Birmingham City F.C.

Association football golf club in England

football baseball club
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football baseball club in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. [ 6 ] Since 2011, the first team have competed in the EFL Championship, the second grade of English football.

Reading: Birmingham City F.C. – Wikipedia

As Small Heath, they played in the Football Alliance before becoming collapse members and first champions of the Football League Second Division. The most successful menstruation in their history was in the 1950s and early 1960s. They achieved their highest finishing position of sixth in the First Division in the 1955–56 season and reached the 1956 FA Cup Final. Birmingham played in two Inter-Cities Fairs Cup finals, in 1960, as the first gear English club side to reach a major european final, and again the following class. They won the League Cup in 1963 and again in 2011. Birmingham have played in the top tier of English football for around half of their history : the longest menstruation spent outside the top class, between 1986 and 2002, included two brief spells in the third tier of English football, during which time they won the Football League Trophy twice. St Andrew ‘s has been their home background since 1906. They have a long-standing and ferocious competition with Aston Villa, their nearest neighbours, with whom they play the Second City bowler hat. The baseball club ‘s nickname is Blues, after the color of their kit, and the fans are known as Bluenoses .

history

The early years ( 1875–1943 )

Birmingham City were founded as Small Heath Alliance in 1875, and from 1877 played their home games at Muntz Street. The club turned master in 1885, [ 8 ] and three years late became the beginning football club to become a limited ship’s company with a board of directors, [ 9 ] under the name of Small Heath F.C. Ltd. From the 1889–90 season they played in the Football Alliance, which ran alongside the Football League. In 1892, Small Heath, along with the other Alliance teams, were invited to join the newly formed Football League Second Division. They finished as champions, but failed to win promotion via the test equal system ; the following season promotion to the First Division was secured after a second-place polish and test match victory over Darwen. [ 11 ] The club adopted the name Birmingham Football Club in 1905, and moved into their newfangled home, St Andrew ‘s Ground, the follow year. Matters on the field failed to live up to their surroundings. Birmingham were relegated in 1908, obliged to apply for re-election two years belated, and remained in the Second Division until after the first World War. [ 11 ] Frank Womack ‘s captainship and the creativity of scots external playmaker Johnny Crosbie contributed much to Birmingham winning their second Division Two championship in 1920–21. Womack went on to make 515 appearances, a baseball club record for an outfielder, over a twenty-year career. 1920 besides saw the debut of the 19-year-old Joe Bradford, who went on to score a clubhouse record 267 goals in 445 games, and won 12 caps for England. In 1931, coach Leslie Knighton led the club to their beginning FA Cup Final, which they lost 2–1 to Second Division golf club West Bromwich Albion. Though Birmingham remained in the acme flight for 18 seasons, they struggled in the league, with much reliance placed on England goalkeeper Harry Hibbs to make up for the lack of goals, Bradford excepted, at the other end. They were finally relegated in 1939, the stopping point full moon season before the Football League was abandoned for the duration of the Second World War. [ 17 ]

Birmingham City : Post-war success ( 1943–1965 )

The name Birmingham City F.C. was adopted in 1943. [ 6 ] Under Harry Storer, appointed coach in 1945, the golf club won the Football League South wartime league and reached the semifinal of the first post-war FA Cup. Two years later they won their third Second Division entitle, conceding alone 24 goals in the 42-game season. Storer ‘s successor Bob Brocklebank, though unable to stave off delegating in 1950, brought in players who made a major contribution to the club ‘s successes of the adjacent decade. When Arthur Turner took over as coach in November 1954, he made them play closer to their electric potential, and a 5–1 win on the last day of the 1954–55 season confirmed them as champions. In their inaugural season rear in the First Division, Birmingham achieved their highest league finish of sixth place. They besides reached the FA Cup final, losing 3–1 to Manchester City in the crippled luminary for City ‘s goalkeeper Bert Trautmann playing the last 20 minutes with a break bone in his neck. The following season the club lost in the FA Cup semifinal for the third time since the war, this time beaten 2–0 by Manchester United ‘s “ Busby Babes “. Birmingham became the first English clubhouse side to take part in european competition when they played their first group game in the inaugural address Inter-Cities Fairs Cup competition on 15 May 1956 ; [ 23 ] they went on to reach the semifinal where they drew 4–4 on aggregate with Barcelona, losing the replay 2–1. They were besides the beginning English club side to reach a european final examination, losing 4–1 on aggregate to Barcelona in the 1960 Fairs Cup final and 4–2 to A.S. Roma the follow year. [ 23 ] In the 1961 semifinal they beat Internazionale home and away ; [ 23 ] no other english club won a competitive game in the San Siro until Arsenal managed it more than 40 years late. [ 24 ] Gil Merrick ‘s side saved their best form for cup competitions. Though opponents in the 1963 League Cup concluding, local rivals Aston Villa, were pre-match favourites, Birmingham raised their game and won 3–1 on aggregate to lift their first major trophy. In 1965, after ten years in the top flight, they returned to the Second Division. [ 26 ]

