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Small Heath Alliance
15:10, Wed 2 Sep
Our Birmingham City writers have given their verdicts on Birmingham City's deadline day and transfer business
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Deadline day, no No.10 and Ducksch U-turn - Birmingham City transfer window verdict
Birmingham Mail 15:10, Wed 2 Sep
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Replying to Birmingham Mail
15:17, Wed 2 Sep
Our Birmingham City writers have given their verdicts on Birmingham City's deadline day and transfer business
The dust has settled on a quieter summer transfer window than usual for Birmingham City.
Chris Davies' squad was reinforced with seven new signings with Liam Millar joining on loan from Hull City to round off their business on deadline day.
Davies gave his own reaction to the club's window on Tuesday night and our writers Alex Dicken (AD) and Brian Dick (BD) reflected on the club's summer reshuffle on the latest episode of the Keep Right On Podcast.
Deadline day
AD: "We've had busier deadline days in terms of incomings. It was obviously only Liam Millar. In the last week, Liam Millar had become an option for that left-wing position and they had been searching for Ibrahim Osman's replacement all summer. There was plenty of Championship interest in Liam Millar and actually a little bit of uncertainty as to whether Hull would let him go because he played and scored for Hull in their win at Coventry last weekend. Stoke were mentioned, Middlesbrough were mentioned and Blues were delighted to get him in.
"I'm told that was directly linked to the Mohammed Fuseini deal, so before Blues agreed a deal for Millar they agreed a deal with Union Saint-Gilloise to sign Fuseini on loan with an option to make it permanent next year.
"He came over to finalise that move and it looked likely to happen, Blues then got further down the line with Millar and decided they didn't need both.
"Has Fuseini been misprofiled because I'm not sure those two are the same profile? Millar to me is a left-winger, an out and out winger, whereas Fuseini was billed somebody who could play across the forward line. I'm not sure they are like-for-like but there's no doubt Millar is the more experienced, proven Championship player and probably the safer bet for Blues.
"Once Blues had agreed everything with Millar they passed on Fuseini and he went and signed for Derby County instead."
Liam Millar
BD: "I've always been quite impressed by him. He had that very long injury which cost him several months at Hull but he came back from that and played a key part towards the end of last season and played and scored for them against Coventry at the weekend.
"He's very quick and if Blues are to put down the sort of counter-attacking goal numbers that Chris Davies has been talking about, then I see Millar adding value to that.
"He's not Osman. He's not going to beat a guy from a standing start against a low block. He does need the space in behind to be most effective and that would require a defence to play a relatively high line, or at least not camped in. I think he adds to the wing options with Vicente, Roberts and Gray and I think they've got different horses for courses."
AD: "Whenever I've watched him previously, especially against Blues, I've always thought he's a dangerous player. As you say, he thrives on space in behind. I don't think he's going to be the man who has the ball to feet and takes players on himself. I think he's a decent finisher, although his goal record probably doesn't back that up in the Championship. There are definitely going to be games where Liam Millar is really useful to Blues. He's a very different winger to Demarai Gray who likes to carry the ball and come inside to create shooting opportunities, whereas Millar is a little more direct."
Have Blues improved in the window?
AD: "Better squad yes, better starting XI is debatable. If you look at the squad as a whole it's moved on. When they've got all the subs fit I think it will be stronger.
"If you take Jonathan Panzo and Jack Robinson out, Dael Fry is the alternative and no one is going to argue that Fry isn't better. Blues are strong at right-back. They think they have stayed the same at left-back. Kai Wagner will be a miss in terms of creativity, however Alex Cochrane has started the season brilliantly and has probably been the most creative outlet in the Blues team.
"In midfield they've improved. If Max Bird can prove his fitness long-term he elevates them a little bit. Jhon Solis is the key signing, he's had his bedding in period and is now the main man in midfield."
BD: "So it's Bird for Doyle? I think Bird, given his flexibility and his Championship experience, is probably five percent ahead of Doyle. Doyle's skillset is such that he could probably take over a game with his passing, although we didn't ever see it."
