2004–05 Birmingham City F.C. season

Birmingham City F.C.
2004–05 season
ChairmanDavid Gold
ManagerSteve Bruce
GroundSt Andrew's
Premier League12th
FA CupFourth round
(eliminated by Chelsea)
League CupThird round
(eliminated by Fulham)
Top goalscorerLeague: Emile Heskey (10)
All: Emile Heskey (11)
Highest home attendance29,382 vs Aston Villa, 20 March 2005
Lowest home attendance15,363 vs Lincoln City, League Cup 2nd round, 21 September 2004
Average home league attendance28,760[1]

The 2004–05 season was Birmingham City Football Club's 102nd season in the English football league system, their third season in the Premier League and their 53rd in the top tier of English football. It ran from 1 July 2004 to 30 June 2005. Under the management of former Birmingham City player Steve Bruce, the team finished in 12th place, two places lower than the season before. They reached the fourth round of the FA Cup and the third round of the League Cup. The top scorer for the season was England forward Emile Heskey with eleven goals in all competitions, of which ten were scored in the League.

Pre-season

Pre-season friendlies

Date Opponents Venue Result Score
F–A		 Scorers Attendance Report
17 July 2004 Cheltenham Town A D 1–1 Izzet 16' 4,255 [2]
19 July 2004 VfB09 Pössneck A W 5–0 Morrison (3) 5', 35' 50', John, Forssell 1,000 [3]
21 July 2004 Erzgebirge Aue [a] L 0–1 [4]
21 July 2004 SpVgg Weiden [a] W 4–1 John (2), Morrison, Barrowman [4]
23 July 2004 SSV Ulm A L 0–1 [5]
29 July 2004 Sheffield Wednesday A W 1–0 Forssell 77' 8,000 [6]
31 July 2004 Hull City A W 4–1 Morrison 14', Izzet 35', Delaney (o.g.) 46', Savage 50' [7]
3 August 2004 Exeter City A W 2–0 Forssell 72', Heskey 82' 4,000 [8]
7 August 2004 Osasuna H D 1–1 Clapham 86' [9]
  1. ^ a b Each match was 50 minutes long as part of a four-team mini-tournament played at the Wasserwerk Stadion [de], Weiden in der Oberpfalz, Germany.

Premier League

Main article: 2004–05 FA Premier League

Season review

August

Steve Bruce named four debutants, Mario Melchiot, Muzzy Izzet, Jesper Grønkjær and club-record signing Emile Heskey, in the starting eleven for the opening-day visit to Portsmouth, with another, Julian Gray, on the bench. Robbie Savage's free kick gave Birmingham an early lead, equalised from the penalty spot five minutes later. Both goalkeepers excelled in the 1–1 draw.[10] Birmingham's midfield dominated at home to Chelsea, but neither team's strikers were on form; the only goal came from substitute Joe Cole's second-half shot deflected past Maik Taylor off Martin Taylor.[11] Heskey's first goal for his new club, an "unstoppable header" from Stan Lazaridis' cross, was enough to beat Manchester City and ended a run of 11 winless Premier League games,[12] but he had an "awful day in front of goal" and was booked for diving against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane, where Jermain Defoe's solo goal was the difference between the sides.[13]

September

Even with new signing Dwight Yorke on the left wing, Heskey and Mikael Forssell up front, and two penalty appeals, Birmingham only managed one goal to Mark Viduka's two for Middlesbrough.[14] Maik Taylor's error allowed Charlton Athletic to take a lead, and after Damien Johnson was sent off for two yellow cards, Bruce brought on Yorke and David Dunn, making his first appearance of the season after injury. Dunn was instrumental in the play that led to Izzet's corner from which Yorke headed an equaliser, and Birmingham were the better side thereafter.[15] Without Forssell, whose loan was ended early after exploratory surgery found a serious issue with his knee,[16] Bruce selected a five-man midfield with Heskey as lone striker away to fourth-placed Bolton Wanderers. They duly fell behind, Izzet equalised just after half-time, and the game ended 1–1 after Henrik Pedersen's goal for Bolton was incorrectly disallowed for offside and Heskey's last-seconds header "was going in until it diverted past the far post."[17]

