Forever Blues

Birmingham City Season Verdict! Player of the Season, Portsmouth Recap & Big Transfer Needs

The 2025/26 season is officially in the books! In Episode 46 of the Forever Blues podcast, Colin Tattum and Paul Tait deliver their ultimate season verdict. The lads kick things off with a recap of the final match of the campaign—a 1-1 draw at Portsmouth. Taity, who watched the game from the stands at Fratton Park with Liam Daish, rues the missed chances and discusses Paik's positive impact as a substitute in the Number 10 role. This sparks a wider tactical debate: Is Jay Stansfield unsuited to the classic 10 position, and has Marvin Ducksch damaged his brand beyond repair? Blues closed the campaign five matches unbeaten to secure a 10th place finish—their highest placing since 2015/16. But with an agonizing 27 shots hitting the woodwork and a horrific away record, the boys debate whether 10th is truly an acceptable finish or a massive missed opportunity. Tatts and Taity then turn their attention to the end-of-season awards. They discuss the sheer physical presence of the defense, praise the impact of Kai Wagner, and unanimously crown Christoph Klarer as their Player of the Season! Finally, the boys reflect on their favourite (and worst!) moments of the campaign, look ahead to a massive summer of recruitment for Chris Davies, and give a hilarious update on Neil Moxley. IN THIS EPISODE 00:16 - Introduction 01:44 - Portsmouth v Blues recap 02:10 - Pushing on in the second-half 02:30 - Disappointed with a draw 03:14 - Five big chances missed - Ibrahim Osman fluffing 03:58 - August Priske's first goal, Portsmouth's marking 05:44 - Blues corners and delivery 06:19 - Priske not the target man; more like a Jon Stead, Paul Gallagher type 06:46 - Moving Paik into the 10 role as substitute 07:46 - The end of Marvin Ducksch? Damaging the brand 08:25 - Jay Stansfield ill at ease as a classic 10 08:48 - Specialist role - Blues need a clever player in there this summer, a Sheringham 10:50 - Worry over Stansfield's ankle injury 11:31 - Adrian Segecic and the mass confrontation, sparked the game 14:10 - Taity likes Segecic, but did he dive trying to get a penalty? 14:45 - Blues finish 5 unbeaten and finish 10th in the Championship; all the what ifs . . . 15:29 - 27 times hitting the woodwork 15:56 - Rate Blues final position in the league; an opportunity missed for Taity 16:16 - Blues horrific away form, Jeremy Dale and 'building blocks' 16:55 - Look at Millwall, workmanlike and grind out results 17:37 - League will be tougher next season? 19:04 - A positive in that we can all see where improvements are needed 19:18 - Chris Davies a rookie manager and 10th place being decent 20:15 - Owners aren't here to mess around and they want results, not to finish in 10th 21:33 - A huge summer ahead, recruitment has to be spot on 21:49 - A 60/40 split on Davies 22:34 - Paik going to the World Cup and needs to sort his shoulder issue 23:11 - Is finishing 9th next season progression? 23:33 - Defensively Blues are good, on the whole, and not being ruthless enough at the other end 23:58 - Continuity. Davies the first manager since Lee Clark to start and finish two successive seasons 24:47 - If going with the same model next season, it's all about recruitment, bringing in Championship know how 25:33 - The sheer size of Klarer and Phil Neumann, who got better after thinking time out the side 27:12 - Klarer player of the season, again, the guys are in agreement 28:00 - A standout player who leads by example, a wish that others followed suit 28:52 - Honourable mentions for Demarai Gray, Stansfield and an unsung Tomoki Iwata 29:58 - Kai Wagner's impact, growing into the position of left-back 31:12 - Wagner or Alex Cochrane next season? Cochrane swearing on stage . . . 32:38 - The favourite and worst moments of the season 32:56 - The successive four-goal victories - we're going to kick on now 33:50 - Awful away performances hit Blues hard 34:42 - The Watford New Year's Day debacle. Tom Ince loves playing against Blues 35:29 - Blues dramatic winner in the eighth minute of added-time in front of 7,000 Blues fans at Blackburn Rovers 36:03 - Coventry City win, the Leeds United FA Cup tie 36:50 - Credit to the Blues fans this season, unwavering backing 38:06 - Outro and the latest update on Mox #BCFC #KRO #BirminghamCity #ChristophKlarer #ChrisDavies #EFLChampionship Principal Partner: Davisons Law Junior Partners: Bewdley Spirits, AMG Logistics, and DrainTech. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Birmingham City | Home comforts, Priske and Vicente, the big youth debate and Portsmouth preview

