Phew! What. A. Game. I know the 'McCarthy Way' is usually interpreted as a well-organised and conservative approach to football, with a focus on stodgily defending slender leads, but that, hopefully, was a return to our form of old. Could this be an exciting indication of a club rising to the challenge of a play off place? I'd like to believe so. Now Birmingham, despite their form and league place, are certainly no pushovers since Gary Rowett joined the dugout. He has taken them from a position in the relegation zone to a more respectable league standing with a buffer from the bottom three. While we headed into the match in poor form, I think it was realistic to surmise that anything other than a win would have seriously dented our promotion credentials and further continued our unenviable record during this calendar year. Pre-match talk seemed to centre on Teddy Bishop's exclusion and Jonathan Parr's inclusion. They were inspired decisions, with the benefit of hindsight. I think Bishop is an exciting talent and one of our best dribblers at the club, but he has a habit of fading from matches or being outmuscled and 'bullied' on the pitch, like what happened in the recent defeat against Reading. He's a young player and will shape up and perform more consistently. Parr, an emerging fan favourite and frequent stick to beat McCarthy regarding his selection choices, more than warranted a start, and he did well. Although I was sceptical of his position in midfield, somewhat incorrectly believing McCarthy was opting for a more cautious approach to this game. How wrong I was. To put it simplistically, we edged this game because of one thing, and that's pace in the attacking third. Against Reading, it was largely wasted because we didn't create much of note and the Reading defence were extremely well-marshalled. Tonight, the Brum defence could not handle Freddie Sears. He is the type of player I think most of this board were united in believing we should sign. Somebody who can score goals, is quick, and can run the channels effectively. Sears did all that tonight and he took both goals well. We also seemed less hesitant on going on the front foot, scoring first helped in that regard. I thought Anderson had a good game, he had an impressive delivery and if there's one thing you cannot deny about him, he has a knack for getting an assist. But I stand by my thoughts that he is the type of player who doesn't perform well regularly. Anthony Knockaert, should we sign him, will be a wide, pacy, creative player who should provide a more consistent threat. Attention is obviously going to turn on this Sunday and our match against Norwich which, considering their recent form, has taken on further significance with regards to the play off places. Without wishing to sound like a defeatist, it's going to take one helluva performance to beat them at their ground. Whether we would like to admit it or not, Norwich are one of this division's form teams. Their new manager, who some on here wrongly laughed off as being inexperienced, is exactly the type of progressive, forward-thinking coaches that English clubs should look to employ. I'd like to think we'll put in a better performance than the terrible dross served up in the previous derby game back in August, but I'd happily take a point on Sunday if it was offered to me. They are a club with a strong squad, one of the division's best goalkeepers, and, in Nathan Redmond and Wes Hoolahan, possess some very creative outlets. I think McCarthy's nous and pragmatism may come in handy here. Despite our poor showing last time against Norwich, we only lost 1-0 and the Budgies didn't show much attacking menace. If our defence has one of its more robust days, the midfield clicks, and, perhaps more pertinently, Sears goes on a scoring spree and Murphy recovers from the broken nose, we should get a result. Come on you Blues!