October

Nicky Butt scored an equaliser when Newcastle United came to St Andrew's. Goals from Yorke and Upson had given Birmingham a 2–1 lead, but Butt pounced on 67 minutes to rescue the Magpies a point. Birmingham held Manchester United to a goalless draw at St Andrew's two weeks later and also played out a 0–0 draw at St Mary's Stadium against Southampton after that. But they were disappointing in a 1–0 loss at home to Crystal Palace on 24 October. Former Birmingham striker Andrew Johnson scored the goal for Palace, who were coming into form. Johnson ran clear of the Birmingham backline after a quick Palace counterattack.

November

Following a run of eight games without a win, Birmingham beat Liverpool 1–0 at Anfield. Veteran Darren Anderton scored the goal on 77 minutes. He turned home from one yard out after Upson had headed a corner across goal. It was Birmingham's first away win in the league all season. But Birmingham fell to a 1–0 defeat at home to Everton the following week. Thomas Gravesen scored a 69th-minute penalty after Izzet handled a shot on the goalline. Referee Rob Styles sent Izzet off and awarded Everton the spot-kick. Heskey was denied a leveller by a great last-ditch block by Tony Hibbert and Yorke wasted a late chance from ten yards. Birmingham wasted a two-goal lead at Ewood Park against Blackburn Rovers. Matt Jansen gave the hosts an early lead with an incisive finish but Anderton equalised 12 minutes later. Robbie Savage put Birmingham ahead on 38 minutes after Melchiot's marauding run down the right. Moments before half-time Dunn netted against his old side to give Birmingham a 3–1 lead at the interval. But Steven Reid and Paul Gallagher's goals in the second period rescued Rovers an unlikely point. Clinton Morrison gave Birmingham an early lead against Norwich at St Andrew's with his first goal of the campaign, but Darren Huckerby's stunning second-half strike denied the Blues their third league win of the season.

December

Arsenal thumped Birmingham 3–0 in early December. Robert Pires gave the Gunners the advantage before Thierry Henry netted twice. Birmingham bounced back by beating arch-rivals Aston Villa 2–1 on 12 December at Villa Park. Clinton Morrison scored the opener after Villa goalkeeper Thomas Sørensen let the ball slip through his hands. Shortly afterwards, David Dunn doubled Birmingham's lead after a swift counterattack. He converted Damien Johnson's cross to silence Villa Park. Gareth Barry scored a late consolation for the hosts but they were unable to prevent another defeat to their city rivals. City recorded back-to-back league wins for the first time that season when they beat West Bromwich Albion 4–0 at St Andrew's. Former Birmingham defender Darren Purse conceded a penalty by holding Morrison and Savage was able to net his third goal of the season. Morrison, who impressed throughout, scored his side's second on 23 minutes after a quick free-kick and, minutes afterwards, Heskey angled home Birmingham's third. Anderton heaped more misery on the struggling visitors by scoring a late free-kick. And Birmingham moved up to 12th for the visit of Middlesbrough on Boxing Day. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink had an early goal disallowed for offside before Morrison netted his third goal in as many matches. Heskey confirmed Birmingham's dominance when he headed in from six yards moments before half-time. Birmingham's impressive December form continued at Fulham on 28 December. Heskey lashed his side ahead with a stunning drive on 25 minutes but Sylvain Legwinski equalised against the run of play. Darren Carter turned home a Heskey header to restore Birmingham's advantage four minutes before half-time. Savage sealed the win with a spectacular second-half volley. Tomasz Radzinski found the net late on for a consolation goal.

