Derby County 1, Birmingham City 2: Colin Tattum's big match verdict
Feb 15 2010 by Colin Tattum, Birmingham Mail
IT ALWAYS seems to be him, doesn’t it?
He’s invariably the central figure, in the thick of things, when it comes to Blues and theatre.
And he’s often the hot topic of debate among supporters.
Robbie Savage? No, no, no – Liam Ridgewell.
The captaincy, an own-goal for his old club in the derby after making the move from Villa – ‘Agent Ridgewell’ jibes.
A bust leg, a mock long throw and a towel at Wolves and Stoke.
A job at left-back so well done that he can’t be shifted – and last-gasp goals.
Ridgewell, for the second Saturday in three, loitered to the right place perfectly to score. And a minute into stoppage time on both occasions.
He saved Blues against Spurs and at Pride Park proved his deadliness from a centimetre or so to plunder the goal that put Blues in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Ridgewell’s a real yeoman of a player compared to the flash that surrounds our Sav.
But he’s typical of this Blues side cultivated by Alex McLeish. He does what he has to do, without fuss and not for credit.
In a position he doesn’t really like, he has had to contend with a string of the oppositions’ most dangerous players: think Wright-Phillips, N’Zogbia, Pienaar, Cole, Valencia, Bentley.
But he has the knack – as do Blues – of getting the job done, refusing to yield when the going becomes tricky.
Ridgewell is one of the many stars in a team that contains no stars, if that makes sense. Such a formula continues to work and, who knows, may take Blues all the way to giddy territory of a Wembley appearance.
The FA Cup brings out the superstition in even the most cynical. People believe in fate, it’s ‘our year’ and all that.
Having stumbled past Nottingham Forest (who missed a penalty before Blues got a replay), produced two brilliant team goals to beat Everton and rescued a perilous situation at Derby, McLeish’s men need not fear any draw, any problem, any game situation.