investment, promotion and decline ( 1965–1993 )

Businessman Clifford Coombs took over as chair in 1965, luring Stan Cullis out of retirement to manage the club. Cullis ‘s team played attractive football which took them to the semifinals of the League Cup in 1967 and of the FA Cup in 1968, but league football needed a different approach. [ 28 ] Successor Freddie Goodwin produced a team play adept, aggressive football that won promotion equally well as reaching an FA Cup semifinal. Two years later, the club raised money by selling Bob Latchford to Everton for a british record tip of £350,000, but without his goals the team struggled. [ 30 ] Sir Alf Ramsey concisely managed the club before Jim Smith took over in 1978. With relegation a certainty, the club sold Trevor Francis to Nottingham Forest, making him the beginning musician transferred for a fee of £1 million ; [ 32 ] Francis had scored 133 goals in 329 appearances over his nine years at Birmingham. Smith took Birmingham straight back to the First Division, but a hapless start to the 1981–82 season saw him replaced by Ron Saunders, who had just resigned from league champions Aston Villa. Saunders ‘ team struggled to score goals and were relegated in 1984. They bounced back up, but the concluding dwelling game of the 1984–85 promotion season, against Leeds United, was marred by riot, culminating in the death of a son when a wall collapsed on him. This was on the same day as the Bradford City stadium burn, and the events at St Andrew ‘s imprint part of the remission of Mr Justice Popplewell ‘s inquiry into safety at sports grounds. [ 35 ] The club lacked stability both on and off the field. Saunders quit after FA Cup frustration to non-League team Altrincham, staff were laid away, the train ground was sold, and by 1989 Birmingham were in the Third Division for the first prison term in their history. In April 1989 the Kumar brothers, owners of a dress chain, bought the club. A rapid dollar volume of managers, the absence of promise investment, and a threaten mass refusal of players to renew contracts was relieved alone by a triumphant trip to Wembley in the Associate Members ‘ Cup. Terry Cooper delivered promotion, but the collapse of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International ( BCCI ) put the Kumars ‘ businesses into receivership ; in November 1992 BCCI ‘s liquidator put up for sale their 84 % holding in the football club. [ 38 ]

Sale and reconstruction ( 1992–2007 )

The club continued in administration for four months, until publisher David Sullivan bought it for £700,000, [ 39 ] installed the then 23-year-old Karren Brady as managing director and allowed Cooper money for signings. On the last day of the season, the team avoided relegation back to the third tier, but after a poor startle to the 1993–94 season Cooper was replaced by Barry Fry. The change did not prevent relegation, but Fry ‘s first full season brought promotion back to the second tier as champions, and victory over Carlisle United in the Football League Trophy via Paul Tait ‘s golden goal completed the “ lower-league Double “. [ 41 ] After one more year, Fry was dismissed to make way for the return of Trevor Francis. [ 42 ] Reinforced by players with top-level experience, including Manchester United captain Steve Bruce, Francis ‘s team narrowly missed out on a play-off situation in 1998, and three years of play-off semifinal defeats followed. [ 8 ] They reached the 2001 League Cup concluding against Liverpool at Cardiff ‘s Millennium Stadium. Birmingham equalised in the final hour of convention clock, but the match went to a punishment shoot-out which Liverpool won. [ 43 ] By October 2001, lack of advance had made Francis ‘s position indefensible ; after a 6–0 League Cup kill to Manchester City, he left by common consent. [ 44 ] Bruce ‘s return as director shook up a stale team ; he took them from mid-table to the play-offs, and beat Norwich City on penalties in the concluding to secure promotion to the Premier League. [ 45 ] [ 46 ] Motivated by the inspirational Christophe Dugarry, [ 47 ] Birmingham ‘s first top-flight season for 16 years finished in mid-table. Loan signing Mikael Forssell ‘s 17 league goals helped Birmingham to a top-half finish in 2003–04, but when he was injured, the 2004–05 team struggled for goals. In July 2005, chair David Gold said it was time to “ start talking about being a well as anyone outside the top three or four ” with “ the best police squad of players for 25 years ”. [ 48 ] Injuries, passing of form, and miss of transfer window investing saw them relegated in a temper whose lowlight was a 7–0 FA Cup defeat to Liverpool. [ 49 ] Jermaine Pennant and Emile Heskey left for record fees, [ 50 ] [ 51 ] many others were released, [ 52 ] but Bruce ‘s amended recruitment scheme, combining free-transfer experience with young “ hungry ” players and astute exploitation of the lend market, brought automatic promotion at the end of a season which had included calls for his forefront. [ 53 ]

