Birmingham City Mailbox
When asking for topics for a written piece about Blues, I received lots of responses. So, I've answered them.
When I began writing my usual international break long read, I put the question out to Twitter (I’m always going to call it Twitter – X is such a stupid name to call something) to see if anybody wanted me to look at anything.
I got various responses. Some about what we are seeing on the pitch. Some about the transfer window. One about fans. One about League One.
I wasn’t going to be able to provide an answer to all those questions within a piece and make it read coherently, but I also didn’t want to ignore people after sending out a message for ideas.
Numerous bloggers and others have created “Mailbox” pieces, answering questions across various topics, so I thought I’d give it a go myself.
The tweet I sent out read:
“Planning on writing something for the international break. Anything people would like me to consider looking at?”
The below are the responses, as directly taken from Twitter.
@_chrisquinn
Blues.
Ah, yes. I should consider looking at Blues.
Here’s just over 3000 words about Blues for you: https://open.substack.com/pub/afootballblogbyryandeeney/p/an-unbelievable-start-where-do-we?r=1r207n&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
@pullingerrob
Yes, Charlton massed their middle and blocked out Seung Ho and Iwati. Moving Thor there did not come off. Every side we play now will do the same now. 442 would handle this. That centre for me would be Seung, Lennard, Iwati and Wright. 2 players against 5 is not workable.
My take on the Charlton game wasn’t that it was 2v5 in the middle of the park but 4v4. Of course, with how poor we were on the day, I can understand how it may have felt like the former.
Charlton changed their shape from 3-5-2 to match us up in a 4-2-2-2 shape and to essentially go man-for-man across the pitch with those on the other side of the pitch stepping infield to cover the space.
There’s an image preceding the chance for Daniel Kanu when he reads Willum Willumson’s pass that all but sums this up.
You can see in the image that Conor Coventry (LCM) is tight to Willumson (in possession, RAM). Matty Godden (LF) is guarding watchful of the pass to Christoph Klarer (RCB) while also helping block the passing lane to Tomoki Iwata (RCM), who is closely followed by Allan Campbell (LAM). Daniel Kanu (RF) is blocking the pass to Krystian Bielik (LCB) while also in position to read the pass to Ryan Allsop (GK) should it come.
You can then see on the other side, Charlton have left themselves 3v3 if we try and switch the play with Karoy Anderson (RAM), Greg Docherty (RCM) and either Lloyd Jones or Alex Mitchell (CB) stepping up onto Alex Cochrane (LB), Paik Seung-Ho (LCM) and Alfie May (LAM).
This was their plan. To stay tight, cut passing lanes, step up high and look to win possession or commit a foul in higher areas. If you check out the chalkboard on Whoscored (https://www.whoscored.com/Matches/1827140/Live/England-League-One-2024-2025-Charlton-Birmingham) you will be able to see clearer where Charlton made their tackles and blocks.
This image also shows how Blues should have got the better of Charlton.
Why was Willumson, as an attacking midfielder, dropping so deep? Because, as pointed out, Paik and Iwata were marked up and the centre of the pitch blocked off. So where do you create the overload? Out wide. That’s why we have tended to see May and Willumson dropping deep from their positions to receive the ball – it pulls somebody in a deeper position out and creates space somewhere else.
Out of picture, you will find Jay Stansfield (ST), Taylor Gardner-Hickman (RB) and Keshi Anderson (LW) up against Josh Edwards (LB), Alex Mitchell or Lloyd Jones (CB) and Kayne Ramsay (RB). We are 3v3. Willumson can play into Iwata and trust him to receive under pressure, or round the corner to May or Stansfield or Gardner-Hickman, who will all of a sudden be 1v1 and have a big space to play in. And this situation occurred more than once during the game. Instead, like many on the day, he took an extra touch, then another, and the longer he took to play the ball, the more options were closed off. In the specific example shown, the pass back to Allsop became his only option – and he got that wrong.
We weren’t brave or sharp enough with our movement in and out of possession. We didn’t make their players run backwards enough and instead allowed them to close in on us and play backwards. Do those hard yards and it kills the momentum of a team that wants to press us high and either opens space or forces them to retreat to the point that we can move the ball with ease across the back and play forward.
As for the talk of a diamond, there was also this response to Rob Pullinger’s tweet:
@ell1875
Exactly this. Should Davies consider a 4-3-1-2 away from home when sides apply a high press on the centre halves & attempt to outnumber us in the middle of the park. Who should potentially drop out or come in to facilitate a change of shape to combat what happened Saturday?
Should we have moved to a diamond? I’m not sure.
In some respects, it may have seen us directly occupy Charlton’s deeper three players – Docherty, Jones and Mitchell. And it’s fair to say that Stansfield lost the battle with Mitchell and Jones all day having been outnumbered and outfought, so he could have had more support.
