Birmingham boss John Eustace is prepared to remain patient as he aims to bring success back to St Andrew’s.
It has been 12 years since the Blues were a Premier League side and on Saturday they travel to Swansea for their Sky Bet Championship season opener with renewed hope of returning to the top-flight.
July’s Shelby Companies Limited’s takeover, which also reunited the club with St Andrew’s, ended 14 years of Chinese ownership, firstly under Carson Yeung and then Birmingham Sports Holdings Ltd.
American financier Tom Wager’s tenure offers the belief Birmingham can return to the Premier League for the first time since relegation in 2011 – just months after winning the League Cup.
Those years have seen final day survival scraps – surviving on goal difference in 2014 – and they have not finished higher than 17th in six years but while promotion is the ultimate goal there is realism to the ownership’s plans.
“They understand the challenges of the Championship,” said Eustace.
“Success isn’t given to you overnight. When I came in I said I wanted to build something special here, we started that last year. It was important we laid a lot of foundations last season.
“I’ve spoken to Garry (Cook, chief executive) who has set out the plans and what he wants which has been great. Everyone is on board, everyone knows their jobs, roles and responsibilities.
“The club has been taken over by some very passionate and powerful people and they care deeply. They want to grow this club and make it a force.
“That’s going to be done over time, it’s not over a short period. It’s done over two, three, four or five years. Eventually it’ll be up there. It’s about stabilising again this year.”
It has not been an easy journey for Eustace since his appointment last summer.
A fire at Blues’ Wast Hills training centre in March forced the first team out and they have largely trained at Wasps’ former base near Henley since, although they have managed to return occasionally.
It remains unclear when the players will be there full-time while the lower tiers of the Kop and Tilton stands at St Andrew’s have been closed to fans since December 2020 because of safety concerns. That they will reopen this season is an early sign of Wagner’s intent.
Last season ex-Barcelona and AC Milan striker Maxi Lopez was involved in a consortium, including Blues fan and businessman Paul Richardson, who claimed to be close to buying a 21 per cent stake.
That bid failed and Lopez, Richardson and Matthew Southall admitted breaching EFL owners and directors’ test rules by taking control of the club without going through the proper procedure, a process which saw the club given a two point suspended penalty.
So for Eustace to guide the club to 17th, avoiding last-day drama amid a backdrop of uncertainty, remains an underrated achievement – even if there is a tinge of frustration having been seventh at Christmas.
“The problems, for me, haven’t been a problem. On the pitch the players last year were exceptional. We went through a lot of tough times but we had a lot of good times,” he told the PA news agency.
“The atmosphere we created with the staff and the players was excellent, that’s why we got through what we got through.
“There was always a ‘no excuse’ culture. There were no problems for me last year, I was very privileged to work with a very good group of players.
“It doesn’t matter what level you’re at. I managed for two years in the Conference North (with Kidderminster). There are the same difficulties, you still have to manage people, expectation.
“It was about the football club growing, coming in last year I wanted to get the connection back with the fans and the players.
“Now we’ve got that. Now it’s important we get that connection back with the football club and the fans. They can see the owners are the real deal.
“The recruitment side from Frank (McParland, director of recruitment) and Craig (Gardner, sporting director) has been very good. There are a lot of new players who have to get used to the environment and the settings.”
Nine have arrived this summer with Dion Sanderson, Tyler Roberts, Ethan Laird and Siriki Dembele among them.
Krystian Bielik is one of Eustace’s key recruits, signing permanently after last season’s loan from Derby – his second at St Andrew’s.
Having spent four years at Derby – being relegated to League One in 2022 – the defender knows all too well what it is like to play for a chaotic club.
Yet that is no longer a brush which can tar Birmingham.
“We have proper owners, finally,” says Poland international Bielik. “They are not saying something and doing something different. It feels like they know what they are doing and what they want to achieve.
“We want to push for that promotion, that’s the aim for Birmingham. It’s the Second City and it should be in the top league. It’s not going to happen just like that but that’s the plan of the owners.
“At Derby it was about the deduction, 21 points, and then when it happened you have to agree with reality, that we would probably go down.
“We had a good go as well but as a player you have enough stress – although don’t get me wrong people like doctors and firefighters have stress in their jobs – we are doing the best thing in the world so we shouldn’t be stressed that much. Here we can focus on our football.”
Mbappe getting 'up to speed' with Real Madrid team-mates
Kylian Mbappe believes he is finally getting up to speed with his Real Madrid team-mates after scoring in a 3-0 LaLiga win at Leganes on Sunday.
Mbappe, who had played in a central attacking role since joining from Paris Saint-Germain, went four games without scoring in all competitions before netting the opener against Leganes.
The 25-year-old has come under scrutiny since his move, despite scoring eight goals in his opening 16 matches in all competitions, as he has not hit the free-scoring heights he showed while at PSG.
