This is not a report which I particularly wanted to write. After witnessing what I just have, writing about it is the last thing I needed, but Smithy did the Newcastle report, so it's my turn and I'm stuck with it unfortunately!
It's hard to know where to start. For much of this game we were pretty good, and well in control, then - just like against Newcastle - the wheels came off. This time though, there was no Abel Xavier for us to blame!!!
It all started so well, as we went at the Brummies right from the off. The tone was set when Murphy ran forty yards to collect a long diagonal ball (Danny's even added a couple of yards of pace to his ever lengthening list of qualities), and then produced a brilliant piece of skill to nutmeg Grainger and surge into the box. The cut back never found it's target, but Danny had already shown that his great early season form had continued into this game.
Virtually everything we do at the moment is going through Murphy, and he's easily been our best performer so far this season. Alongside him, Gerrard was also in good form, chasing and harrying, as well as producing the usual mix of good and bad passes. Stevie gives the ball away a hell of a lot, mainly because he tries to play the killer pass so often. When it comes off it looks great, when it doesn't....
We failed to hit the heights of the Newcastle game, but we did play some excellent football at times, especially in the first half. Birmingham offered little threat, although I must admit I was impressed with Stern John. His touch, strength and control made him a danger, and Stephane had to be on top of his game to keep him quiet in the first half.
At the other end, Diouf was busy and was linking the play well. He's been slightly disappointing since scoring twice against Southampton, but tonight he looked back on his game. It was Diouf who won the free kick from which SuperDan opened the scoring, when his jinking run was crudely ended just outside the box.
I turned to the guy next to me and said "Murphy - top corner" and I was right. You'd think the fact I say that before every free-kick would mean that I wouldn't gloat, but you'd be wrong! Danny is fucking ace from free-kicks. He's scored a few, and he's hit the woodwork so many times. When it comes to set pieces, he's now our main man.
In fact, at this moment in time, he's just our main man period. When he's got the ball, things happen. And when he hasn't got it, he's been making some great diagonal runs off the ball into great positions. He's starting to do for us, what Ljungberg does so well for Arsenal. Long may it continue Danny lad.
It should have been more than just one at half time though. Other chances had gone begging, in particular when Owen missed yet another one on one. There was no one single reason for what was to happen later on, but Michael's missed chances played a big part it has to be said.
I'm not getting at Michael here, and he's still got my full support. I would still pick him for the next game, and don't go along with those who say he should be left out. But his misses have cost us dearly in the last two games in particular.
I can totally understand why Gerard is persevering with him, because there's no doubt that Michael will click into gear soon and a flurry of goals will follow. He looks sharp, his pace is there and he's getting bags of chances. The problem is he keeps fucking missing them, and it's been a very significant factor in us not picking up maximum points in the last two games.
But as I've said so many times before, when Michael is getting chances then I'm not worried, because he will score goals. His problem at the moment is that he's trying too hard. Michael is a brilliant instinctive finisher, but right now he's thinking too much. Once he's back amongst the goals, he'll be burying these chances with his trademark nonchalence.
He's won us so many points with his goals, that he deserves our backing when things aren't running for him, and he's certainly getting it. The support he's had from the fans in the last two games has been heartwarming, and rarely has his name ever been chanted more loudly than it was against Newcastle, and then tonight against Birmingham.
Michael will soon be knocking them in from all angles again, and I'd still back him to finish the season as the Premiership's top scorer. Form is temporary, class is permanent, and Michael Owen scores the Hallelujah.
The other main reason for tonight's capitulation, was a collective shitting of shorts once Birmingham pulled a goal back. They got one, and after that there was a sense of inevitablility that a second would come. It looked as though we'd got away with it, until our old pal Clinton Morrison popped up deep, deep, deep into stoppage time to have the last laugh. More enjoyable for him than his last visit here that's for sure.
But why has our normally rock solid defence developed a severe case of the jitters? The loss of Henchoz at half time was very significant I thought. Bringing Carra back in for Xavier was the right move (albeit a month too late), but why wasn't Abel on the bench? Going into the game with no defender on the bench was not very wise, and we paid a heavy price for that.
Djimi's best position is centre back, and Gerard obviously saw him as first choice cover for Sami and Steph. After tonight, I doubt if that's still the case, as Traore did himself no favours in that second half. He was like a startled rabbit. He was beaten far too easily by Stern John for Birmingham's first goal, and after that his confidence seemed to drain away and he became the Djimi Traore of two seasons ago, and not the confident young man who's impressed everyone so far this season.
I've got a lot of faith in Djimi, but what I saw tonight worried me a great deal. I think he's got the ability, but his temperament has to be called into question after this. After making the change at half time which brought Heskey on and sent Riise to left back, GH was then forced to make another defensive switch due to Djimi losing his bottle.