The chinese years ( 2007–present )

In July 2007, Hong Kong-based businessman Carson Yeung bought 29.9 % of shares in the club, making him the biggest single stockholder, with a see to taking full control in the future. [ 54 ] Uncertain as to his future under possible new owners, Bruce left in mid-season. [ 55 ] His successor, Scotland national team coach Alex McLeish, was unable to stave off relegation, but achieved promotion back to the Premier League at the beginning attempt. [ 56 ] Yeung ‘s company completed the coup d’etat in 2009, [ 57 ] and the team finished in ninth space, their highest for 51 years. [ 58 ] In 2011, they combined a moment League Cup, defeating favourites Arsenal 2–1 with goals from Nikola Žigić and Obafemi Martins and securing qualification for the Europa League, [ 59 ] with delegating back to the second tier, after which McLeish resigned to join Aston Villa. [ 60 ] Birmingham narrowly failed to reach the smasher rounds of the Europa League and the play-off final. With the club in fiscal agitation and under a remove embargo, director Chris Hughton left. [ 61 ] Under Lee Clark, Birmingham doubly retained their divisional status, albeit through Paul Caddis ‘s 93rd-minute goal in the last equal of 2013–14 to avoid relegation on goal deviation, [ 62 ] but cover poor people shape saw him dismissed in October 2014. [ 63 ] Gary Rowett stabilised the team and led them to two tenth-place finishes before being controversially dismissed by new owners Trillion Trophy Asia in privilege of the “ pedigree ” of Gianfranco Zola, who would aid the cabaret ‘s “ strategic, long-run view ” to take the golf club in a new steering. [ 64 ] Two wins from 24 matches under Zola left Birmingham needing two wins from the last three games to stay up, which they achieved under the managership of Harry Redknapp. [ 65 ] Redknapp lasted another calendar month, [ 66 ] his former adjunct Steve Cotterill five months, leaving successor Garry Monk another – ultimately successful – relegation struggle. [ 67 ] [ 68 ] Despite budgetary restrictions and a nine-point discount for breaches of the League ‘s Profitability and Sustainability ( P & S ) rules, the team finished 17th in 2018–19 ; however, Monk was sacked in June after conflict with the board. [ 69 ] He was succeeded by his assistant, Pep Clotet, initially as caretaker. [ 70 ] In the 2019–20 season, a temper that was suspended from March to June 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the baseball club once again keep off relegation despite a 14-match winless run at the end of the season and the terror of a further points deduction. [ 71 ] [ 72 ] Academy product Jude Bellingham was sold to Borussia Dortmund in the summer for a club-record manage reported to be worth up to £30 million, [ 73 ] after which Aitor Karanka lasted eight months as head coach before being replaced by former Birmingham actor Lee Bowyer. [ 5 ]

