Birmingham 0 West Ham 0 Half Time Report

Sanity returns. No goals for, no goals against, no penalties, no sendings offs, nobody carried off - and that hasn't happened too often in our games so far this season! In truth Birmingham are dictating the game so, with 9 goals at St Andrews in 7 games so far this season, this is going to type. If you had to have money on the result at this stage, it would be on a 1-0 Birmigham win, with Bowyer scoring.

Up front we have all the punch of a five year old. Franco is leading the line well but there is no support whatoever, which is exactly what you would expect given the team selected. Noble for Collison was a negative selection, as was pinning Diamanti wide right instead of allowing him to float. We have to get him on the ball more if we are going to create chances - albeit, he will offer chances to the opposition too as he showed just before the end of the first half when he was lucky to stay on the pitch after his failed rugby tackle. He is a nutter no question!

Once again, the decision to play Stanislas wide on the left is looking stupid. Twice he has received the ball in the ideal position, one on one on the edge of the box, with the opportunity to attack the full back and invite a penalty or secure a crossing position, and twice he has come inside. Twice he has been completely ignored when utterly free and unmarked out on the left hand touchline. If he was wide on the right, he would do damage so why isn't he given the chance there? I mean, switching flanks for ten minutes wouldn't hurt surely?

Bowyer has been allowed two shots inside the box already - he will connect sweetly if we allow him another two in the second half. Faubert has looked better at right back than Spector, but then the opposition isn't as strong is it? We must stop giving away corners and free kicks - we are shorter than Birmingham so they will get chances if this continues. Parker is playing poorly and so is Noble. Kovac is walking a tightrope given his early booking and his habit of hanging out a leg when a player runs past him on his left hand side.

I would take a point at this stage to be honest especially given the impact of Zola's half time talks!