January

Following a successful December, Birmingham slumped to four straight losses in January and, by the end of the month, fell to 15th in the table. By the time Emile Heskey scored at St James' Park, Birmingham were already 2–0 down to Newcastle United. Shola Ameobi and Lee Bowyer had scored. Kevin Nolan scored a last-minute winner as Bolton Wanderers won for the first time in the Premiership since October by beating Birmingham 2–1 at St Andrew's. Birmingham's dreadful run continued as they lost 3–1 at The Valley to Charlton Athletic. Steve Bruce's side didn't manage to record a single point during January. Fulham won at St Andrew's on 22 January. An own goal by Moritz Volz gave Birmingham the lead on 51 minutes. Luís Boa Morte was soon booked for diving under pressure by Birmingham goalkeeper Maik Taylor but, minutes later, Fulham were awarded a spot-kick. Boa Morte went to ground again under Damien Johnson's challenge but contact appeared to be outside the penalty box. Referee Phil Dowd awarded the penalty and Andy Cole converted. Fulham won it after Papa Bouba Diop scored a late header.

February

Birmingham signed striker Walter Pandiani and winger Jermaine Pennant on loans in January after slipping towards the relegation zone. The duo combined in their next game at St Andrew's against struggling Southampton. Pandiani headed home a Pennant cross on 12 minutes. Fellow new signing Robbie Blake scored from the penalty spot on 41 minutes after Melchiot was fouled. Southampton debutant Henri Camara netted a spectacular consolation in the second period. Three days later, on 5 February, Birmingham lost 2–0 at Old Trafford to Manchester United. Wayne Rooney scored the pick of the goals against an injury-ravaged City team. But resilient Birmingham bounced back to beat Liverpool 2–0 on 12 February. Sami Hyypiä fouled ex-Liverpool striker Heskey in the box and Pandiani duly delivered from the spot on 38 minutes. Birmingham doubled their advantage moments before half-time. Pennant crossed for Julian Gray to head in his first goal of the campaign. Birmingham completed the double over Liverpool that season. The win was followed by a 2–0 loss at Crystal Palace, who celebrated the double over Birmingham. Upson conceded two penalties, both scored by Andrew Johnson. The referee was Phil Dowd, whom Bruce publicly criticised after the match as he had now given three penalties against Birmingham in the past two games he refereed them.

March

Birmingham began March poorly, with a 2–0 defeat at West Brom. The Baggies were fighting to stay in the division and easily saw off a lethargic Birmingham team. Neil Clement and Kevin Campbell scored the second-half goals. Following an international break, Birmingham rallied to beat rivals Aston Villa and celebrated another double over their neighbours. Heskey put his side ahead on 52 minutes after another goalkeeping error by Sørensen. Gray sealed the victory late on with his second goal in four games.

April

The win over Aston Villa saw Bruce's squad climb up to 13th in the table. They faced Tottenham Hotspur at St Andrew's on 2 April. Stephen Kelly, who would later go on to become a Birmingham player, netted Spurs' opener on 59 minutes but Darren Carter levelled for the hosts on 66 minutes with his second goal of the campaign. Birmingham were denied a win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge after a late Didier Drogba goal cancelled out another Pandiani strike. The Uruguayan was becoming a favourite with the fans, who were calling for him to be signed permanently. Birmingham drew for a third time in a row on 16 April 16 when Portsmouth travelled to St Andrew's. Chances were at a premium in a dull 0–0 draw. Manchester City thumped Birmingham City 3–0 on 20 April. Clinton Morrison thought he had given his side the lead early on but the goal was ruled out for offside. The hosts scored all their goals in the second-half, including an unfortunate own goal by Maik Taylor. Birmingham scored an early goal at Goodison Park to take the lead against Everton. Heskey powered home from 20 yards but Birmingham were denied all three points late on. Experienced forward Duncan Ferguson scored after a goalmouth scramble to rescue Everton a draw.

May

Heskey continued his impressive form in Birmingham's next game, against Blackburn Rovers. Birmingham fell behind at St Andrew's to an early Jon Stead goal but, in the second half, Blake netted his second goal for Blues. Heskey won it on 80 minutes after rifling home a long-range strike with his weaker left foot for his 10th goal of the season. But Birmingham were unable to cement back-to-back victories. They travelled to a Norwich City side fighting to stay in the league. The Canaries won the match 1–0, courtesy of a Dean Ashton penalty in the first half. Birmingham played most of the match with ten men after Damien Johnson punched an opponent. Arsenal visited St Andrew's to complete the season. Pandiani gave Birmingham the lead on 79 minutes with his fourth goal for the club after a goalmouth scramble but veteran Dennis Bergkamp equalised on 88 minutes. An error by Philippe Senderos allowed Heskey in to crash home a winner in injury time.

