Birmingham have only themselves to blame for the sorry state of affairs that they currently find themselves in, as they let go a rare opportunity to move to second spot in the Coca-Cola Championship, when they were beaten 2-0 by a 10-man Blackpool. Birmingham manager Alex McLeish admitted that they were simply not up to the task, and played an insipid brand of football allowing their opponents to win.

A victory here could have leap-fogged them ahead of current leaders Reading and also would have ensured them automatic promotion places, but the defeat all but sealed their fate. Most of the damage was done in the first half itself, when former Birmingham striker DJ Campbell and midfielder Keith Southern scored a goal each to puncture the chances of Birmingham.

Birmingham got a breather in the 74th-minute, when substitute Claus Jorgensen was sent off following a rough challenge on Lee Bowyer, leaving Blackpool with 10 men, but it failed to revive Birmingham’s fortune as the players have already thrown the towel by then.

McLeish didn’t mince words when he said that it was an opportunity missed, and commented that what is even more disheartening than the defeat is the way the players pressed the panic button, especially when it required them to retaliate and fight gallantly. Clearly, the players needed to demonstrate for calm and discipline under pressure and they will need to spend a lot more effort training on devices like the Bremshey Treadline Pacer T treadmill, in addition to trying to stay better composed. He added that perseverance was not on display, and it is high time that certain players in the team understand that they need to give much more than what they did in this match. He also refused to give excuses and stressed that it is high time the players learned what needs to be done and the expectations.