Leggi Looks At: Birmingham
By Leggi
December 23 2008
STB message boarder Leggi is back again and is once again giving us an insight into Town's opposition, on Friday Town face Birmingham City at Portman Road.
Birmingham City
As the majority of us are nursing hangovers and full bellies, Ipswich welcome Birmingham City to Portman Road on Boxing Day (Friday) just four weeks after the two sides met at St Andrews. A game that we lost inside the first fifteen minutes. Liam Ridgewell and Kevin Phillips making it 2-0, and only an Alex Bruce reply five minutes from time for Town, saw Ipswich return empty handed from their travels once again.
Alex McLeish and his squad are suffering what they would consider a blip at the moment and come into Fridays match on the back of two straight defeats, both televised games, 2 weeks ago at Preston and then on Saturday at home to Reading, who have now leapfrogged the Brummies into second place. They currently sit 15 points clear of the worst Town side I have seen since the late 80's, and on their travels this season have only lost 2 games. It certainly doesn't bode well for the struggling Suffolk side. The Blues of Birmingham have played 12 away, winning 5, drawing 5 with them 2 losses, they have scored 15 goals and conceded 12. Once again for me, the player to watch for Birmingham is Kevin Phillips whether he's in the starting line-up or from the bench, he WILL score. He always does against us.
Referee for this match is Mr Iain 'way over the top' Williamson, who has refereed 9 Ipswich games since 2003, his last visit to Portman Road, came in 2007, a game we won 2-1 against Derby but will be remembered for the Alex Bruce/Stephen Bywater fisticuffs in which both players saw red. The card happy official last reffed a Town game last season when we beat Scunthorpe United, 2-1 at Glanford Park. Again two players saw red, Pablo Counago for Town and Jack Cork for the Scunny. Williamson's record in own games reads:
Games: 9
Town wins: 6
Draws: 1
Defeats: 2
He has shown 15 yellow cards and 4 reds to Ipswich players and 23 yellow and 2 reds to the opposition. Total 38 yellow cards, 6 red cards (expect 1 on Friday).
Ipswich will be in their home strip of blue shirts, white shorts and blue socks, whilst Birmingham will be in their change strip of red and white shirts, red shorts and red socks.
Form table
(9th) Birmingham City P6 W3 D1 L2 F8 A8
(18th) Ipswich Town P6 W1 D2 L3 F8 A10
Our League record V Birmingham City at Portman Road
Played: 28
Won: 20
Drawn: 1
Lost: 7
Goals:
For: 60
Against: 30
Our biggest victory came in 1981, Alan Brazil, Arnold Muhren, John Wark, Paul Mariner and Terry Butcher scored in the 5-1 win. Our biggest loss is by the same scoreline (5-1) Ted Phillips with the only goal for the 'then' League Champions in 1962.
The highest attendance is 29,025 who saw an Ipswich win in 1977, Keith Bertschin with the only goal of the game. The lowest gate is 9,351, watched a Division 2 game in 1966, Birmingham winning by one goal to nil.
Home and away in all competitions we have played 'The Blues' 65 times winning 30, losing 24 and drawing 11 we have scored 97 goals to Birmingham's' 82. From those 65 games, Alan Brazil is our leading scorer with 8 goals. John Wark, Paul Mariner and Ray Crawford got 6 and Mick Lambert got 4.
Twenty-six players have worn the blue of both clubs, they include, Alex Bruce, David Geddis, Keith Bertschin, Steve Whitton and Paul Cooper.
Leggi predicts: After our dismal form all season this is a game which I reckon, we'll 'do the job', We seem to do better against the so called bigger clubs, In front of a sparse Christmas crowd we'll win this 3-1 I say, and give Jim a few more weeks of comfort in the hotseat.
Got a prediction for the game? Leave it below.
As the majority of us are nursing hangovers and full bellies, Ipswich welcome Birmingham City to Portman Road on Boxing Day(Friday) just four weeks after the two sides met at St Andrews. A game which we lost inside the first fifteen minutes. Liam Ridgewell and Kevin Phillips making it 2-0, and only an Alex Bruce reply five minutes from time for Town, saw Ipswich return empty handed from their travels once again.
Alex Mcleish
and his squad are suffering what they would consider a blip at the moment and come into Fridays match on the back of two straight defeats, both televised games, 2 weeks ago at Preston and then on Saturday at home to Reading, who have now leapfrogged the Brummies into second place. They currently sit 15 points clear of the worst Town side I've seen since the late 80's, and on their travels this season have only lost 2 games. It certainly does'nt bode well for the struggling Suffolk side. The Blues of Birmingham have played 12 away, winning 5, drawing 5 with them 2 losses, they have scored 15 goals and conceeded 12. once again for me, the player to watch for Birmingham is Kevin Phillips
wether he's in the starting line-up or from the bench, he WILL score. He always does against us!!
Referee for this match is Mr 'way over the top' Iain Williamson,
who has refereed 9 Ipswich games since 2003, his last visit to Portman Road, came in 2007, a game we won 2-1 against Derby but will be remembered for the Alex Bruce/Stephen Bywater fisticuffs in which both players saw red. The card happy official last reffed a Town game last season when we beat Scunthorpe United, 2-1 at Glanford Park. Again two players saw red, Pablo Counago for Town(Spitgate) and Jack Cork for the Scunny.
Williamson's record in own games reads:
Games 9, Town wins 6, Draws 1 and 2 defeats. He has shown 15 yellow cards and 4 reds to Ipswich players and 23 yellow and 2 reds to the opposition. Total 38 yellow cards, 6 red cards.(expect 1 on Friday)
Ipswich will be in their home strip of blue shirts, white shorts and blue socks, whilst Birmingham will be in their change strip of red and white shirts, red shorts and red socks.
Form table
(9th ) Birmingham City P6 W3 D1 L2 F8 A8
(18th) Ipswich Town P6 W1 D2 L3 F8 A10
Our League record V Birmingham City at Portman Road
Played 28
Won 20
Drawn 1
Lost 7
Goals
For 60
Against 30
Our biggest victory came in 1981, Alan Brazil, Arnold Muhren, John Wark, Paul Mariner and Terry Butcher scored in the 5-1 win.
Our biggest loss is by the same scoreline (5-1) Ted Phillips with the only goal for the 'then' League Champions in 1962.
The highest attendance is 29,025 who saw an Ipswich win in 1977. Keith Bertschin with the only goal of the game.
The lowest gate is 9,351, who watched a Division 2 game in 1966.Birmingham winning by one goal to nil.
Home and away in all competitions we have played 'The Blues' 65 times winning 30, losing 24 and drawing 11 we have scored 97 goals to Birmingham's' 82. From those 65 games, Alan Brazil
is our leading scorer with 8 goals. John Wark, Paul Mariner and Ray Crawford got 6 and Mick Lambert got 4.
Twenty-six players have worn the blue of both clubs, they include, Alex Bruce, David Geddis, Keith Bertschin, Steve Whitton and Paul Cooper.
Leggi predicts:
After our dismal form all season this is a game which I reckon, we'll 'do the job', We seem to do better against the so called bigger clubs, In front of a sparse crimbo crowd we'll win this 3-1 I say. and give Jim a few more weeks of comfort in the hotseat.
