I usually comment on a game after it has been played but today I’m writing the first paragraph before the game. I want to describe my feelings before it starts. As a Birmingham City fan I have learned to cope with defeats. But the 0-8 defeat by Bournemouth was one that left a deep scar. The worst bit was that a large part of the crowd gave up and left before the end. Today there won’t be a crowd of Blues fans to walk out early but we could still lose. And I’ve realized that what I want to see is a better performance that will help to heal some of the hurt I felt back then. According to the 11v11 website we have played 19 games against Bournemouth and have won 3, drawn 4 and lost 12. So I am not really expecting us to win today.
Today’s game ended in a loss for Blues but we lost by one goal not by eight. And we played better with Hogan scoring two goals. And, to me, it felt as though we had a chance of getting another goal right up to the final whistle. It wasn’t to be but it was so much better than that game in October 2014.