It's a wide-ranging Episode 45 of the Forever Blues podcast! Colin Tattum and Paul Tait go through Blues' strong end to the season at St. Andrew's, following back-to-back 2-1 victories. The lads analyze how August Priske and Carlos Vicente are growing into their roles, potentially becoming key players for the upcoming campaign. Then, it's time for the big debate. With Blues hitting the woodwork a remarkable 26 times this season, the boys reflect on the "what ifs" and dissect the end-of-season messages from CEO Jeremy Dale and manager Chris Davies. Taity delivers some firm words on the current lack of Academy players getting an opportunity in the first team. With no Academy-reared player registering league minutes in the last two seasons, Taity admits the blocked pathway is a massive worry for the club's future. How will Blues ever produce the next Jude Bellingham if the kids aren't given a chance? Finally, the boys preview the final game of the season at Portsmouth, recall the day Jude and Agus Medina made their debuts at Fratton Park, and give a quick update on Neil Moxley's whereabouts! IN THIS EPISODE 00:24 - Introduction 01:24 - Important to finish the season in a positive frame of mind 02:29 - Tactical tweak to jump on Morsy - not rocket science though! 04:13 - Neumann's opener and Blues attacking set-pieces 05:21 - Priske's evolution and almost breaking his duck 06:27 - The benefits of a settled team and Priske growing into his role 07:35 - Landing on second balls and pushing on, thanks to the adjustment in style 08:21 - Midfielders breaking forward and winning duels 08:38 - 'Fantastic' Vicente 09:37 - Vicente's skill set and displacing Roberts; plus handling the rough stuff 11:32 - Blues top of the league - Tatts' stat attack! 11:43 - Hitting the woodwork 26 times - crazy 12:17 - Taity's stat attack - he makes it 1-1! 12:47 - The what ifs 13:25 - Blues' St. Andrew's strength: third best home record in the Championship, but away woes 16:10 - Taity no to fireworks (again) 16:28 - Big up Rich Goulding, the voice of St. Andrew's 17:15 - Jeremy Dale on Blues 'valuable experience gained' standing Blues in 'better stead' next season 18:09 - Of course he'd say that! Behind the scenes, probably sterner words being uttered 19:16 - David Sullivan would have let rip 19:35 - Chris Davies via Blues News programme, writing about a 'positive marker' of progress on the pitch 20:24 - He's got to say that, hasn't he - again! 21:05 - Trying to sign Maradona and Jean-Pierre Papin 22:22 - The big youth debate - why have no Academy lads been used? 23:01 - No Academy-reared player will have played league minutes in the last two seasons - not acceptable? 23:38 - Manager's focus is first team and first team players 24:04 - Rivals spending millions on kids coming through 24:31 - It is worrying, says Taity. The problem of split first team and Academy training sites 25:29 - Chris Davies skirting round the issue 25:47 - The pathway is becoming more blocked and the knock-on effect of trying to attract players 26:25 - Catch 22. Blues investing heavily in recruitment, but if there is no light at the end of the tunnel... 27:06 - Paying the money to buy players in. Taity speaking to Villa's Academy staff 27:57 - Blues playing catch up - not at that budget level 28:16 - First year pros could be earning towards and upwards of £10,000-a-week elsewhere 29:07 - Taity was on £28.50! 29:39 - Pressure to get into the Premier League and increasing the value of young players 30:21 - Isichei and Mazwi on the bench for six consecutive games; why not bring them on at 3-0 up at Cambridge? 