I went to St Andrew’s this afternoon to see Birmingham City take on Liverpool. The game ended in a 0-0 draw, but Liverpool had Pepe Reina to thank for coming away with a point, after the Spanish goalkeeper pulled of a couple of top class saves in the first half. Its a measure of how far the Blues have come under Alex McLeish, that the result almost feels like two points dropped.

I was also left thinking just how much the team in red have spent – and wasted – in the past few years. As a result their finances are in the hands of overseas investors and they will surely have to live within much tighter budgets in the future. This will be painful to their loyal fans, but the Blues, and the tangerine orange team currently sitting proudly in fourth, have shown how it can be done. Perhaps the Red’s change in leadership will bring a revival in their fortunes, but I sense this will only happen if the new Manager institutes radical reforms. If they think they will return to the top table, without abandoning their disastrous spending policies, I suspect they are whistling in the wind.