SkyDaz Chelsea Preview

Surely Plan A was to keep it tight at the back (motto for life!), close them down in midfield early on and get DJ and Heskey to hold the ball up at every opportunity and relieve the pressure. Force ManYoo to get frustrated and hit them on the break. Ok we never expected to win but a point would have been oh so valuable.

The worst thing we could do is concede an early goal a la Liverpool and thus spend another long match with an uphill battle. Cue Ryan Giggs and a Maik Taylor pinball moment fully utilising the equipment available.

Ten minutes plus and Giggs strolled into the box, watched with great admiration by our sleeping lions in defence, to make it two nil. Game, set and match.

That little fat kid up front proceeded to behave in a charitable manner by screwing shots wide with his right foot and his left foot. Clearly the half time cartoons put him straight though and he added the third in the second half to finish the scoring.

Time for despondency again? Not a chance. This was our best performance since our last half decent performance. The players showed a bit of character, they fought to win possession (ok they gave it away again but that's not the point!) and gave ManYoo a contest. There were some good displays and I genuinely think we left Salford with dignity. Oooo it's been a long time since I left a Blues match with some dignity!

Is it just us the fans though who understand this concept? We support Birmingham City, not Chelsea, Arsenal, Juventus, Barcelona, etc. We know our limitations, we know our history and all we ask of our heroes is that when they step onto the pitch wearing our colours they damn well fight and earn their vast wages. Ok we lost 3 – 0 but it is the manner of the defeat that is so important. We knew that a defeat was a nailed on certainty what we didn't expect was for our boys to play so well.

Everyone has slated Emile for blasting the ball over the bar but in his defence he had one chance all afternoon and no opportunity to rectify his error. Compare this with the fat kid in red who had plenty of chances and missed from far easier positions.

Ok maybe I am once again building up ridiculous hopes of survival, and the last thing we need is Chelsea, but this battle will go down to the last game and after this weekend the other games we have left are all winnable. Winnable if we were playing well. Up to last weekend I would not have been so optimistic but today I have hope. Come on the Blues, we can do it.

Keep right on. You boys, yes you lot. Earn your corn.