Would that have helped us move the ball better? I don’t think so. The space was out wide because Charlton were so narrow. The left-sided player holding width would now be inside, which would have allowed Ramsay to stay narrower and still have them outnumber us in the middle of the park. And we would have condensed the space on the pitch in terms of where we could move the ball. Rather than using 100% of the pitch, we are now probably using 80%, and that can have a big difference as we saw with England in the Euros.
To provide balance across the pitch, we would either have to push Alex Cochrane higher down the left, which would have opened up space down the side of Klarer and Bielik, who were already having one or two issues against the pace of Kanu and Tyreece Campbell, or task a striker with splitting, which would eradicate the reason we are playing the diamond.
Out of possession, it was all about working out who had responsibility. We didn’t get the press right from the off as shown when Keshi Anderson stepped off Karoy Anderson to close Kayne Ramsay. Paik Seung-Ho tried to pass him on before realising he needed to close and the delay allowed the pass to be made in behind for Kanu.
The image above does show how Blues’ narrow 4-4-2 should have been enough. The back four are occupied but if Paik closes Anderson, we have Iwata, Willumson, May and Stansfield close to their two central midfielders. If they go backwards, as we should force it, then May, Iwata and Willumson will be in support of Stansfield and we can press in a 4-1-4-1 shape that becomes a 4-4-2 again once Charlton have gone back to their goalkeeper and we have shut off the options. We didn’t get the initial press right and that allowed Charlton to get out more than once.
If we did play a diamond at any point, I think we would have to borrow something that the under 21’s did quite well with Menzi Mazwi and essentially have a player be part of the diamond out of possession and become something of a wing-back in possession. It would also have to be the left-sided player because it would affect the balance of our back three with the ball (Cochrane plays such an important role).
On that basis, I would be tempted to say Iwata at the base, Paik to the right, either Anderson or Hansson to the left then Willumson at the top.
@mynameismrjrb
A look at systems we can use to counter games like Charlton. This is where Davies will prove his worth. Does he possess the tactical brain to overcome this as going forward, teams will try to emulate Charlton as it completely nullified us.
Perhaps I’m being naive, but I don’t think we need to change shape in games like the one against Charlton. We need to be braver and sharper in what we’re doing.
Being in possession is all about finding the best area to create an overload on the pitch. Teams playing against Blues are trying to block the centre of the pitch which means the initial overload gets created out wide, which pulls players out of position and opens up space in areas where we can hurt teams.
Look at the first and second goals against Wrexham. We start out wide and it draws their three midfielders across to deal with the four we have in the centre. It leaves May then Iwata free to take shots at goal which we score from. Against Peterborough United, Kyprianou is drawn across to deal with Hansson while O’Brady and Collins are watching Iwata and Paik, leaving Stansfield free.
Against Charlton, we made a small tweak which saw us move to something of a more natural 4-2-3-1, almost 4-4-2 shape in which Stansfield played closer to Dykes and Wright found himself moving inside from a wide position rather than already starting there. On a couple of occasions, it allowed us to make the move forward out wide and if we got the pass right, we were 2v2 on the other flank. We struggled to make the key pass or decision to make it count.
I think tweaks, rather than wholesale change, is the way to go.
@teager91
Our various options at LW, which I think is starting to become an issue
Personally, I don’t think it’s an issue. Certainly no more of an issue than we have elsewhere. We have a big squad and a lot of competition for places.
It perhaps feels this way with the left-wing spot because nobody has truly grabbed the bull by the horns and made it their own. Three remaining players have started in the role so far – Keshi Anderson, Emil Hansson and Ayuma Yokoyama. There have been sparks but nothing that leaves fans in unison believing one must start ahead of the others.
Yokoyama is perhaps the third wheel of the conversation, just on account of him needing time to develop. He’s a young man with limited first team experience but plenty of ability. For Hansson and Anderson, the challenge is a bigger one, particularly as they appear to have the trust of Davies to perform.
The selfless nature of the role also has to come into consideration – they have to stay wide, open the game out, not get impatient and kill the shape of the team. They have to track the wing-back or full-back and run backwards while the other three forwards tend to press forward.
The challenge is there. Make it your own.
@baxtoot
How do we play stansfield & may together without playing may deep or out wide?
Honestly, I don’t see a scenario in which that happens, unless the roles are reversed and it’s Stansfield dropping deep and May staying high.
The closest we’ve perhaps come to seeing them play next to each other was against Huddersfield Town when we had outnumbered the opposition midfield and managed to make inroads down the right, meaning May and Stansfield could play closer together. We saw similar with Stansfield and Dykes against Rotherham United. The roles players play will always depend on where the overload is against the opposition. And it would appear that playing against a back three is the answer to how the front two or three can play closer together.
Could they play directly together in a system that allows us to still exert control? There may be an argument that we could play 4-4-2 as we did towards the end of the game against Charlton where the front two are closer together, but that would likely provide more limitations in our game than the one we are currently playing – it would leave us with one rather than two bodies high on the far side of the pitch.
