Sat 4th Oct - St Andrews
Last updated: 16th July 2008
Bent: Birmingham ambition
New Birmingham striker Marcus Bent has spoken of his desire to fire the Blues back into the Premier League.
The former Charlton hit-man has signed a three-year deal at St Andrews after passing a medical and agreeing personal terms.
He appeared to be on his way to Cardiff earlier in the week but has chosen Blues because he thinks they have more chance of reaching the top.
The player, who spent last season on loan at Wigan Athletic, told the club's official website: "I've always liked playing at Birmingham and had a good time and they were always a club I wouldn't have minded joining and getting involved with.
"I was at Wigan last season and the Premiership is the place that professionals want to play. Knowing that Birmingham have just come down from the Premiership and that they've got infrastructure in place to get back up as soon as possible I wanted to come down and be involved and help the club and myself get back into the top division."
He added that he did not have any qualms about dropping down a division.
"There is a lot of pressure on Birmingham now because they are one of the favourites to go back up, but for me as a player that's something I thrive on," he said.
"Don't get me wrong I'm expecting a hard season because the Championship is full of quality sides but I think we've got the squad and the players to go straight back up."
He believes Birmingham are more likely to reach the top flight than Cardiff.
"At the time I spoke to Cardiff and the manager there, the club seemed very excited about signing me. They're striving to get into the Premiership by building the new stadium and such like.
"But for me personally when Birmingham came in it was a lot more appealing because I think it's more likely that Birmingham are going to get back into the Premiership."
Bent knows several of the Birmingham squad and was impressed with boss Alex McLeish.
He said: "He was very excited about the season ahead. He was also very complimentary about my game which is nice to hear from a manager. I've heard a lot of good things about him and no bad things."
He added that he is going to give his all to the cause next term, saying: "I'm powerful, strong, and good in the air and I think I'm a good finisher. Basically I'm going to give everything I've got and I don't think you can come up short with that. I just want to get playing and I'm raring to go now."
He concluded that he would not have gone to St Andrews if he did not think Blues were capable of going back up.
"Throughout last season Birmingham were a handful and played some good football at times. There is a good mixture of youth and experience. No league is easy and I know it's going to be a long hard season, but hopefully we'll be strong enough and good enough to go straight back up," he said.
| Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
| Saturday 18th October | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 15:00 | Burnley vs Birmingham |
| Tuesday 21st October | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 19:45 | Birmingham vs Crystal Palace |
| Saturday 25th October | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 15:00 | Birmingham vs Sheff Wed |
| Tuesday 28th October | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 19:45 | QPR vs Birmingham |
| Monday 3rd November | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 19:45 | Birmingham vs Coventry |
| Saturday 8th November | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 15:00 | Nottm Forest vs Birmingham |
| Saturday 15th November | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 15:00 | Birmingham vs Charlton |
| Friday 21st November | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 19:45 | Swansea vs Birmingham |
| Tuesday 25th November | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 19:45 | Birmingham vs Ipswich |
| Saturday 29th November | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 12:30 | Wolverhampton vs Birmingham |
| Saturday 6th December | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 15:00 | Birmingham vs Watford |
| Tuesday 9th December | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 19:45 | Plymouth vs Birmingham |
| Saturday 13th December | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 15:00 | Preston vs Birmingham |
| Saturday 20th December | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 15:00 | Birmingham vs Reading |
| Friday 26th December | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 15:00 | Ipswich vs Birmingham |
| Sunday 28th December | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 15:00 | Birmingham vs Swansea |
| Saturday 10th January | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 15:00 | Blackpool vs Birmingham |
| Saturday 17th January | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 15:00 | Birmingham vs Cardiff |
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Saturday 4th October | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| Birmingham 1 - 0 QPR | |
| Tuesday 30th September | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| Derby 1 - 1 Birmingham | |
| Saturday 27th September | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| Cardiff 1 - 2 Birmingham | |
| Saturday 20th September | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| Birmingham 0 - 1 Blackpool | |
| Tuesday 16th September | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| Bristol City 1 - 2 Birmingham | |
| Saturday 13th September | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| Birmingham 1 - 0 Doncaster | |
| Saturday 30th August | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| Norwich 1 - 1 Birmingham | |
| Tuesday 26th August | |
| Carling Cup | |
| Southampton 2 - 0 Birmingham | |
| Saturday 23rd August | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| Birmingham 2 - 0 Barnsley | |
| Saturday 16th August | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| Southampton 1 - 2 Birmingham | |
| Wednesday 13th August | |
| Carling Cup | |
| Wycombe 0 - 4 Birmingham | |
| Saturday 9th August | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| Birmingham 1 - 0 Sheff Utd | |
| Saturday 2nd August | |
| Friendly Match | |
| Birmingham 1 - 1 Fulham | |
| Tuesday 29th July | |
| Friendly Match | |
| Leicester 2 - 3 Birmingham | |
| Sunday 27th July | |
| Friendly Match | |
| Forest Green 0 - 1 Birmingham | |
| Saturday 26th July | |
| Friendly Match | |
| Gillingham 0 - 2 Birmingham | |
| Sunday 20th July | |
| Friendly Match | |
| Birmingham 2 - 1 Nurnberg | |
| Thursday 17th July | |
| Friendly Match | |
| Birmingham 3 - 1 Plzen | |
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birmingham City | 10 | 23 |
| 2 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 10 | 22 |
| 3 | Reading | 10 | 20 |
| 4 | Sheffield United | 10 | 17 |
| 5 | Plymouth Argyle | 10 | 15 |
Birmingham hope to have secured a loan move for Nigel Quashie in time for their next Championship fixture.
Scott Sinclair has admitted Crystal Palace would be his preferred destination for a January loan switch.
Raidi Jaidi hopes his long-term future lies at Birmingham, as a Premier League player.
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