30:48 - It's opportunity - you won't find out unless you try 31:06 - Taity on his debut at just aged 17 31:28 - It's down to the manager 32:28 - An argument for the powers that be upstairs telling the manager the club philosophy 33:29 - The loans issue; a new role being created as Blues have been behind the eight ball 34:34 - Managers' resistance 34:47 - Wolves approach to loans and 21s' football 35:52 - Young players training with the first team more - the manager has his neck on the line 36:32 - Portsmouth away last game - Pompey's pick-up since Easter 37:42 - Jude's debut at Fratton Park . . . and Agus Medina's 38:29 - First game away next season at Spurs . . . noon on a Sunday, or February on a night 39:16 - Medina went back to Cornella - Lionel Messi's new club 40:04 - Adrian Segecic - Pompey's Priske 40:44 - Who is going to leave Blues in the summer? 41:45 - Alberto Tarantini and jumping into the crowd 42:12 - Final thank yous and an update on Mox's whereabouts . . . #BCFC #KRO #BirminghamCity #AugustPriske #JudeBellingham #EFLChampionship Principal Partner: Davisons Law Junior Partners: Bewdley Spirits, AMG Logistics, and DrainTech. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Birmingham City Upheaval! Chris Davies' Future, Stanno's Drought & Sign Jhon Solis?

As the season reaches its final straight, the big debates are kicking off at St. Andrew's! In Episode 44, Colin Tattum and Paul Tait recap the hard-earned draw at Hull City, with the lads disagreeing on whether Blues should have taken all three points. Taity advocates for the Barry Fry "lunacy" school of football, whilst the boys discuss Chris Davies' new tactical buzzword: the "finalisation position". The debate then turns to the future. Should Blues make Jhon Solis a permanent signing this summer? Taity wonders if the Colombian even wants to be here, while Tatts argues he will be vital next season—but only if he starts. There is also serious concern over Jay Stansfield's goal drought (1 in 27 appearances). Is the number 10 role ruining his form, and should Blues be looking at Coventry City's powerful frontline as a template? Plus, Tatts drops a snippet regarding the future of Chris Davies amid a looming summer debrief, Taity tells a hilarious story involving Liam Daish in the toilets at a pre-season friendly, and the boys preview the final home game of the campaign against Bristol City. IN THIS EPISODE 00:55 - Hull City recap - a decent point 01:38 - Taity wants more! A weird game, expecting better from the Tigers 03:14 - Partnerships across the pitch and Klarer/Neumann rocks at the back 04:30 - Good partnerships but two points dropped 04:36 - Context of away performances and form - statto Tatts is back - showing more resilience 05:45 - Gray impact and Blues moving to a back five to see it out 06:53 - Gung ho at the end - but were Hull really going after it, asks Taity 07:25 - Taity is from the Barry Fry 'lunacy' school of football 08:29 - Attacking midfielders, Tomoki Iwata and the 'finalisation position' 09:16 - A new buzzword, getting forward and playing forward 10:38 - Iwata did get a nosebleed being that high up 11:02 - Holding midfielders, having the legs and energy 11:35 - Jhon Solis permanent signing - yes or no? 11:45 - Does he want to be here, speculates Taity 12:21 - Buy Solis, but start him 13:09 - Solis probably doesn't feel wanted 13:45 - Adapting to the Championship, and Chris Davies making him a regular now 14:30 - The six . . and eights 14:41 - Don't mention double pivots in the toilets next to Taity and Liam Daish . . . 