@tonyhawes7
The kind of keeper CD wants as his number 1. Any names and is that the reason that neither BPF or RA have that number 1 shirt, or is that the two have picked their existing numbers on preferences etc
I’m fairly confident that the data for both Bailey Peacock-Farrell and Ryan Allsop will show up nicely given the teams they have played for recently. The former has played under Marcelo Bielsa and Vincent Kompany as well playing regularly for Sheffield Wednesday during a promotion push. Ryan Allsop, meanwhile, played for Wayne Rooney, Steve Morison and Liam Rosenior. They’re used to playing from the back.
Why do neither have the number one shirt? I don’t know. Allsop had the shirt at Wycombe Wanderers and Cardiff City, so he’s not averse to taking it. Peacock-Farrell took the number one shirt at Leeds United and Sheffield Wednesday. Both have previous with their respective numbers (Allsop had 21 at Bournemouth, Peacock-Farrell had 45 at Leeds United and Aarhus GF), so maybe there was a discussion about the number one jersey and both chose other numbers that mean something to them instead.
Does this mean we always wanted somebody else? I’m doubtful. At least for now. We gave Allsop three years and Peacock-Farrell four and their careers suggest they should be more than good enough to perform consistently in League One.
What kind of goalkeeper does Chris Davies want? Probably the same one 90% of modern managers want. One that can play short or long, one that doesn’t panic under pressure, one that can save shots, one that can command his area, one that makes good decisions. I suspect right now, we are probably looking for the footballing aspects and hoping that whoever we had has the goalkeeping qualities to get by.
@tricksandmaxims
Is the January transfer window going to be important for Blues’ aspirations of promotion this season (incomings, outgoings, new contracts?
@markw1875
The next transfer window
I may as well answer both together.
Do I see it as important? No.
I don't think it changes our trajectory. I don’t see us needing January to add even more footballers to help us win promotion. We should have enough already in the door.
If it is to be important, I think it will be more because we set the EFL on notice once more by signing somebody that shouldn’t be attainable in League One. Perhaps adding a player ahead of time that can take be ready to help with the step up next season.
If we did sign somebody, I would assume goalkeeper and the forward positions would be where we look, unless an option becomes available that we simply can’t turn down.
@OffTheLineBlog
A long-form piece suggesting potential January signings for #BCFC to make?
I don't think I'm in a position to provide names we should sign. I lack the time and potentially the resource to dive so deep, particularly with the club searching for options abroad as much as they are looking domestically.
Besides, I suggested Arthur Okonkwo and Sol Brynn in the summer on KRO Pod after doing minimal research and the club signed neither!
@Duality_90_
Blues scouting in J and K leagues and how we looked further afield
An interesting discussion because it's so new to us as a fanbase, and yet it's also something that is becoming commonplace across the EFL.
The brilliant Andy Watson teamed up with NTT20 to write a piece detailing the influx of signings in the EFL from around the globe:
If my understanding of the rules is correct, one of the follow ups from Brexit was a change to regulations around which players could come into the country. They have to hit a certain points total to be eligible.
The rules were relaxed slightly to enable a limited numbers of players outside of those leagues to come over. Clubs have an allocated number of slots for such players.
Japan and South Korea are Band 5 leagues, meaning they come into the latter group. In 2024, nine players have come over from those two countries. Two of them to Blues. All others have joined Championship clubs.
Why are they becoming popular? Cheap exports, essentially. Quality players at a cheaper price.
It tells me that despite changes to our recruitment department, our data and processes are enabling us to keep up with the Jones' and do smart business.
@prunegregg
Abuse of away ticket allocation. Fans scalping for status and creating a closed shop.
I might not be best placed to answer given I’m not somebody who travels to 46 games a season. I can only take stock of the responses on social media, forums and group chats.
This question was actually asked before the statement came out advising of the new ticketing system.
It would appear that the minority of fans taking up tickets with little intention to go in order to retain status, and being so blasé about the practice, have created the need for the club to take some action.
Relying on the club, and other clubs, to ensure this is an efficient process for all involved is the concern. Especially with the season ticket situation this summer.
I asked a couple of Ipswich Town fans and they seemed okay with it. Let's see how the idea works in practice.
I'll be honest, I don't think any solution will be perfect.
@bcfcfooty
Any good young players you’ve been particularly impressed with in league 1, so far this season.
It's funny. We've spent years playing Championship teams and thinking “man, I’d love that guy in our team. Now we're the team with those players.
In terms of young players...
I was really impressed with Ben Elliott when we played Reading. Big Kelvin and the centre back Amadou Mbengue also impressed on the day.
Thelo Aasgaard and Sam Tickle carry themselves as players ready, or close to ready, to make the next step in their careers. Zech Obiero got about all for Leyton Orient.
More recently, Daniel Kanu certainly caused a couple of problems for Charlton Athletic. Emmanuel Fernandez is a real unit.