The web of intrigue spinning around Birmingham City
Apr 28 2009 by Andy Walker, Birmingham Mail
THE potential permutations from Blues’ nerve-jangling trip to Reading on Sunday are becoming clear – and it has got the conspiracy theorists talking.
If Alex McLeish’s men slip up against the Royals then all eyes will be on how third-placed Sheffield United have got on.
The Blades travel to Crystal Palace for a fixture that has sparked paranoia among even the most optimistic of Bluenoses.
Palace are managed by the outspoken Neil Warnock, a boyhood Sheffield United fan and their boss when they suffered heartbreaking relegation from the Premier League two years ago.
It is that controversial demotion, an issue that has only just been resolved with West Ham having to pay the Blades an estimated £25 million in compensation following the Carlos Tevez affair, that will hand the Yorkshire outfit the sympathetic vote. Some fear that, with mid-table Palace having nothing to play for, Warnock will attempt to do his home-town club a favour in their quest for a top-two place at Selhurst Park.
