Birmingham 2 - 0 Blackpool

Birmingham earned their first Premier League victory since August after outclassing Blackpool at St Andrew's. Liam Ridgewell gave the hosts the lead just before the break, nodding home from two yards after Nikola Zigic's header came back off the crossbar. Star midfielder Charlie Adam then gave the ball away in his own six-yard box and allowed Zigic to double the lead.
Blackpool were enterprising but lacked a cutting edge as the home side closed out a comfortable win. The Seasiders went into the match with the best away record in the Premier League and must have had hopes of further success on the road with Birmingham struggling to repeat the form which saw them go unbeaten for so long last season. But the resilience and belief that inspired Ian Holloway's side to wins at Wigan, Newcastle and Liverpool never really materialised at a soggy St Andrew's. Holloway had made headlines in the build-up to the match with a tirade about player power, the Bosman ruling and a lack of video technology in the game. But even if the latter had been in place, it would have had no bearing on a game in which Birmingham finally began to find some much-needed home form. Holloway's decision to go for an attacking formation should be commended, although the colourful boss might have had second thoughts as the Blues controlled the opening stages....read more...