Whilst I was alive when Blues lost to Watford in the quarter final stages, I wasn't old enough to either remember it or attend the game. As such, I comforted myself on the way down to Fratton Park with the fact that it couldn't be any worse than the only time I have seen Blues in an FA Cup quarter final - THAT night against Liverpool.
I was right - it wasn't as bad as that. It still wasn't great though.
Unfortunately, Blues' lack of quality and depth to their squad was exposed by a Portsmouth team who will be playing at a lower level next season. I've said it before, I'll say it now, and I'll say it again, but Blues' activity (or lack thereof) in the January transfer window is going to hurt the club this season. It did here for a start.
Blues' first half performance was good. They played some cool, calm, composed football. They opened Portsmouth up on occasions. They were sound enough defensively. There wasn't a lot to complain about.
Except, perhaps, that Blues are as toothless as a goldfish at present, meaning that despite all of the above, they barely caused Portsmouth a problem. Cameron Jerome had one decent strike saved by David James, but otherwise there wasn't a lot doing.
A recent article in a national newspaper commented on how well Blues had done this season and pondered how much better they could have done had they had "a proper striker". It's a fair point.
Blues' top scorer has, I think, five league goals to his name this season. That's a midfielder (Lee Bowyer) who hasn't scored for three months. What does that say about the strikers?
It's not just the goal scoring either - it's their all round play. Blues lack a powerful, imposing centre forward. I've seen sparrows that are more imposing than Cameron Jerome. James McFadden is too up and down. Kevin Phillips can't do more than 20 minutes. Christian Benitez is an enigma still finding his feet.
Indeed, in January Alex McLeish said it was imperative that Blues signed a striker, only for the club to fail to do so. The lack of options (and quality) up there is hampering Blues desperately, and will continue to do so until the end of the season. It's a shame. It also makes Blues' achievements this season all the more remarkable.
Much of Blues' first half performance was such that, had you had two decent strikers up front, it was probably a 2-0 up at half-time performance. As it was though, it was 0-0 as Blues had no threat.
The second half started much the same way, until something seemed to change after about 55 or 60 minutes and suddenly the game became very, very open. That doesn't suit Blues, who had prior to that controlled things at their tempo. On the contrary, it suited Portsmouth down to the ground, with the likes of John Utaka, Jamie O'Hara, Danny Webber and Frederic Piquionne all suited to sharp, slick, swift counter-attacks.
Sure enough, the game opening up led to Blues' downfall when Piquionne scored two quick goals. The first one was scrambled following a corner, and the second was an excellent solo effort, with the on loan forward displaying poise, technique and composure. Oh to have that up front for Blues.
Even then, Blues struggled to get out of their easy, calm build-up play into a more chasing, urgent approach. They (apparently) should have made it 2-1 when Liam Ridgewell nodded the ball over the line, only for it not to be given. At the time, it looked a close call and it went against Blues. Clearly it would have made for a more frenetic last 10 minutes, but it wasn't to be. These things happen.
Interestingly last week I picked up on both Cameron Jerome and Seb Larsson as being examples of the type of player perhaps holding Blues back if they do now want to push on. Never could it have been displayed more vividly.
Jerome was awful. People watching on ITV may not appreciate just how awful he was, as a lot of it was off the ball. However, his anticipation, awareness and positional play is dreadful. On countless occasions the midfield had worked the ball into a decent area only to look up and see Jerome on his heels or running down blind alleys. It all goes back to what I've said about having a proper striker - someone who does the right things and makes the right decisions. Blues would be a different team. Jerome, I'm afraid, is not and will never be that man. Perhaps he could blossom alongside someone else, but I have my doubts.
Larsson was equally dreadful. His entire make-up seems to be regressing. He seems slower. He seems less willing to defend properly. He makes less tackles and fewer good passes. His set pieces are, the vast majority of the time, rubbish.
With Keith Fahey on the left - a neat, tidy midfielder, but nothing more - and Larsson on the right, Blues lacked any real width, creativity or that little something explosive in the important areas. Barry Ferguson and Lee Bowyer did fine in the middle, but were given no support.
Again, like the striking positions, this isn't something that has appeared all of a sudden - even during the fine run Blues had, it was obvious. Something needed to be done to address the problem. Nothing was done. Craig Gardner is an alternative, but he's not that different to Larsson and doesn't offer that something different.
For all the pretty play, nice passing, controlled possession, etc, etc, if you haven't got players who can hurt the opposition, you're going to get nowhere. Blues simply do not score enough goals, and as I keep saying, they can't keep relying on the defence to help them get results - sometimes the forwards need to come to the party.
Christian Benitez came off the bench and had a little impact. He dropped deep, made a few probing runs and did offer that little something different. I am not for one second denying that he has his faults, but at least he does offer something and appears to have a little bit of nous in the final third, as illustrated by some of his assists this season and some of the things he tried to do in his cameo appearance here. At least he's not direct and obvious and therefore defenders have to think to defend against him.
It's also worth pointing out that, despite his faults, Benitez played a key part in Blues' outstanding "unbeatable" run, and since he's gone out of the team, Blues' offensive threat does seem to have deteriorated a little.
Blues' finest 45 minutes of the season came in the first half at Goodison Park in this competition, when Benitez was paired with McFadden up front. Bizarrely, that's the only time that combination has been used by Alex McLeish. In the absence of a big man who can actually control the ball, is it not worth considering playing the two up front? They may not win any balls in the air, but Jerome doesn't either (not with any conviction or purpose any way) and with Blues playing decent football for once, wouldn't it be nice to have two strikers comfortable with receiving the ball at their feet and looking to make things happen? They both have faults, but it has to be worth considering, surely.
Blues are punching above their weight this season. They are not the eighth best team/squad in the Premier League. There's going to be games during the next few months that illustrate this. They've been sensational, make no mistake, but they're a team whose realistic peers in the Premier League are the likes of West Ham, Bolton and Wigan - not Everton, Spurs and Liverpool.
In January, given the league position and supposed financial clout, it was an (unexpected) opportunity for Blues to look to kick on a little, and they failed. They'll have that opportunity again in the summer. They need to grasp it with both hands and need to add quality and numbers to the squad.
Whilst Blues aren't as good as their league position suggests, I don't think Portsmouth are as bad as their league position suggests. To me, they're a more dangerous side than, say, Wolves or Burnley (actually, they've won away at both of those sides this season, perhaps showing that). I didn't fancy this tie as soon as the draw was made, because of that, and so it proved.
After Blues lost at Arsenal in mid-October, leaving them out of the Carling Cup and with seven points from nine games in the league, you'd certainly have taken 40 points by the time your FA Cup quarter final came around. It's still been a fine season, and this result doesn't change that. It's just a shame that, once again, it looks like Blues left themselves a little bit too short when a fine opportunity presented itself.
Yes, it's typical Blues and we'll all feel let down again and questions have to be asked, but let's not slit wrists. The FA Cup wasn't a priority, but Blues got some decent results in it this season (the win at Everton will live long in the memory) and it's added to an otherwise excellent season. We'd all have taken a quarter final berth, if offered, back when Robert Earnshaw was stepping up to take that penalty at the City Ground in the 3rd round.
Anyway, it was nice whilst it lasted, but it's over now, as it always is. It's a disappointment that Blues have failed again, but let's face it, could any of us cope if Blues actually did have any success? I doubt it.
Good luck to Portsmouth.