Carra moved in to partner Sami to shore things up in the middle, with Djimi going back to the left and Salif Diao coming on to play in an unfamiliar right back role. It was an unfamiliar back four, and we paid a heavy price for that.
Gerard's substituions left a lot to be desired in truth. I think in his Newcastle report Smithy touched on how Gerard's substitutions used to be really good, but how since his return they've left a lot to be desired. It's a valid point I think.
Tonight's were strange to say the least. As I said, having no defender on the bench was surely a mistake, and why was Berger in the squad? I don't have a problem with Paddy, but he's going at the end of the season on a Bosman. He's made his decision (and for what it's worth I don't blame him for it), and for me that means he should be frozen out of things from now on.
I wouldn't even pick him for the reserves, because he's just taking up a place which could be given to someone who DOES have a future at the club. Yet here he is, not only being named on the bench, but also getting on the field as a replacement for Diouf. Why wasn't Cheyrou on the bench instead? Maybe it's because of Paddy's attitude and workrate in training, I don't know, but I didn't see the sense in bringing him on tonight.
If Diouf was going to come off (and he did look knackered to be fair), then why no Baros? He's the man in form right now, and his confidence must be sky high. He's hit six goals in his last two games (four in the reserves, and two for the Czechs last week), and now was the ideal time to give him a go. It would have relieved some of the burden of Michael, and given us another outlet.
Instead, we got Paddy playing just behind Michael, as Gerard opted for five in midfield. That just encouraged Birmingham to come at us, knowing that they only had Owen to deal with, and Paddy had no influence on preceedings at all.
The first half had seen us play some good flowing football in patches, but the second half was not pretty. Heskey's arrival meant that far too many aimless long balls were launched at his head, and the balance of the side just didn't seem right. That's not Emile's fault, but it's impossible to escape from the fact that when he's in the side, it's too easy for some of his team-mates to take the easy option and hit it long.
Of course, we did score a fine goal, as Diouf picked up possession and caught Birmingham on the back foot before playing in the marauding Gerrard, who tucked it away at the Kop end for his first of the season. Our midfield has now scored six goals between them in the opening five games. Once we get Michael scoring again we should be fine, but we need to cut out the defensive sloppiness.
SuperDan also hit the post with a clever effort with the outside of his foot which totally fooled the keeper. Diouf was furious, as he wanted a cut back. He may have had a point, but it was a fine effort nonetheless, and very unlucky.
But it was the defensive collapse which will have worried Gerard the most. We've been so reliable at the back for so long now, yet all of a sudden we're shipping goals all over the place. Most of us blamed Xavier, but he wasn't there tonight. It would be easy to blame Traore, but the truth is that the whole team shit themselves and panicked once we let one in. Newcastle was obviously playing on their minds, as it was on the fans minds too.
When Fathead Bruce made a triple substitution, there was a murmuring all around the stadium as we all thought back to Bobby Robson's triple change last week. Sadly, it had precisely the same result. Morrison's header was a beauty it has to be said. I was right behind it and the second it left his head I knew it was in. The worst thing was that it was one of them 'slow motion' goals, where you know it's going in, but it takes an age to find the net. The Brummies went wild, whilst we just sat there in shock.
The question now has to be how do we stop these defensive lapses? The return of Babbel and Carra to the full back slots would go a long way towards solving it I would say.
Unfortunately, from what I've seen of Markus in the reserves this season, he's not quite fit enough for a return yet. He's getting there, but he still doesn't quite have the stamina to keep getting up and down the line for ninety minutes. It will come though, and the sooner the better, because we miss Markus a great deal, there's no doubt about it.
Maybe there's a case for Vignal or Riise playing left back, but if it's defensive solidity you're looking for (and right now we are) then Carra's your man. Until Markus is ready to return though, Jamie is needed at right back. I'm not writing off Traore, but he'll need looking at after tonight to see how it's affected his confidence.
Losing a two goal to Newcastle was bad, but to be fair they are a good attacking side and can do that to anyone on their day. To lose another two goal lead the following game though, to a side as limited as Birmingham is unforgivable. As I said, it can't be put down to one thing, it was a variety of factors. But even at this early stage of the season, it's hard to escape from the feeling that come May we could be looking back at the six points we let slip in these last three games and saying "that's where we lost the title."
If the lessons are learned, and the faults corrected, then it may not matter, but unless we start to be more clinical, and a lot more composed at the back, then the best chance we've had in years to become champions will slip through our fingers.
Team: Jerzy Dudek; Jamie Carragher, Sami Hyypia, Stephane Henchoz (Emile Heskey), Djimi Traore; Danny Murphy, Steven Gerrard, Didi Hamann, John Arne Riise (Salif Diao);El Hadji Diouf (Patrik Berger), Michael Owen:
