen against Cardiff as he is in Brazil for the Olympics with Denmark.

Over 1,950 Tickets sold by Cardiff City


Likely line-ups and injury news?


Cardiff City have a full squad to choose from

Cardiff: Marshall, Richards, Manga, Connolly, Peltier, Fabio, Ralls, Whittingham, Immers, Pilkington, Gounongbe

Birmingham: Legzdins, Shotton, Robsinson, Spector, Morrison, Tesche, Davis, Fabbrini, Cotterill, Shinnie, Donaldson




05/08/16

Please note the following information ahead of tomorrow’s game at Birmingham.

Sales will stop at 5PM today from the Ticket Office.

There will be no sales on the day at Birmingham for Cardiff City supporters.

The Aston Expressway is closed this weekend meaning there is no access to and from the M6 at junction 6.




03/08/16

Cardiff City have Sold 1,700 tickets



Tim Robinson is the man in change of the season's opener at St Andrews.

02/08/16

Cardiff City have now sold over 1,200 tickets

bham away.png

Pay on the day

Cardiff have already sold their initial allocation of 1100 tickets, and have up to 2500 available


Latest News



Possible Lineups

Cardiff City

Marshall
Fabio
Peltier
Morrison
Connolly
Richards
Ralls
Whittingham
Pilkington
Immers
Gounongbe


Birmingham

Kuszczak
Spector
Morrison
Shotton
Grounds
Gleeson
Davis
Cotterill
Fabbrini
Maghoma
Donaldson


The Opposition



History

Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943. They compete in the Football League Championship, the second tier of league football in England.

As Small Heath, they played in the Football Alliance before becoming founder members and first ever champions of the Football League Second Division. The most successful period in their history was in the 1950s and early 1960s. They achieved their highest finishing position of sixth in the First Division in the 1955–56 season and reached the 1956 FA Cup Final, progressed to the final of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1960 and 1961, and won their first major trophy, the League Cup, in 1963, beating Aston Villa 3–1 on aggregate. They won the latter competition for the second time in 2011. They have played in the top tier of English football for the majority of their history. Their longest period spent outside the top division, between 1986 and 2002, included two brief spells in the third tier of the English League, during which time they twice won the Football League Trophy.

St Andrew's 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, due to the colour of their kit, and their fans are known as Bluenoses.


2016/17 Opening Fixtures

Cardiff

SAT 6 AUG 2016 - CHAMPIONSHIP Birmingham v Cardiff 15:00
THU 11 AUG 2016 - EFL CUP Bristol Rovers v Cardiff 19:45
SUN 14 AUG 2016 - CHAMPIONSHIP Cardiff v QPR 15:00
WED 17 AUG 2016 - CHAMPIONSHIP Cardiff v Blackburn 19:45


Birmingham

SAT 6 AUG 2016 - CHAMPIONSHIP Birmingham v Cardiff 15:00
TUE 9 AUG 2016 - EFL CUP Birmingham v Oxford Utd 19:45
SAT 13 AUG 2016 - CHAMPIONSHIP Leeds v Birmingham 15:00
TUE 16 AUG 2016 - CHAMPIONSHIP Wigan v Birmingham 19:45


Recent meetings

2015/2016 Sat 8 May Cardiff City 1 - 1 Birmingham C. Championship
2015/2016 Fri 18 Dec Birmingham C. 1 - 0 Cardiff City Championship
2014/2015 Sat 21 Mar Cardiff City 2 - 0 Birmingham C. Championship
2014/2015 Sat 08 Nov Birmingham C. 0 - 0 Cardiff City Championship
2012/2013 Tue 01 Jan Birmingham C. 0 - 1 Cardiff City Championship
2012/2013 Tue 02 Oct Cardiff City 2 - 1 Birmingham C. Championship


Previous Highlights




Match Odds

Birmingham 7/5
Draw 9/4
Cardiff 2/1


St Andrew's



Key facts

Club: Birmingham City FC
Opening: 1906
Capacity: 30,009 seats

History and description

St. Andrew’s Stadium opened on the 26th of December 1906 with a league match between Birmingham City and Middlesbrough. The stadium consisted of one covered main stand and open terraces on the other sides, with an estimated capacity of 75,000 spectators.

Small improvements were made in the 1930s, mainly by increasing cover, and a record attendance was set on the 11th of March 1939 when 66,844 fans visited an FA Cup match against Everton.

The stadium got heavily damaged in the Second World War, but got soon after rebuilt.

St. Andrew’s Stadium got further redeveloped in the 1950s and 1960s, first with the construction of a new main stand in the early 1950s, then with another new stand at the Railway End, and finally with the erection of new roofs over the Kop and Tilton Road end.

