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If your link cannot be found or your site is 'inappropriate' your request will be ignored, otherwise it will appear right away, and I will be in touch via e-mail. Thank you.
As a Birmingham City fan getting web savvy by designing and managing my business sites it was a logical step to produce a Blues site of some description. The only rule was that it had to be a little different.
You'll find my personal perspectives and some interesting features, but don't expect daily bulletins from Wast Hills or a 'free holiday in Idaho competition' . . . it's just ALL BLUES, and as I'm a photographer, with pictures of course.
Lastly, please get in touch via e-mail if you have some comments.
Keep right on y'all !
John Baker in Boise, Idaho, USA
JOURNEY OF A BLUES FAN John Baker, a personal story
Born in '51 [1900's] and raised in Warwickshire orphanages, I didn't pay too much attention to football which was mainly because I couldn't play as well as I'd have liked. At an orphanage in Solihull we played a lot of football, and England was my team . . . even got the kit via endless box tops from Kellogg's 'Special K'. Boy, I must have looked good!
MY FIRST LEAGUE GAME Around the age of 12 I started to get more interested and a friend of my Dad's - a V*lla fan I 'spose - took me to my first professional game. It was a Division One encounter between the Aston Vile and Fulham. Vile won I think, and Fulham had Johnny Haynes in their side. The date must have been around April, 1964.
WHAT IS A BOY TO DO? . . . CHOOSING A TEAM I was in Nuneaton at the time, and I loved the big city of Birmingham and the color blue . . . so you know what happened next then don't ya'! Later that year in November, I was able to persuade said gentleman to take me to a football ground called St. Andrews. We stood on the Tilton with most folk around coughing and spluttering, then the Blues came out and right away I was a supporter for life. The tobacco smoke, the grey macs, and six goals that went in against us weren't exactly what dreams were made of but I was still hooked.
I had the rattle, the scarf, the autograph book - some player signatures from the late sixties are reproduced here - and a wide-eyed fascination with the Club. I got out of school in '66, lived in Sutton Coldfield and spots around Brum for the next 9 years and rarely missed a game. Memorable times during that period were Trevor Francis' 4 goals v Bolton, FA Cup 6th round wins v Chelsea and Arsenal, semis v Albion and Leeds United. The 1-0 win at Orient for promotion was also a major highlight and I can still clearly see Bob Latchford nodding in that corner at the near post.
There were also many, many memorable league games and a ton of fun on the Tilton on which I'd scream some Frank Zappa parody and get everyone smiling and relaxed. It was also the spot where Trevor Philips and I added the "ever more" harmony to the end of "We'll support you ever more" . . . I swear it!
TRAGEDY AND SOME TRIUMPH OK, OK, by tragedy I mean I left Brummagem to live in Wales and I barely saw the Blues 'live' again. One day though, through my work as a school photographer in North Wales, I came across a Headmaster who was also a league referee. Soooooo, I struck up a deal that he would call me when he was chosen for a game at St. Andrews, and I would write a feature for the Caernarfon and Denbigh Herald. It was December of 1981 when I got the call for the game v Ipswich, and the words and pictures of 'Day in the Life of a Referee' are reproduced here. I took along my neighbours Iwan and Elfyn Hughes whom I photographed with various players. My own 'highlight' was in the Ref's dressing room prior to the game when Bobby Robson and Jim Smith came in with their team sheets. I took pictures and just had to tell Jim that I was actually a Blues fan. At this point Robson went through the roof because fans aren't allowed in such places before a game. Well, I failed y'all because we lost anyway.
ANOTHER TRAGEDY During this period came the FA Cup semi-final replay v Fulham which we were expected to win with Trevor Francis, Kenny Burns and co. There I was with my ear glued to the transistor radio in far-flung Talsarnau, North Wales, when Fulham scored in the last minute of extra time of the replay to go through. What an appalling night that was.
MIGHT JUST AS WELL BE A TRAGEDY I was then off to America and condemned to twiddling the knobs on my short-wave radio for too many years. When in the UK I'd often heard at about 4:20 p.m. on the radio every Saturday the words, "We now welcome World Service listeners" and I was now one of the distant faithful. Trouble was, the Blues rarely got a mention and one would also lose the scores because of static.
THINGS ON THE UP In the early 90's Blues had some cup and league successes plus relegation to the dreaded 3rd, and I all but missed those days. Come 1997 and the internet for me, so I thought I'd type in Birmingham City FC. Wow!, I have my team back! I'd rather be there, but it's better than nothing and I've made many Blues friends on the various forums over the years. 'Live' commentary is a fabulous blessing for one so distant too and I was able to see the 2001 Worthington cup run and 2002 promotion campaign 'live' on my TV, so things are definitely on the up! Now there will be even less work done round here seeing as we've made it to the Premiership which comes with increased TV exposure.
WRONG TIMING I'm often in the UK for photography trips I lead but they just about always fall during the close season. In 1998 I went by St. Andrews and bought a bunch of souvenirs including a shirt, then Peter Lewis was very kind in letting me into the ground for some pictures.
Well, that's me story so far loike, our kid, innit? I know better days are ahead for this Club - especially now we're in the Premiership - and I just hope I'm still around to enjoy it. However, if it comes after I've gone it's because the Blues are getting a bit of 'heavenly help'!