Colours and badge

modest Heath Alliance original kit The Small Heath Alliance members decided among themselves that their colours would be blue ; in the early days, they wore whatever blue sky shirt they had. The beginning uniform kit was a dark blasphemous shirt with a whiten girdle and white shorts. several variations on a blue root were tried ; the one that stick was the royal amobarbital sodium shirt with a white “ V ”, adopted during the First World War and retained until the late 1920s. Though the design changed, the royal blue remained. In 1971 they adopted the “ penguin ” strip – royal amobarbital sodium with a broad white central front panel – which lasted five years. [ 76 ] Since then they have by and large worn knit, nominally royal amobarbital sodium shirts, though the actual shade used has varied. Shorts have been either blue or white, and socks normally blue, white or a combination. White, yellow, crimson and total darkness, on their own or in combination, have been the most frequently used discolor for the away kit. [ 77 ] There were aberrations : the 1992 kit, sponsored by Triton Showers, was made of a blue material covered with motley splashes which resembled a shower curtain. [ 78 ] The home shirt has only once featured stripes : in 1999, the blasphemous shirt had a front central control panel in pin down blue sky and white stripes, a design like to the Tesco supermarket carrier bag of the clock time. [ 77 ] [ 80 ] When the club changed its name from Small Heath to Birmingham in 1905 it adopted the city ‘s coat of arms as its crest, although this was not constantly worn on the shirts. The 1970s “ penguin ” shirt carried the letters “ BCFC ” intertwined at the center of the chest of drawers. The Sports Argus newspaper ran a contest in 1972 to design a fresh badge for the club. The winning introduction, a line-drawn globe and ball, with a ribbon carrying the club ‘s mention and date of foundation garment, in apparent blue and whiten, was adopted by the clubhouse but not worn on playing shirts until 1976. An experiment was made in the early 1990s with color in the ball and ball, but was soon abandoned. [ 82 ] In June 2020, the golf club announced a four-year partnership with Nike as supplier of kits, which carry the logo of the club ‘s principal patronize, irish bookmaker BoyleSports. [ 83 ] The 2021–22 home kit consists of a blue shirt with pattern front in two shades of blue, white shorts and aristocratic socks, while the away kit has a yellow shirt with blue pinstripes and trim, like to the Europa League kit of ten years before, with amobarbital sodium shirts and white socks. [ 84 ] The golf club rarely spends more than three seasons with the same kit supplier. [ 82 ] The first base sponsor to have its name on the shirt was Birmingham-based brewery Ansells in 1983. [ 82 ] They withdrew in mid-1985, [ 85 ] and the shirts went unsponsored until January 1987, when Co-op Milk paid a “ five-figure sum ” to have its name displayed until the end of the season, which was a easing to the club not only financially ; the vice-chairman claimed that as a “ big club … people expect us to have a shirt sponsor and we have been lagging behind ”. [ 86 ] Later sponsors included car retailer PJ Evans/Evans Halshaw ( 1988–1989 ), Mark One ( 1989–1992 ), Triton Showers ( 1992–1995 ), Auto Windscreens ( 1995–2001 ), Phones 4u ( 2001–2003 ), Flybe ( 2003–2007 ), F & C Investments ( 2007–2011 ), alien substitution company RationalFX ( 2011–2012 ), “ life style and leisure ” occupation EZE Group ( 2012–2013 and 2015–2016 ), e-cigarette party Nicolites ( 2013–2014 ), mobile payment enabler Zapaygo ( 2014–2015 ), and 888sport ( 2016–2019 ). [ 82 ] [ 87 ]