No changes were made in the following two decades, and by the late 1980s the stadium had slowly fallen into disrepair. Capacity had furthermore been decreased to just 26,000 due to safety measures.

In the early 1990s, Birmingham City therefore embarked on a redevelopment program, which started with the demolition of the Kop and Tilton Road terraces. Two new all-seater stands were built in their place.

Works were completed in 1999 with the opening of a new stand at the Railway End.

In the mid 2000s, Birmingham City was involved in plans to replace St. Andrew’s with a 55,000-seater multi-purpose stadium, however these plans never materialised.


Tickets

General Ticket Prices:
Adults: £25.00
Senior Citizens over 65: £20.00
*Students: £20.00
*13-18yrs: £15.00
*Under 13’s: £10.00

Disabled Allocations:
Disabled (Ambulant + Wheelchair): relevant age band
Carer: free of charge

Additional Information:
*All under 15’s must be accompanied by an adult or they will be refused entry at the turnstiles.
*All students must provide valid NUS identification to gain entry at the turnstiles.

The easiest way is to book online. You can click here to purchase tickets: https://www.eticketing.co.uk/cardiffcity

For all ticket enquiries, please call the Cardiff City ticket office 0845 345 1400


Guess the Score / Attendance
Post your predicted score/attendance below

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0-2 Cardiff.

Brum 1 Cardiff City 3

Young Birmingham striker to get the nod for Cardiff game

Sunday 30th July 2016


With less than a week left to go until the Sky Bet Championship returns to St.Andrews, the emergence of teenage striker Jack Storer has got many fans thinking that he could be the next best thing to happen to Birmingham City's first team.

Following yet another promising performance for the first team on Saturday afternoon against Dutch outfit Roda JC, Storer has once again put himself in contention for the league opener on August 6th against Cardiff City.

Although he didn't quite reach the heights he has done in his previous two outings for Gary Rowett's side, the 18-year-old still got in some fantastic positions and he was unlucky not to score on more than one occasion, similar to Clayton Donaldson who could have had a hattrick in the 0-0 draw.

Speaking after the game, Rowett admitted that Storer was firmly in his thoughts ahead of the new season after another eye opening performance and with the crowd behind him, what could possibly go wrong?

The general consensus that I grasped after the game is that the former Stevenage striker could potentially get the nod ahead of back-up forward James Vaughan, who has now failed to score in nearly nine months, his longest spell without a goal.

Formerly of Everton, Vaughan came to Blues hoping to reinvigorate his career but things just haven't taken off for him and after failing to even get on the pitch on Saturday, you have to wonder, what will the new season hold for him.

Yes, he may do well to run the channels and offer that extra bit of pace when the game is stretched but can he be the difference in getting Blues higher than tenth? In my opinion, the answer is no.

However, I think when he does eventually find the back of the net, Blues fans will see a different player come out as his confidence will start to come back and even though it hasn't happened so far for him at the club he supports, following a full preseason with Birmingham, he could have a blinding season for all we know.

2-1 Zulus

0-0.

1-2 City.

Pilks and Ralls scoring either side of Birmingham's equaliser

2-1 Brum

A well fought 1-1 draw

1-1 Both teams to suffer mid table blues this year

1-1 decent point pilkington

2-2
Whitts pen and Lex

0-2

1-0 to Birmingham.

Birmingham 0-2 Cardiff

Immers,Freddy

0-4, Fred (3) and Whitts.

2.1 City Whitts and Gunoguebe!!

1 - 1

3-1 to Cardiff

Birmingham absolutely useless when I saw them recently. I will go for a 0-3 to City!

Cardiff City defender confident he will be ready for Birmingham City clash despite 12-week injury ordeal


Monday 1st August 2016

BY PHIL SMITH



Sean Morrison had surgery on his ankle but returned to action against Bournemouth


Sean Morrison has declared himself fit for the Championship kick-off and says his strong relationship with new Head Coach Paul Trollope means he is not playing catch-up with his fellow centre-backs.

Morrison missed most of the pre-season programme as he recovered from undergoing ankle surgery at the start of the summer.

In his absence, Matt Connolly, Lee Peltier, Semi Ajayi and David Tutonda have all impressed, while Bruno Manga has also overcome his own injury problems.

However, after getting through 45 minutes on the South Coast, the 25-year-old is confident he will be right in contention for the St Andrews game.