Match details

Premier League match details[18]
Date League[19]
position 		Opponents Venue Result Score
F–A 		Scorers Attendance
14 August 2004 5th Portsmouth A D 1–1 Savage 10' 20,021
21 August 2004 19th Chelsea H L 0–1 28,559
24 August 2004 7th Manchester City H W 1–0 Heskey 8' 28,551
28 August 2004 13th Tottenham Hotspur A L 0–1 35,290
11 September 2004 14th Middlesbrough A L 1–2 Heskey 42' 30,252
18 September 2004 14th Charlton Athletic H D 1–1 Yorke 68' 27,400
25 September 2004 15th Bolton Wanderers A D 1–1 Izzet 49' 23,692
3 October 2004 15th Newcastle United H D 2–2 Yorke 23', Upson 57' 29,021
16 October 2005 14th Manchester United H D 0–0 29,221
24 October 2004 14th Southampton A D 0–0 27,568
30 October 2004 16th Crystal Palace H L 0–1 28,916
6 November 2004 14th Liverpool A W 1–0 Anderton 77' 42,669
13 November 2004 15th Everton H L 0–1 28,388
21 November 2004 14th Blackburn Rovers A D 3–3 Anderton 17', Savage 38', Dunn 45' 20,290
27 November 2004 13th Norwich City H D 1–1 Morrison 9' 29,120
4 December 2004 15th Arsenal A L 0–3 38,064
12 December 2004 14th Aston Villa A W 2–1 Morrison 9', Dunn 18' 41,329
18 December 2004 14th West Bromwich Albion H W 4–0 Savage 4' pen., Morrison 23', Heskey 30' 28,880
26 December 2004 12th Middlesbrough H W 2–0 Morrison 10', Heskey 45' 29,082
28 December 2004 9th Fulham A W 3–2 Heskey 25', Carter 41', Savage 53' 18,706
1 January 2005 12th Newcastle United A L 1–2 Heskey 64' 52,222
4 January 2005 13th Bolton Wanderers H L 1–2 Upson 66' 27,177
15 January 2005 14th Charlton Athletic A L 1–3 Melchiot 55' 26,111
22 January 2005 15th Fulham H L 1–2 Volz 51' o.g. 28,512
2 February 2005 14th Southampton H W 2–1 Pandiani 12', Blake 41' pen. 28,797
5 February 2005 14th Manchester United A L 0–2 67,838
12 February 2005 12th Liverpool H W 2–0 Pandiani 38' pen., Gray 45' 29,318
26 February 2005 12th Crystal Palace A L 0–2 23,376
6 March 2005 13th West Bromwich Albion A L 0–2 25,749
20 March 2005 13th Aston Villa H W 2–0 Heskey 52', Gray 89' 29,382
2 April 2005 13th Tottenham Hotspur H D 1–1 Carter 66' 29,304
9 April 2005 13th Chelsea A D 1–1 Pandiani 65' 42,031
16 April 2005 12th Portsmouth H D 0–0 28,883
20 April 2005 13th Manchester City A L 0–3 42,453
23 April 2005 13th Everton A D 1–1 Heskey 5' 36,828
30 April 2005 12th Blackburn Rovers H W 2–1 Blake 61', Heskey 8' 28,621
7 May 2005 13th Norwich City A L 0–1 25,477
15 May 2005 12th Arsenal H W 2–1 Pandiani 80', Heskey 90' 29,302

League table

Further information: 2004–05 FA Premier League § League table
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
10 Aston Villa 38 12 11 15 45 52 −7 47
11 Charlton Athletic 38 12 10 16 42 58 −16 46
12 Birmingham City 38 11 12 15 40 46 −6 45
13 Fulham 38 12 8 18 52 60 −8 44
14 Newcastle United 38 10 14 14 47 57 −10 44 Qualification for the Intertoto Cup third round
Source: [20]
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.


