Yahoo News Siriki Dembele responds to Gary Rowett but Birmingham City face relegation shoot-out
For the second time this season, Birmingham City failed to beat and score against Rotherham United on Saturday. Blues played out a goalless draw against the Millers at the New York Stadium. The result means there is still a chance Blues could be joining Rotherham in League One next season.
Jay Stansfield had the ball in the net in the second half but it was ruled out for an offside against Lee Buchanan. Koji Miyoshi missed a good chance to score in stoppage time of a game overshadowed by an incident in the stands.
A supporter collapsed in the opening exchanges and needed to be taken to hospital after lengthy medical treatment in the stands. Hopefully the Rotherham fan in question makes a full and speedy recovery. Here are our talking points...
READ: Rowett explains Burke decision after Blues winger booed at Rotherham
READ: Krystian Bielik asks John Eustace for help after Blues slip up at Rotherham
Standards were not met
Every single person associated with Blues has spent the past seven days saying that the standards set during the brilliant victory over Coventry needed to be repeated at Rotherham. The chances of that always seemed slim based on what we have seen already this season.
Performances like the one we witnessed against Coventry have been fleeting, hence why Blues find themselves in contention to be playing League One football next term. The disappointing thing was that Blues failed to get close to it.
Had they even got near their Coventry levels, Rotherham would have been brushed aside and everyone would be feeling much less anxious about the next two weeks. This is Birmingham City, right? If there’s one thing I’ve learnt in the past year covering the club it’s that they rarely take the easy road.
Where is the luck?
Having said all of the above, Blues could quite easily have nicked it. Top scorer Stansfield was denied a goal by an offside flag against Buchanan who was adjudged to have been obstructing Rotherham goalkeeper Viktor Johansson’s view.
Granted, Buchanan was standing in an offside position, but Johansson wasn’t getting anywhere near Stansfield’s shot. By the letter of the law and all that…
“They ruled it out for a player maybe impacting the keeper’s vision or ability to save it but if you actually look at it there’s lots of bodies in the way,” said Gary Rowett. “I can understand why it’s been given. We have got a player in an offside position that is in and around the goalkeeper.
“I think when you see the strike, the keeper is not saving it anyway. I just think the power and pace of it means it doesn’t impact his chance to save it but I can understand it, at that moment, if you’re an official. I don’t think they appealed it that much but it is what it is.”
That’s more like it, Siriki
Siriki Dembele was given a rare cameo off the bench by Rowett after only appearing for 10 minutes in the previous five games under the interim Blues boss. He showed flashes of his undoubted quality with a few surges with the ball to worry Rotherham’s back-line.
One dribble saw Dembele escape three Rotherham players, all of whom tried to foul him, before going down. Rowett said on Thursday that there is still time for Dembele to force his way back in and the 27-year-old responded in the right fashion.
Whether it’s enough to earn a start is doubtful but Dembele has given Rowett food for thought. Can anyone remember what happened the last time Blues played Huddersfield?
All on Huddersfield
Blues’ meeting with the Terriers at the John Smith’s Stadium next weekend will go a long way to deciding their future. A win would quite possibly keep Blues up, whereas a defeat would leave them with a foot in League One.
There is, of course, a scenario where Blues could lose to Huddersfield and beat Norwich on the final day to stay up. Huddersfield travel to Premier League-chasing Ipswich on the final day. A draw next week might not be bad, a win would be ideal.
Sheffield Wednesday’s results must be factored in, too. The Owls will leapfrog Blues with a win over Blackburn Rovers today. Blues are hoping former boss John Eustace does them a favour. The Owls will then face West Brom at Hillsborough before a final day trip to Sunderland.
Blues are back in a position where their fate isn’t completely in their own hands. They have to take control of the situation by beating Huddersfield next weekend.