He said: “I'm 100% ready. Fitness wise it's not a problem, I've done a lot of work on and off the pitch over the last 12 weeks to get myself ready for this point. The aim was to get 45 minutes and come out unscathed which I have, so if I can get a full week with the boys then I'll be ready to go.



“It wasn't difficult for me [watching on] in this case, because Trolls knows me, he's worked with me and known me as a player for years. It would have been difficult if a new manager had come in who hadn't seen the team before but he knows exactly what I'm about, so it's been hard over the last 12 weeks but we're in good stead.

“Not much has changed, to be honest. A lot has changed and a lot hasn't changed in and around the club. There's the new formation which you can see, but we've worked with Trolls for a long time so we know exactly how he works and how he wants us to work, so it wasn't too bad to come back in against Bournemouth.”

The switch to a five at the back gives Trollope the option to play another of his battery of centre-backs, and Morrison is confident that it puts Cardiff in an excellent position ahead of the new campaign.


He said: “Last season we had four very good centre-backs at the club, including Ben Turner. We've got Semi coming through now as well so we've got strength in numbers. It's going to be a difficult decision for the gaffer but it's nice for him to have options.

“I think we're going to be a very fit and very organised team, the Championship is obviously a very difficult league, you look at the teams that have come down and up, all we can do is make sure we're right for the first day of the season and build from there.”

1-3 Cardiff

1-2 cardiff

1-2 to the Bluebirds.

1-0 cardiff (Fred)

Tim Robinson is the man in change of the season's opener at St Andrews.

Tim Robinson is one of the 18 professional contracted match officials for the Championship this coming season.

Robinson was appointed to the EFL Referees List for the start of the 2012/13 season, taking charge of his first game between Southend United and Accrington Stanley. He was the fourth official at Wembley for the League Two Play-Off Final between AFC Wimbledon and Plymouth Argyle in May 2016. As part of the development programme, he represented the PGMOL at the Dallas Cup 2012 and at the Nike Cup in China in 2012.

Robinson took charge of two Cardiff City matches last season. The MK Dons Capital One Cup game at Stadium MK where City lost 2 - 1, in that game he booked five players including Cardiff players Fabio and Sean Morrison, and the Nottingham Forest home 1 - 1 draw in December. He issued two yellow cards in that match, one of them to a City player - Fabio again.

In total last season he issued 149 yellow and 9 red cards in 43 games.

Robinson will be assisted by Mark Jones and Ian Cooper with Andrew Madley the 4th official.

2-1 Cardiff says the heart

Head says 2-1 Birmingham

2-1 Cardiff says the heart

Head says 2-1 Birmingham

VITAL BIRMINGHAM CITY

The Visitors - Cardiff City

03/08/16


OPPOSITION BRIEFING

Much has changed since Blues` visit to the Welsh capital on the final day of last season. New manager Paul Trollope has given Cardiff City an identity during his first pre-season in charge. Wales Online writer, Phil Smith, says the Bluebirds` former fitness issues look to be a thing of the past.

He said- "Cardiff look like they will be one of the fittest sides in the division and it is obvious that there has been progression in this department off the field over the summer".

Former Blues first team coach, Trollope, is confident that his squad already has enough quality to maintain a top-six challenge. But the Championship will be as tough as it ever has been and not investing in the squad could prove to be his downfall.

Previous manager, Russell Slade, lasted just 19 months at the helm. And during those 19 months, he tried - and failed - to get the fans on side.

With Cardiff`s fierce rivals Swansea about to embark on their sixth consecutive season in the Premier League, the pressure cooker is cranked up a notch. Trollope`s men will arrive at St. Andrews on the back of a pre-season that has featured an experimental back-three and a lot of possession work.

HOW WILL BLUES LINE-UP

Blues prefer playing against an attack-minded side and the hope will be that Cardiff have read the script. With Gary Rowett seemingly favouring the 4-2-3-1 formation that worked so well for three quarters of last season, the usual counter-attacking style is likely to be adopted.

All signs point to a back four of Spector, Morrison, Shotton, Grounds with a midfield two from Tesche, Davis and Gleeson. The wide areas will likely be occupied by Cotterill and Maghoma with Fabbrini just behind Donaldson.

Maikel Kieftenbeld has missed the pre-season games with an injury and youngsters Jack Storer and Reece Brown may be selected amongst the substitutes.

KEY PLAYERS

You get the impression that most of Blues` invention will come in the form of Diego Fabbrini. The Italian has been the best player throughout pre-season and must carry that form into the new season.

Cardiff winger Anthony Pilkington can cause any defence problems when he is on song. He will give Blues` full-backs a difficult afternoon.

Cardiff City have Sold 1,700 tickets