Results summary

Overall Home Away
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts W D L GF GA GD W D L GF GA GD
38 11 12 15 40 46  −6 45 8 6 5 24 15  +9 3 6 10 16 31  −15

Source: [21]

FA Cup

Main article: 2004–05 FA Cup
Round Date Opponents Venue Result Score
F–A		 Scorers Attendance Report
Third round 8 January 2005 Leeds United H W 3–0 Heskey 11', Carter (2) 21', 65' 25,159 [22]
Fourth round 30 January 2005 Chelsea A L 0–2 40,379 [22]

League Cup

Main article: 2004–05 Football League Cup

Birmingham lost in the third round of the 2004–05 League Cup to Premier League club Fulham.

Round Date Opponents Venue Result Score
F–A		 Scorers Attendance Report
Second round 3 October 2004 Lincoln City H W 3–1 Grønkjær 64', Morrison 77', Savage 80' pen. 15,363 [22]
Third round 27 October 2004 Fulham H L 0–1 26,371 [22]

Transfers

In

Date Player Club† Fee Ref
18 May 2004 Emile Heskey Liverpool £6,250,000 [23]
23 June 2004 Julian Gray (Crystal Palace) Free [24]
1 July 2004 Muzzy Izzet (Leicester City) Free [25]
9 July 2004 Mario Melchiot (Chelsea) Free [26]
12 July 2004 Jesper Grønkjær Chelsea £2,200,000 [27]
10 August 2004 Darren Anderton (Tottenham Hotspur) Free [28]
31 August 2004 Dwight Yorke Blackburn Rovers Undisclosed [29]
1 January 2005 Njazi Kuqi Lahti £400,000 [30]
5 January 2005 Robbie Blake Burnley £1,250,000 [31]
25 January 2005 Alex Bruce Blackburn Rovers Undisclosed [32]
† Brackets round club names denote the player's contract with that club expired before he joined Birmingham City.

Out

Date Player Fee Joined† Ref
6 August 2004 Aliou Cissé £300,000 Portsmouth [33]
14 September 2004 Stern John £200,000 Coventry City [34]
1 January 2005 Jesper Grønkjær Undisclosed Atlético Madrid [35]
19 January 2005 Robbie Savage £3,000,000 Blackburn Rovers [36]
30 June 2005 Ian Bennett Free (Leeds United) [37]
25 April 2005 Dwight Yorke Cancelled (Sydney FC) [38]
† Brackets round club names denote the player joined that club after his Birmingham City contract expired.

Loan in

Date Player Club Return Ref
1 July 2004 Mikael Forssell Chelsea End of season [39]
18 January 2005 Salif Diao Liverpool End of season [40]
31 January 2005 Mehdi Nafti Racing Santander End of season [41]
31 January 2005 Walter Pandiani Deportivo La Coruña End of season [42]
31 January 2005 Jermaine Pennant Arsenal End of season [43]

Loan out

Date Player Club Return Ref
2 August 2004 Andrew Barrowman Blackpool Three weeks [44]
16 September 2004 Darren Carter Sunderland 6 December 2004 [45]
22 October 2004 Colin Doyle Chester City One month [46]
18 November 2004 Neil Kilkenny Oldham Athletic End of season [47]
4 December 2004 Colin Doyle Nottingham Forest End of season [48]
9 December 2004 Ian Bennett Sheffield United One month [49]
16 February 2005 Ian Bennett Coventry City One month [50]
11 March 2005 Alex Bruce Sheffield Wednesday End of season [51]

