Stuart Pearce's claims on the Manchester City manager's job could prove
impossible to resist after the rejuvenated Blues recorded their biggest
Premiership win since August on Wednesday night.
Chairman John Wardle has pledged not to rush into appointing Kevin Keegan's
permanent successor until the campaign is over. But Pearce believes the vacancy
will be his - and the City fans clearly think so too.
After the virtual torpor that set in during Keegan's last weeks in charge,
Pearce has ignited Eastlands again. And though the former England skipper could
not claim the opening 45 minutes to be the best ever seen, there was still
enough spirit to launch a second-half assault Birmingham could not repel.
The hosts did enjoy a large degree of good fortune when they took the lead,
Robbie Fowler's header bouncing back off a post before hitting Maik Taylor and
rolling in.
After that though, City seized command. Late efforts from Richard Dunne and
Antoine Sibierski were no more than they deserved and the chants of 'Psycho,
Psycho' directed at the home dug-out left no room for wondering who the Blues
fans want to lead their club next season.
In a flat opening period, few caused a quickening of the pulse.
Predictably, one who managed it was Shaun Wright-Phillips, so it was pretty
unfortunate for the England international that he was also responsible for
blowing by far the best chance of the half after just 45 seconds.
After Kiki Musampa had wriggled his way to the by-line, Fowler turned the
Dutchman's cut-back through a crowd of Birmingham bodies and against the base of
a post.
Taylor scrambled desperately back and Jamie Clapham assumed brace position on
the goalline as the rebound rolled invitingly out to Wright-Phillips.
But, so soon into his first Premiership start since the knee operation that
ruled him out for six weeks, the inspirational little winger opted to try and
drill a shot into the roof of Taylor's net. Instead he succeeded only in
blasting hopelessly over.
It was tough luck on Wright-Phillips, who proceeded to mesmerise the
Birmingham defence with some typically mazy right-wing raids. At one stage he
sent two visiting players completely the wrong way just by standing on the ball,
recovering his ground far quicker than either of his opponents to almost set up
a City chance.
At least in Wright-Phillips, Pearce's men could claim some creativity. On the
evidence of the opening 45 minutes, the visitors didn't possess any.
Aside from a Darren Anderton free-kick which David James dropped after it
flashed through the City wall, Birmingham's only incisive attack ended with
Emile Heskey lashing over after Mario Melchiot had back-heeled a long ball into
the striker's path.
Thankfully, the opening 15 minutes of the second half served up substantially
more goalmouth action than the previous 45.
Even before the extreme slice of good fortune that saw the hosts go ahead,
Birmingham were bemoaning their luck as Clinton Morrison's expert finish from
Jermaine Pennant's cross was ruled out for offside.
Morrison and his manager were incensed by the decision but, while borderline,
TV replays proved it to be right.
There was no doubt over the effort which broke the deadlock immediately
afterwards, expect for who should be credited with it.
Fowler will probably claim his 10th goal of the campaign but, the fact that
his header from Musampa's cross was heading back out of the goal as it struck
Taylor and rolled in will be enough for the record books to confirm it should
belong to the Birmingham keeper.
Pennant came close to levelling when his curling free-kick beat James but
flicked off the bar. That was nothing to the chance Heskey spurned midway
through the half though. At £5million, Steve Bruce expects more of the England
international than the complete mishit he produced when substitute Stan
Lazaridis rolled the most inviting of crosses into his path 10 yards out.
If that was bad, Heskey's attempt to challenge Dunne as the Irishman strode
onto Fowler's far post free-kick was pitiful and with the most cursory of
shrugs, the defender won himself a free header which he duly planted into the
corner.
Still the agony was not over for Birmingham, who fell even further behind five
minutes from time when Morrison handled Wright-Phillips' corner, providing
Sibierski with the opportunity to stroke home the spot-kick and set the seal on
back-to-back home wins for only the third time since City moved into Eastlands
in 2003.
Teams:
Man City James, Onuoha, Dunne, Distin, Jordan,
Shaun Wright-Phillips (Croft 90), Barton, Reyna, Musampa,
Fowler (Bradley Wright-Phillips 81), Sibierski.
Subs Not Used: Weaver, Mills, McManaman.
Goals: Maik Taylor 55 og, Dunne 80, Sibierski 86 pen.
Birmingham Maik Taylor, Melchiot, Cunningham, Upson,
Clapham (Lazaridis 41), Pennant, Carter,
Anderton (Pandiani 76), Clemence (Blake 66), Heskey, Morrison.
Subs Not Used: Bennett, Martin Taylor.
Booked: Morrison.
Att: 42,453
Ref: M Atkinson (W Yorkshire).
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