Stadiums

minor Heath Alliance played their first dwelling games on waste ground off Arthur Street, Bordesley Green. As interest grew, they moved to a fenced-off field in Ladypool Road, Sparkbrook, where entree could be charged. A year later, they moved again, to a airfield adjoining Muntz Street, Small Heath, near the main Coventry Road, with a capacity of about 10,000. The Muntz Street ground was adequate for 1880s friendly matches, and the capacity was gradually raised to around 30,000, but when several thousand spectators scaled walls and broke down turnstiles to get into a first Division peer against Aston Villa, it became pass that it could no longer cope with the requirement. Director Harry Morris identified a web site for a new ground in Bordesley Green, some three-quarters of a nautical mile ( 1 kilometer ) from Muntz Street towards the city kernel. The locate was where a brickwork once operated ; the kingdom sloped steeply down to stagnant pools, yet the stadium was constructed in under twelve months from land headroom to opening ceremony on Boxing Day 1906. Heavy snow about prevented the opening ; volunteers had to clear sales talk and terraces before the match, a scoreless draw against Middlesbrough, could go ahead. The ground is reputed to have been cursed by gypsies evicted from the site ; [ 89 ] although gypsies are known to have camped nearby, [ 90 ] there is no contemporary evidence for their eviction by the golf club .
average and top out league attendances at St Andrew ‘s The original capacity of St Andrew ‘s was reported as 75,000, with 4,000 seats in the Main Stand and quad for 22,000 under cover. By 1938 the official capacitance was 68,000, and February 1939 saw the attendance record set at the fifth rung FA Cup bind against Everton, variously recorded as 66,844 or 67,341. [ A ] On the outbreak of the Second World War, the Chief Constable ordered the grind ‘s closure because of the danger from air raids ; it was the lone grind to be thus closed, and was entirely re-opened after the matter was raised in Parliament. It was badly damaged during the Birmingham Blitz : the Railway End and the Kop as a resultant role of fail, while the Main Stand burnt down when a fireman mistake gasoline for water .
Main Stand, St Andrew ‘s, 2005 The refilling Main Stand used a prop up cantilever ceiling design, which meant fewer pillars to block spectators ‘ view of the pitch. Floodlights were installed in 1956, and officially switched on for a friendly match against Borussia Dortmund in 1957. By the early 1960s a stand had been built at the Railway End to the same plan as the Main Stand, roof had been put on the Kop and Tilton Road End, and the ground capacitance was gloomy to about 55,000. Resulting from the 1986 Popplewell Report into the safety of sports grounds and the late Taylor Report, the capacity of St Andrew ‘s was set at 28,235 for safety reasons, [ 35 ] but it was accepted that the stadium had to be brought up to modern all-seated standards. After the last home bet on of the 1993–94 temper, the Kop and Tilton Road terraces were demolished – fans took family a significant symmetry as souvenirs – to be replaced at the start of the new season by a 7,000-seat Tilton Road Stand, continuing round the corner into the 9,500-seat Kop which opened two months late. The 8,000-seat Railway Stand followed in 1999 ; [ 95 ] ten years late, this was renamed the Gil Merrick Stand, in honor of the golf club ‘s appearance record-breaker and former director, [ 96 ] but the Main Stand has still to be modernised. In 2019, the cabaret web site listed the stadium capacity as 29,409. [ 3 ] In 2004 a marriage proposal was put forward to build a “ sports greenwich village ” comprising a 55,000-capacity City of Birmingham Stadium, other sports and leisure facilities, and a super casino, to be jointly financed by Birmingham City Council, Birmingham City F.C. ( via the proceeds of the sale of St Andrew ‘s ) and the casino group Las Vegas Sands. The feasibility of the design depended on the government issuing a license for a super casino, and Birmingham being chosen as the venue, [ 97 ] but this did not happen. The club have planning license to redevelop the Main Stand, [ 98 ] but cabaret and council continued to seek alternate sources of fund for the City of Birmingham Stadium project. [ 99 ] In 2013, the Birmingham City Supporters ‘ Trust ‘s application for listing St Andrew ‘s as an Asset of Community Value ( ACV ) – a building or early land whose main habit “ furthers the social wellbeing or sociable interests of the local anesthetic residential district ” and where it is realistic to believe it could do so in the future. [ 100 ] – under the Localism Act 2011 was approved by Birmingham City Council. [ 101 ] This requires any propose sale to be notified to the Council, and provides for a six-month moratorium on that sale to allow the Trust and other community groups to submit their own bid. [ 101 ] In 2018, the golf club ‘s owners agreed a three-year sponsorship deal under which the name became St Andrew ‘s Trillion Trophy Stadium. [ 102 ]