15:38 - Solis has a Fabrice Muamba kind of feel. Sign him, says Tatts 17:13 - Another stat! About Jay Stansfield - 1 goal in 27 appearances 17:45 - Stanno not suited as a number 10; he's not a traditional 10 18:35 - Getting frustrated and doing all his work outside the box 18:53 - Where are the goals going to come from? 20:03 - Concern for next season about where does Stanno fit in? 21:26 - Blues have to find ways to get chances for Stanno and August Priske 21:47 - Look at Coventry City's frontline - very physical 'lumps' who score goals 23:42 - Potentially a lot of upheaval in the summer 24:14 - A snippet on Chris Davies' future as manager 25:23 - Phil Neumann - a 'different beast' 25:41 - He's got the hang of the Championship 26:44 - Davies learning, continuity and adding more powerful players 28:37 - Having clarity on the type of player for the system this summer 29:48 - Are players on the beach, with nothing to play for? 29:51 - Personal pride, players playing for contracts and not short changing fans 30:57 - Blues under Alex McLeish finishing 10th in the Premier League 33:02 - £5 if you can make Liam Daish smile at Portsmouth on the final day 33:53 - Looking forward to next season already; more difficult as a supporter than a player 36:06 - Blues last home game of season against Bristol City 36:44 - Play-off qualification at eighth place next season 37:39 - Blues away at Bristol City - they weren't great against us, but heads had gone 39:27 - Blues will have a lot of the ball; it could be a more possession-based performance 40:17 - A thank you to our principal partners Davisons Law #BCFC #KRO #BirminghamCity #JayStansfield #JhonSolis #EFLChampionship Principal Partner: Davisons Law Junior Partners: Bewdley Spirits, AMG Logistics, and DrainTech. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Birmingham City SLAYED Wrexham! Vicente Shines, New Tactical Style & Hull City 'Fracas' Preview

Birmingham City secured a massive, much-needed 2-0 victory over Wrexham to fire up hopes of finishing the season with a flourish! In Episode 43, Colin Tattum and Paul Tait break down exactly how Blues out-battled and out-worked their big-spending opponents, limiting them to zero shots on target. The lads heap praise on the "unplayable" Ibrahim Osman, the influence of natural left-back Kai Wagner, and Carlos Vicente—asking why it has taken so long to see this level of performance from him. Has Chris Davies finally found the right formula? Tatts and Taity discuss the noticeable shift to a more direct, runner-heavy style, sacrificing possession to do more with the ball. Taity urges the manager to keep a settled side and play August Priske every game to build vital partnerships. Finally, the boys preview the upcoming trip to Hull City. Expect an extra edge to this one following the October fracas at St. Andrew's, and keep your eyes on the technical area with Sergej Jakirovic! IN THIS EPISODE 00:56 - All that money spent and out-battled, out-worked, no shots on target 01:29 - Less possession and doing more with the ball 01:55 - Big game for both Blues and Wrexham - what changed exactly? 02:48 - Immense Christophe Klarer, winning the battles and August Priske leading the line 03:07 - Jay Stansfield worry - doing all the work outside the box 04:49 - Ibrahim Osman unplayable in parts and playing the right, quality balls and not smashing it 06:58 - Blues not slowing it down, runners beyond and utilising the wide players' strengths 07:38 - In praise of Carlos Vicente - but why has it taken so long? 08:57 - Playing Priske every game and keeping settled side 10:53 - Next season is going to be tough and Spurs tipped to go down 12:08 - Priske and how to play to his strengths 12:28 - Building up an understanding as pair, Priske and Stansfield 13:49 - Movement, finding space and when Blues are at their muddled worst 14:38 - Kai Wagner's influence, having that natural left-back 16:39 - Keeping on playing the same team and show trust in them 17:54 - Centre-halves Klarer and Phil Neumann chat 21:09 - Would you take Blues not being as pleasing on the eye but winning? 21:58 - Roy Keane and being 'brutal' getting the second balls; mentality 24:18 - Getting fans off their seats 25:03 - Style is changing but don't ignore the core Championship needs. Lessons to be learned 25:31 - Hull City, Blues next opponents 26:07 - Why there will be an edge on this game after the October fracas at St. Andrew's 26:31 - Sergej Jakirovic - watch the technical area at Hull! 27:41 - Taity impressed by Hull and Joe Geldhardt 29:11 - Lewis Koumas doubt, John Lundstram suspended 30:02 - Up to the Blues players to finish the season off on a positive note 31:28 - Geldhardt tormenting Blues for Wigan Athletic as an Under-18 32:25 - Talking transition away from home 32:53 - Too much 'noise', says Taity about how football is played 34:08 - A parting thank you #BCFC #KRO #BirminghamCity #WrexhamAFC #HullCity #EFLChampionship Principal Partner: Davisons Law Junior Partners: Bewdley Spirits, AMG Logistics, and DrainTech. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Birmingham City 'Robbed' at Ipswich! A 'Joke' Decision, Kyogo's Nightmare & Wrexham Preview