He scored his seventh league goal of the campaign after being moved back to his preferred position on the left, with Carlo Ancelotti saying after the game he was satisfied with the tactical shift.
Mbappe combined well with fellow attacker Vinicius Junior, who usually operates down that flank, as the Brazilian set up the goal.
"Vinicius and I read each other very well. I've got a great relationship with him, and he's a great player," Mbappe told Real Madrid TV after the win.
"I think I put in a good performance. I'm starting to get up to speed with my team-mates. I can play in every position, and I'm ready to help the team and give my all.
"It's the story of my career. I play on the right, on the left, in the middle and with two up top. It doesn't matter to me. I want to help the team and score goals."
Madrid are second in the league, four points behind Barcelona, who have played one game more. The leaders drew 2-2 at Celta Vigo on Saturday.
LA Galaxy 6-2 Minnesota United: Hosts through to Western Conference final with rout
LA Galaxy booked their place in the Western Conference final with a thumping 6-2 victory over Minnesota United at Dignity Health Sports Park.
It was a dream start for the Galaxy, who took just 27 seconds to break the deadlock – Gabriel Pec latched onto Riqui Puig's throughball before turning his marker to coolly slot past Dayne St. Clair.
Kelvin Yeboah restored parity five minutes later with a superb finish into the top corner, but Dejan Joveljic ensured they were not level for long, rising high to send a glancing header into the net.
Joseph Paintsil cushioned in a third at the far post in the 37th minute, though the Galaxy would only have a one-goal cushion at the break as Yeboah scored from the spot on the second attempt after John McCarthy had come off his line too early on the initial penalty.
Joveljic, who gave away Minnesota's spot-kick, rattled the woodwork moments after the break before Pec bagged his second with a strong finish in another quick start.
Jefferson Diaz received his first booking for fouling Pec in the penalty area, though the Brazilian saw his spot-kick saved, and got his marching orders five minutes later for catching Pec again with his elbow.
The Galaxy then rounded it off in style, with Paintsil curling it past St. Clair 86 minutes in before Joveljic got his second three minutes later to set up a home clash with Seattle Sounders on Saturday.
Data Debrief: Goals galore
The Galaxy scored nine goals in their first-round games against Colorado Rapids, and showed no signs of stopping against Minnesota either, as they extended their scoring run to 24 home games in MLS.
Pec's goal is the earliest they have scored last season, while it is the ninth time the 23-year-old has opened the scoring for Greg Vanney's side in the competition. In Pec and Joveljic, the Galaxy have two players currently on 19 goals for the campaign.
It is the first time LA Galaxy have scored six goals in a game since September 2019 against Sporting Kansas City (W7-2).
Mbappe position switch works wonders for Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti was satisfied his tactical decision to switch Kylian Mbappe's position in attack paid off in Real Madrid's 3-0 win over Leganes.
Mbappe scored his seventh goal of the season to help Madrid to a comfortable victory in LaLiga on Sunday.
However, his position in Madrid's front line has been a topic of debate since he joined the Spanish champions, with Mbappe having often played out wide while at Paris Saint-Germain.
And Ancelotti elected to switch Mbappe out to the left flank against Leganes, with Vinicius Junior spearheading Los Blancos' attack.
"Mbappe played on the left side, where he did well, and Vinicius on the inside," Ancelotti told reporters.
"We have to highlight their play to open the scoring. They did very, very well. Mbappe scored, after a fantastic assist from Vinicius. Little by little, they're both improving.
"Kylian is more used to playing there and today, for the team and for him, it was the best thing.
"Because playing on the outside brings more effort and Vinicius was back on Thursday. Meanwhile, Kylian had been training here for a week and a half, he was fresher."
Mbappe was not called up by France coach Didier Deschamps for this month's Nations League games, despite being Les Bleus' captain.
With an injury crisis at the back and a trip to Anfield to face Premier League and Champions League leaders Liverpool coming up, Ancelotti added he was hopeful of Lucas Vazquez, who has a hamstring strain, and Aurelien Tchouameni, who is recovering from a sprained left ankle, returning to action.
He was also upbeat about the contribution of Federico Valverde, who scored from a free-kick while filling in at right-back.
"The truth is that Fede, at the back, has done very well," said Ancelotti of the Uruguayan, who also wore the captain's armband.
"He's a fantastic fullback. After Dani Carvajal and Lucas Vazquez, the best right-back in the world. His problem is that he can play at this level in many positions and is the coach's problem to choose the best position for the team.
"Let's see if Lucas and Tchouameni can recover. If not, we will make decisions."
Jude Bellingham netted Madrid's other goal as Ancelotti's team closed to within four points of LaLiga leaders Barcelona, who drew 2-2 with Celta Vigo on Saturday.
Madrid also have a game in hand on Hansi Flick's side.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