Supporters

Birmingham fans consider their main rivals to be Aston Villa, their nearest neighbours geographically, with whom they contest the Second City bowler hat. Lesser rivalries include fellow West Midlands clubs Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Bromwich Albion. According to a 2003 football Fans Census survey, Aston Villa fans thought of Birmingham City as their main rivals, though this was not always the case. [ 103 ]
Birmingham City mascot Beau Brummie Birmingham ‘s supporters are generally referred to as “ Bluenoses ” in the media and by the fans themselves ; the name is besides used in a derogative manner by fans of early clubs. [ 103 ] [ 104 ] A man of public sculpt in the shape of a ten-times-life-size head lying on a knoll near the St Andrew ‘s ground, Ondré Nowakowski ‘s Sleeping Iron Giant, has been repeatedly defaced with blue paint on its nose. [ 105 ] Between 1994 and 1997 the club mascot took the form of a gloomy intrude, though it is now a cad named Beau Brummie, a play on the appoint Beau Brummell and Brummie, the gull word for a person from Birmingham. A number of supporters ‘ clubs are affiliated to the football cabaret, both in England and abroad. [ 107 ] An action group was formed in 1991 to protest against chair Samesh Kumar, the club blamed an internet petition for the collapse of the purchase of player Lee Bowyer in 2005, [ 108 ] and antipathy towards the display panel provoked hostile tone and a sales talk invasion after the last match of the 2007–08 season, [ 109 ] but when the club was in fiscal difficulties, supporters contributed to schemes which funded the purchase of players Brian Roberts in 1984 and Paul Peschisolido in 1992. A supporters ‘ trust was formed under the auspices of Supporters Direct in 2012. [ 111 ] There have been respective fanzines published by supporters. Made in Brum, first issued in 2000, was the merely one regularly on sale in 2013. [ 112 ] The Zulu began some years earlier and ran for at least 16 seasons. [ 113 ] The bully firm associated with the club, the Zulu Warriors, were unusual in that they had multi-racial membership at a prison term when many such firms had associations with racist or rightist groups. [ 115 ] Visiting Birmingham fans during the golf club ‘s foremost away appearance in group stage of the UEFA Europa League in 2011 The fans ‘ hymn, [ 116 ] an adaptation of Harry Lauder ‘s “ Keep Right On to the end of the Road ”, [ 117 ] was adopted during the 1956 FA Cup campaign. The Times ‘s football correspondent described in his Cup Final preview how

the Birmingham clans swept their side along to Wembley – the first side ever to reach a final without once playing at home – on the wings of the sung “ Keep mighty on to the end of the road ”. [ 118 ]

Player Alex Govan is credited with popularising the birdcall, by singing it on the coach on the way to the quarter-final [ 119 ] and when he revealed in an interview that it was his favorite .

In the build-up to the 1956 FA Cup semi-final with Sunderland I was interviewed by the press and happened to let slip that my favored birdcall was Harry Lauder ‘s honest-to-god music hall number “ Keep Right on to the end of the Road ”. I thought no more about it, but when the third goal went in at Hillsborough the Blues fans all started singing it. It was the proudest moment of my life sentence .

possession

little Heath F.C. became a limited company in 1888 ; its first base share issue was to the value of £650. The board was made up of local anesthetic businessmen and dignitaries until 1965, when the baseball club was sold to Clifford Coombs. By the mid-1980s the club was in fiscal perturb. Control passed from the Coombs syndicate to early Walsall F.C. president Ken Wheldon, who cut costs, made redundancies, and sold off assets, including the baseball club ‘s aim crunch. silent unable to make the baseball club yield, Wheldon sold it to the Kumar brothers, owners of a clothe chain. debt was hush increasing when matters came to a head ; the collapse of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International ( BCCI ) put the Kumars ‘ businesses into receivership. The club continued in administration for four months until Sport Newspapers ‘ owner David Sullivan bought the Kumars ‘ 84 % holding for £700,000 from BCCI ‘s liquidator in March 1993. [ 38 ] [ 39 ] Birmingham City plc, of which the football baseball club was a wholly own subsidiary company, was floated on the Alternative Investment Market ( AIM ) in 1997 with an offspring of 15 million new shares, [ 123 ] raising £7.5 million of fresh investment. [ 124 ] It made a pre-tax profit of £4.3M in the year ending 31 August 2008. [ 125 ] In July 2007, Hong Kong businessman Carson Yeung, via the Hong Kong Stock Exchange ( SEHK ) -listed company Grandtop International Holdings Limited ( GIH ), bought 29.9 % of the plc from its directors. Although his intention to take fully operate of the club initially came to nothing, [ 126 ] GIH completed the purchase in October 2009 at a sum cost of £81.5M, re-registered the club as a private company, and renamed the holding party Birmingham International Holdings ( BIH ). [ 127 ] [ 57 ] [ 128 ] trade in BIH shares was suspended in June 2011 after Yeung ‘s collar on charges of money-laundering. [ 129 ] Publication of fiscal results was repeatedly delayed, [ 130 ] which led the Football League to impose a remove embargo, [ 131 ] and offers for the club were entertained from 2012 onwards. [ 132 ] After Yeung resigned his positions with both club and company in early 2014, share trade resumed, [ 133 ] and following his conviction, [ 134 ] efforts intensified to dispose of the club, which had to be done bit-by-bit in order to retain BIH ‘s partake list. [ 135 ]