Birmingham City salvaged some pride at Ipswich Town on Easter Monday, but should they have taken all three points? In Episode 42, Colin Tattum and Paul Tait assess a rollercoaster Easter weekend, starting with the dismal Good Friday defeat to Blackburn Rovers. The lads then dissect the vastly improved second-half display at Portman Road, where the handbrake finally came off—only for Blues to be denied by a "joke" of a decision from the assistant referee. Taity pulls no punches this week. He calls out Demarai Gray for flattering to deceive, discusses Jonathan Panzo's painful afternoon, and delivers a brutal verdict on Kyogo, labelling his injury-ended, one-goal season as a "nightmare". With the season in danger of fizzling out, both Tatts and Taity demand continuity. It’s time to stop the chopping and changing, play the January signings like August Priske, and push Jhon Solis further forward. Finally, the boys look ahead to the visit of "big spending" Wrexham. With Phil Parkinson's side chasing the play-offs without a team of "superstars," the lads debate whether the Welsh club has provided the exact template Blues need to follow in the Championship. IN THIS EPISODE 01:19 - Blues hard done by - 'joke' to disallow the equaliser at Ipswich Town 02:02 - Taking the handbrake off 02:48 - Assistant referee guesswork and Jhon Solis pushing on 05:45 - First-half frustration, conceding two goals in four minutes 06:05 - Painful afternoon for Jonathan Panzo 07:20 - Demarai Gray flattering to deceive? 08:18 - Positive changes down the left, wildcard Ibrahim Osman 09:12 - Forget xG, how about xW? 10:40 - Finishing chances off - Blues bad conversion rates 12:12 - Seven alterations to the side, August Priske assessment 13:09 - Taity 'don't change the team' - continuity is key, play the January signings 13:32 - Football Prevention Officers 14:12 - Priske fighting fire with fire 14:20 - Working on runs into the box, variety of movement 15:33 - Building an understanding, Priske and Stansfield 17:07 - Blackburn Rovers defeat and performance - bad passing and a team tuned out to the season? 17:19 - Paik lung-busting run, Doyle the same - they can't do it consistently 18:48 - Why Taity hoped Blues went a goal down. Yes, you read that correctly! 20:03 - A couple of players hiding against Blackburn Rovers 21:11 - Apathy by the end, Chris Davies admitting a few players lacking confidence 22:27 - Chris Davies' praise for Jhon Solis . . . so why not play him every week? 23:26 - Not having natural left-backs available due to injury is hurting Blues 24:50 - Phil Neumann return to the side 25:55 - Kyogo out for the season - underwhelming and a disappointment 27:57 - Tatts' stat attack! 28:59 - A big 'in' tray for someone this summer 30:18 - Kyogo a 'nightmare' to play against - and with 33:31 - Who is going to be happy with a 17th place finish - a big inquest coming 33:49 - Compare and contrast with Wrexham, Blues next opponents 35:15 - 'Big spending' Wrexham under Phil Parkinson, chasing the play-offs 35:51 - Blues landing on second balls at last, as seen at Ipswich Town 36:48 - Can Blues learn any pointers from Wrexham's recruitment? 38:05 - No superstars in Wrexham's team, but they work for each other and play to a certain way 39:01 - Best away following in the league 41:21 - Running through brick walls Blues - no excuses 42:01 - Don't let the season fizzle out and the summer will take care of itself #BCFC #KRO #BirminghamCity #IpswichTown #WrexhamAFC #EFLChampionship Principal Partner: Davisons Law Junior Partners: Bewdley Spirits, AMG Logistics, and DrainTech. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]