AD: "The way Blues were going to play was going to limit Doyle as well. Bird will raise the floor a little bit. They've marginally improved in midfield.
"It's in the forward areas where the debate comes. Right-wing, great. Patrick Roberts is one of the best wingers in this league over the last three or four years, Vicente needs to do a bit more. They will say they signed Vicente in January to bed him in and expect more from him at this stage. We saw at Swansea how good he was but he hasn't been at that level in the last four games.
"In the left-wing position they've done well with Liam Millar and Demarai Gray. You've got two different options there.
"Up front you've got two strikers with August Priske as your main man and Luis Vazquez as back-up. I haven't seen anything in Vazquez to be honest. Without wanting to kill him before we've seen what he can do, I just haven't seen enough of him in the sub appearances he's made. There is going to come a point this season when Blues need Vazquez and that's when we'll see if that transfer was worth it's weight.
"And it's in the 10 position where we have the biggest debate. It's Jay Stansfield as undisputed first choice 10, then beyond him you're asking Marvin Ducksch to stick around and play second fiddle. Most transfer windows have closed now so he might have to and they have certainly planned for him to stay until January at least.
"I think they needed a new number 10. We know they looked at Joe Gelhardt and wanted to sign him and they haven't been able to secure an alternative. That type of player moves the needle for me and would have made a big difference.
"When you look at a team like Wrexham signing Callum O'Hare, maybe they will just have that little bit more cutting edge and creativity. Against low blocks at St Andrew's, Blues are going to miss that player."
Marvin Ducksch
BD: "The unknown quantity is how Marvin responds to, I guess, thinking he would have been on his way. How he now responds to everything that's gone on in the last six months."
AD: "They will argue that Marvin Ducksch scored 11 goals last season and was Blues' top scorer, and had an influence on a lot of games which he did, but there were also games where he went missing. If, for example, Jay Stansfield was to get injured against Wolves on Sunday would you want to play Marvin Ducksch in away games against Norwich City and Derby County next week? I'm not so sure you would."
BD: "Out of possession they are worlds apart aren't they. Yes, Davies has remodelled Blues but that out of possession work is still very key to what they're about."
The dust has settled on a quieter summer transfer window than usual for Birmingham City.
Chris Davies' squad was reinforced with seven new signings with Liam Millar joining on loan from Hull City to round off their business on deadline day.
Davies gave his own reaction to the club's window on Tuesday night and our writers Alex Dicken (AD) and Brian Dick (BD) reflected on the club's summer reshuffle on the latest episode of the Keep Right On Podcast.
Deadline day
AD: "We've had busier deadline days in terms of incomings. It was obviously only Liam Millar. In the last week, Liam Millar had become an option for that left-wing position and they had been searching for Ibrahim Osman's replacement all summer. There was plenty of Championship interest in Liam Millar and actually a little bit of uncertainty as to whether Hull would let him go because he played and scored for Hull in their win at Coventry last weekend. Stoke were mentioned, Middlesbrough were mentioned and Blues were delighted to get him in.
"I'm told that was directly linked to the Mohammed Fuseini deal, so before Blues agreed a deal for Millar they agreed a deal with Union Saint-Gilloise to sign Fuseini on loan with an option to make it permanent next year.
"He came over to finalise that move and it looked likely to happen, Blues then got further down the line with Millar and decided they didn't need both.
"Has Fuseini been misprofiled because I'm not sure those two are the same profile? Millar to me is a left-winger, an out and out winger, whereas Fuseini was billed somebody who could play across the forward line. I'm not sure they are like-for-like but there's no doubt Millar is the more experienced, proven Championship player and probably the safer bet for Blues.
"Once Blues had agreed everything with Millar they passed on Fuseini and he went and signed for Derby County instead."
Liam Millar
BD: "I've always been quite impressed by him. He had that very long injury which cost him several months at Hull but he came back from that and played a key part towards the end of last season and played and scored for them against Coventry at the weekend.