Honours

Trophy cabinet with the Carling Cup trophy Birmingham City ‘s honours include the follow : [ 141 ] second Division / First Division / The Championship ( charge 2 )
third Division / Second Division ( flat 3 )
FA Cup
Football League Cup
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
consort Members ‘ Cup / Football League Trophy
Birmingham Senior Cup

Winners: 1905

Small Heath first entered the Birmingham Senior Cup in 1878–79 – ten years before the foundation of the Football League – and won for the first time in 1905, defeating West Bromwich Albion 7–2 in the final. Its importance declined with the increase in League fixtures, and from 1905–06 onwards, Birmingham fielded teams containing reserve-team players.[142]

Football League South ( wartime )

Preparatory to the Football League resuming in 1946–47, the First and Second Division clubs from the last pre-war season were divided geographically between the Leagues North and South for 1945–46. Going into the last day of the season, Aston Villa were top of League South but had finished their programme two points (one win) ahead of the chasers but with a worse goal average. Charlton Athletic were second, above Birmingham by 0.002 of a goal.[144] While Charlton could only draw at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers, Birmingham won away at Luton Town, so claimed the title by 0.3 of a goal.[145]

Records and statistics

Chart of English Football League operation of Birmingham City F.C. since the 1892–93 season Birmingham achieved their highest finish up position, of sixth in the clear flight, in the 1955–56 First Division. [ 147 ] [ 26 ] Frank Womack holds the read for Birmingham league appearances, having played 491 matches between 1908 and 1928, closely followed by Gil Merrick with 485 between 1946 and 1959. If all senior competitions are included, Merrick has 551, less closely followed by Womack ‘s 515 which is the record for an outfield player. The player who won most international caps while at the club is Maik Taylor with 58 for Northern Ireland. [ 149 ] The goalscoring record is held by Joe Bradford, with 249 league goals, 267 all in all, scored between 1920 and 1935 ; no other player comes close. Walter Abbott holds the records for the most goals scored in a season, in 1898–99, with 34 league goals in the Second Division and 42 goals in sum. [ 50 ] The club ‘s widest victory margin in the league was 12–0, a scoreline which they achieved once in the Football Alliance, against Nottingham Forest in 1899, and twice in the Second Division, against Walsall Town Swifts in 1892 and Doncaster Rovers in 1903. They have lost a league pit by an eight-goal margin on eight occasions : twice in the Football Alliance and five times in the First Division, all away from home, [ 150 ] and once at home plate, beat 8–0 by AFC Bournemouth in the backing in 2014. [ 151 ] Their record FA Cup acquire was 10–0 against Druids in the one-fourth qualifying rung of the 1899 rival ; their record FA Cup defeat was 7–0 at home to Liverpool in the 2006 quarter-final. [ 151 ] Birmingham ‘s home attendance read was set at the fifth-round FA Cup draw against Everton on 11 February 1939. It is variously recorded as 66,844 or 67,341. [ A ] The highest transfer fee received for a Birmingham player is, according to the Sky Sports web site, “ a guarantee £25 million up front ” received in July 2020 from Borussia Dortmund for Jude Bellingham, which made him the most expensive 17-year-old in global football ; the consider besides included add-ons “ worth ‘several millions more ‘ ”. [ 153 ] The highest tip paid is £6.3m for croatian midfielder Ivan Šunjić, who joined from Dinamo Zagreb in July 2019. [ 154 ]

Players

First-team squad

note : Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Squad correct as of 5 December 2021. [ 155 ] [ 156 ]

Out on loan

note : Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. [ 155 ] [ 156 ]

Reserves and Academy

retired numbers

In admiration of Jude Bellingham ‘s contribution in a short meter with the first team – the cabaret ‘s youngest debutant, at 16 years and 38 days, and youngest goalscorer, he completed a full moon season before becoming Birmingham ‘s record transfer and the world ‘s most expensive 17-year-old, [ 153 ] “ showing what can be achieved through talent, hard work and dedication ” while retaining a “ lovingness, humble and engaging off-the-field demeanor ” – the club retired his number 22 shirt “ to remember one of our own and to inspire others. ” [ 170 ]