Appearances and goals

Numbers in parentheses denote appearances made as a substitute.
Players marked † left the club during the playing season.
Players with names in italics and marked * were on loan from another club for the whole of their season with Birmingham.
Players listed with no appearances have been in the matchday squad but only as unused substitutes.
Key to positions: GK – Goalkeeper; DF – Defender; MF – Midfielder; FW – Forward
Players' appearances and goals by competition
No. Pos. Nat. Name League FA Cup League Cup Total Discipline
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals A yellow rectangle, denoting the yellow penalty card shown to a player being cautioned A red rectangle, denoting the red penalty card shown to a player being sent off
1 GK  NIR Maik Taylor 38 0 2 0 2 0 42 0 0 0
2 DF  CIV Olivier Tebily 9 (6) 0 0 (2) 0 0 0 9 (8) 0 2 0
3 DF  ENG Jamie Clapham 18 (9) 0 1 (1) 0 1 (1) 0 20 (11) 0 0 0
4 DF  IRE Kenny Cunningham 36 0 1 0 1 0 38 0 3 0
5 DF  ENG Matthew Upson 36 2 2 0 2 0 40 2 7 0
6 MF  TUR Muzzy Izzet 10 1 0 0 0 0 10 1 3 1
7 MF  DEN Jesper Grønkjær † 13 (3) 0 0 0 2 1 15 (3) 1 1 0
7 FW  ENG Robbie Blake 2 (9) 2 1 (1) 0 0 0 3 (10) 2 0 0
8 MF  WAL Robbie Savage † 18 4 0 0 1 1 19 5 6 0
8 MF  ENG Jermaine Pennant 12 0 0 0 0 0 12 0 3 0
9 FW  FIN Mikael Forssell * † 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0
9 FW  URU Walter Pandiani * 13 (1) 4 0 0 0 0 13 (1) 4 2 0
10 MF  ENG David Dunn 9 (2) 2 0 0 0 (1) 0 9 (3) 2 4 0
11 MF  AUS Stan Lazaridis 15 (5) 0 1 0 0 (1) 0 16 (6) 0 1 0
12 GK  ENG Ian Bennett 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
14 FW  TRI Stern John † 0 (3) 0 0 0 0 0 0 (3) 0 0 0
14 FW  FIN Njazi Kuqi 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
15 DF  ENG Martin Taylor 4 (3) 0 1 0 1 0 6 (3) 0 1 0
16 FW  ENG Emile Heskey 34 10 2 1 2 0 38 11 6 0
18 GK  BEL Nico Vaesen 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
19 FW  IRE Clinton Morrison 13 (13) 4 1 (1) 0 0 (1) 1 14 (15) 5 5 0
20 MF  SEN Salif Diao * 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0
21 MF  ENG Julian Gray 18 (14) 2 2 0 2 0 22 (14) 2 0 0
22 MF  NIR Damien Johnson 36 0 0 0 0 (1) 0 36 (1) 0 8 2
24 MF  ENG Darren Carter 12 (3) 2 2 2 0 0 14 (3) 4 1 0
25 MF  ENG Stephen Clemence 13 (9) 0 2 0 2 0 17 (9) 0 3 0
29 DF  NED Mario Melchiot 33 1 2 0 2 0 37 1 3 0
32 MF  ENG Darren Anderton 9 (11) 3 2 0 2 0 13 (11) 3 2 0
33 FW  TRI Dwight Yorke 4 (9) 2 0 (1) 0 2 0 6 (10) 2 1 0
36 MF  TUN Mehdi Nafti * 7 (3) 0 0 0 0 0 7 (3) 0 4 0
Players not included in matchday squads
No. Pos. Nat. Name
13 GK  IRE Colin Doyle
17 FW  ENG Neil Kilkenny
20 DF  ENG Martin Grainger †
23 DF  ENG Mat Sadler
26 DF  ENG Chris Cottrill
27 FW  SCO Andrew Barrowman
28 MF  ENG Carl Motteram
30 DF  ENG Sam Oji
31 DF  ENG Sam Alsop
34 MF  ENG Peter Till
35 DF  IRE Alex Bruce

Sources

  • Matthews, Tony (1995). Birmingham City: A Complete Record. Derby: Breedon Books. ISBN 978-1-85983-010-9.
  • Matthews, Tony (2010). Birmingham City: The Complete Record. Derby: DB Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85983-853-2.
  • For match dates, league positions and results: "Birmingham City 2004–2005: Results". Statto Organisation. Archived from the original on 2 October 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  • For lineups, appearances, goalscorers and attendances: Matthews (2010), Complete Record, pp. 444–445.
  • For goal times: "Birmingham Results 2004/05". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
  • For transfers: "Birmingham Transfers 2004/05". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 June 2013.

References

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