"He's very quick and if Blues are to put down the sort of counter-attacking goal numbers that Chris Davies has been talking about, then I see Millar adding value to that.
"He's not Osman. He's not going to beat a guy from a standing start against a low block. He does need the space in behind to be most effective and that would require a defence to play a relatively high line, or at least not camped in. I think he adds to the wing options with Vicente, Roberts and Gray and I think they've got different horses for courses."
AD: "Whenever I've watched him previously, especially against Blues, I've always thought he's a dangerous player. As you say, he thrives on space in behind. I don't think he's going to be the man who has the ball to feet and takes players on himself. I think he's a decent finisher, although his goal record probably doesn't back that up in the Championship. There are definitely going to be games where Liam Millar is really useful to Blues. He's a very different winger to Demarai Gray who likes to carry the ball and come inside to create shooting opportunities, whereas Millar is a little more direct."
Have Blues improved in the window?
AD: "Better squad yes, better starting XI is debatable. If you look at the squad as a whole it's moved on. When they've got all the subs fit I think it will be stronger.
"If you take Jonathan Panzo and Jack Robinson out, Dael Fry is the alternative and no one is going to argue that Fry isn't better. Blues are strong at right-back. They think they have stayed the same at left-back. Kai Wagner will be a miss in terms of creativity, however Alex Cochrane has started the season brilliantly and has probably been the most creative outlet in the Blues team.
"In midfield they've improved. If Max Bird can prove his fitness long-term he elevates them a little bit. Jhon Solis is the key signing, he's had his bedding in period and is now the main man in midfield."
BD: "So it's Bird for Doyle? I think Bird, given his flexibility and his Championship experience, is probably five percent ahead of Doyle. Doyle's skillset is such that he could probably take over a game with his passing, although we didn't ever see it."
AD: "The way Blues were going to play was going to limit Doyle as well. Bird will raise the floor a little bit. They've marginally improved in midfield.
"It's in the forward areas where the debate comes. Right-wing, great. Patrick Roberts is one of the best wingers in this league over the last three or four years, Vicente needs to do a bit more. They will say they signed Vicente in January to bed him in and expect more from him at this stage. We saw at Swansea how good he was but he hasn't been at that level in the last four games.
"In the left-wing position they've done well with Liam Millar and Demarai Gray. You've got two different options there.
"Up front you've got two strikers with August Priske as your main man and Luis Vazquez as back-up. I haven't seen anything in Vazquez to be honest. Without wanting to kill him before we've seen what he can do, I just haven't seen enough of him in the sub appearances he's made. There is going to come a point this season when Blues need Vazquez and that's when we'll see if that transfer was worth it's weight.
"And it's in the 10 position where we have the biggest debate. It's Jay Stansfield as undisputed first choice 10, then beyond him you're asking Marvin Ducksch to stick around and play second fiddle. Most transfer windows have closed now so he might have to and they have certainly planned for him to stay until January at least.
"I think they needed a new number 10. We know they looked at Joe Gelhardt and wanted to sign him and they haven't been able to secure an alternative. That type of player moves the needle for me and would have made a big difference.
"When you look at a team like Wrexham signing Callum O'Hare, maybe they will just have that little bit more cutting edge and creativity. Against low blocks at St Andrew's, Blues are going to miss that player."
Marvin Ducksch
BD: "The unknown quantity is how Marvin responds to, I guess, thinking he would have been on his way. How he now responds to everything that's gone on in the last six months."
AD: "They will argue that Marvin Ducksch scored 11 goals last season and was Blues' top scorer, and had an influence on a lot of games which he did, but there were also games where he went missing. If, for example, Jay Stansfield was to get injured against Wolves on Sunday would you want to play Marvin Ducksch in away games against Norwich City and Derby County next week? I'm not so sure you would."
BD: "Out of possession they are worlds apart aren't they. Yes, Davies has remodelled Blues but that out of possession work is still very key to what they're about."
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