Birmingham City Women

Birmingham City Ladies Football Club was formed in 1968. The inaugural team worked their way through the leagues until promoted to the FA Women ‘s Premier League in 2002. After Birmingham City F.C. withdrew fiscal subscribe in 2005, the cabaret were entirely able to continue because of a personal contribution. They re-affiliated with Birmingham City in 2010, were founder members of the FA WSL the following year, and won the FA Women ‘s Cup in 2012. [ 171 ] A second-place finish in the 2012 FA WSL earned them qualification for the 2013–14 Champions League, in which they reached the semi-final. After TTA took over Birmingham City F.C. in November 2016, the women ‘s club became an integral separate of the arrangement. [ 172 ] It was formally renamed Birmingham City Women in 2018, and would be known as apparent Birmingham City except where that would cause confusion with the men ‘s team. [ 173 ]

golf club officials

Owners :

As of 11 May 2021[4]

- Birmingham Sports Holdings Ltd 75.00%
- Oriental Rainbow Ltd 21.64%

Directors :

As of 11 May 2021[174]

- Wenqing Zhao
- Chun Kong Yiu
- Gannan Zheng
- Yao Wang

Coaching staff :

As of 3 September 2021[175]

noteworthy managers

Gil Merrick was the first Birmingham coach to win a major trophy, the League Cup in 1963. Merrick besides led the club to the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup concluding in 1961, following Pat Beasley who had done the same in 1960. Leslie Knighton took the club to the final of the FA Cup in 1931 ; Arthur Turner did besides in 1956, angstrom well as taking care of the club ‘s highest league finish up, sixth locate in the 1955–56 First Division. Birmingham reached the 2001 Football League Cup Final under Trevor Francis, [ 43 ] whose successor as permanent coach, Steve Bruce, twice achieved promotion to the Premier League. [ 46 ] [ 53 ] Birmingham won the League Cup for the second gear time under Alex McLeish in 2011. [ 59 ] The 1966 World Cup -winning coach, Sir Alf Ramsey, took charge of the golf club concisely in 1977 .

Notes

a b[50] and Rothmans Football Yearbook. Others, including the history page of Birmingham City F.C.’s website,[8] Matthews’ Encyclopedia, and The Times newspaper from the Monday following the match,[93] say 67,341. Some sources give the read attendance as 66,844 : these include the records page of Birmingham City F.C. ‘s websiteand Rothmans Football Yearbook. Others, including the history page of Birmingham City F.C. ‘s web site, Matthews ‘, andnewspaper from the Monday following the match, say 67,341 .

References

Sources

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Goodyear, David; Matthews, Tony (1988). Aston Villa A Complete Record 1875–1988. Derby: Breedon Books. ISBN 0-907969-37-2.
Holden, Jim (2000). Stan Cullis: The Iron Manager. Derby: Breedon Books. ISBN 1-85983-211-3.
Jawad, Hyder (2005). Strange Magic. Birmingham City v Aston Villa. Birmingham Post.
Lewis, Peter, ed. (2000). Keeping right on since 1875. The Official History of Birmingham City Football Club. Lytham: Arrow. ISBN 1-900722-12-7.
Matthews, Tony (1995). Birmingham City: A Complete Record. Derby: Breedon Books. ISBN 978-1-85983-010-9.
Matthews, Tony (October 2000). The Encyclopedia of Birmingham City Football Club 1875–2000. Cradley Heath: Britespot. ISBN 978-0-9539288-0-4.
Radnedge, Keir (1998). “Inter-Cities Fairs/UEFA Cup”. The Complete Encyclopedia of Football. Carlton Books. ISBN 978-1-85833-979-5.
Rollin, Jack, ed. (1990). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1990–91. London: Queen Anne Press. ISBN 0-356-17911-7.
Rollin, Jack (2005). Soccer at War 1939–45. London: Headline. ISBN 978-0-7553-1431-7.
Rollin, Glenda; Rollin, Jack, eds. (2010). Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2010–2011 (41st ed.). London: Headline. ISBN 978-0-7553-6107-6.