Chris Dunlavy
A FRESH TAKE ON FOOTBALL
ANY manager accused of playing ugly will usually point to the players at his disposal and plead poverty.

If you ain’t got Xavi and Andres Iniesta, the argument goes, you can’t expect to play like Barcelona.
This is often true, but not always. The Birmingham side that drew 1-1 at Barnsley a fortnight ago was vibrant, attacking and aggressive. They played the Tykes off the park and made enough chances to win handsomely.
Yet in the corresponding fixture last season, a Blues side featuring eight of the same players failed to muster a shot on target, lost ...