It was one of those games where the full-time whistle couldn't have come quickly enough.
It also felt like a Deja Vu from last season as Bristol City were humbled by three set pieces as they continue to drop worryingly quickly down the table. There's certainly no reason to hit the panic button anytime soon but ambitions to reach the play-offs do appear a long way off following that performance.
It took just two minutes to fall behind when Auston Trusty beat three City defenders in the air to head the hosts in front and it didn't get any better from there. City were disjointed in the first half, failing to match Birmingham's intensity and the goal just before half-time felt like the killer blow.
Although in truth, the visitors never really looked like they could claw themselves back into the game. We had to wait deep into the second half for John Ruddy to be tested in the Birmingham goal which came from a relatively comfortable strike on the angle from Antoine Semenyo.
No wins in five mean City have slipped to 18th in the Championship and the pressure will be on the hosts on Wednesday night when Preston are the visitors to Ashton Gate. Here's the verdict following a hugely disappointing defeat at Birmingham.
Some home truths
You often never really know which Nigel Pearson is going to turn up in his post-match press conference although it was clear he was going to be far from happy following the performance.
When City lose and perform to the levels expected of them, against Norwich and Burnley for example, he's very reluctant to be critical of his players and understanding of where his side are at. Yesterday was a different matter and his comments in the aftermath of the game were certainly intriguing.
Two of which stood out in particular after criticising some for shirking their responsibilities. He said: "Some of the players who had to stay on, or we decided to keep out there had their worst game of the season.
"But there’s also an element that I think there are occasions where you have to make them go through it too. I think one or two would’ve been relieved to have come off, so I left them on.”
When quizzed on whether he asked his players to go over to the fans at full-time following the boos from the away end, he responded: "Ask them? No, I told them and it was important that all the staff went too, of course, I did and they let us know.
"I think it’s important to at least give your supporters the opportunity to show their displeasure and it should hurt.”
There's no doubt Pearson wants his players to feel the pain of losing. He's sending a message that even if they are invisible on the pitch, there's no hiding place off it and he looks to try and provoke a reaction on Wednesday evening.
Although he will never call out players individually, his comments are telling by the fact that he knows there is no defence for the indefensible. Suggesting he left players on that would have preferred to have come off is an indicator that a) he doesn't have the squad capacity to be making the changes needed, b) a maximum of five substitutions wasn't enough to replace a large majority that were underperforming and c) there's still an issue with mindsets in the squad.
Pearson has worked tirelessly in changing the culture of the club to bring in players that would give their all to their team-mates and the club no matter the result. So the fact that some players went against those principles on Saturday will be the biggest disappointing factor.
The standout player...
If anyone came out with any positives with that performance, it was Kal Naismith. A player who has been on the receiving end of his criticism this season for individual errors, it was so evident City missed him at the back yesterday as he recovers from a calf injury.
In fairness to Andy King, playing at centre-back is not his position and although he didn't particularly have a bad game, City missed Naismith's authority and presence at the back.
Would he have changed the outcome of the result had he played? That's open to interpretation but certainly, from set-pieces, his organisational skills were missed.
Rob Atkinson and Zak Vyner also seemed to suffer from his absence and it can be little coincidence that in one of City's worst defensive displays of the season, Naismith wasn't involved.
In the bigger scheme of things, City's midfield and attack appeared to suffer too. The defence couldn't fill the role of playing the ball through the lines and getting the likes of Alex Scott, Han-Noah Massengo and Andi Weimann on the ball.
City started to play long balls towards the front men, particularly in the first half and it led to both Nahki Wells and Tommy Conway feeding off scraps. Neither had the height advantage or strength to be winning the aerial battle with Birmingham's central defenders.
Both were taken off at the break and replaced by Chris Martin and Antoine Semenyo, who seemed to offer some spark for 15 minutes of the second half. Undoubtedly because they were more suited to the direct approach.
It was a tactic that didn't work all afternoon. Stats from FotMob claim Vyner played 10 long balls in total with just one proving successful. Atkinson played seven with two that were successful.
It's all well and good if City win the second ball but Birmingham's intensity prevented them from doing that and it meant both Han-Noah Massengo and Alex Scott struggled to impose any kind of authority on the game.
But it also brings us to how it's led to a rather worrying trend regarding the forward line.
A mini dry spell
For a team which is renowned for outscoring their opponents, two consecutive blanks remain a cause for concern. Before the international break, City looked as though they had the ability to score in every attack going forward.
They had one shot on target against Birmingham and three against Coventry. Even against Queens Park Rangers there was never a sense that City were going to go on and find an equaliser after Wells' goal just after half-time.
Against Coventry, you could put it down to the way the opposition defended. They sat back, forced City out wide and prevented them from playing between the lines.
Birmingham's defence didn't need to get out of second gear. The formidable duo of Wells and Conway couldn't find their usual telepathic partnership, which again, is partly down to the absence of Naismith in feeding the ball forward.
Semenyo and Chris Martin's appearance at half-time did give City some impetuous going forward for an initial 10 or 15 minutes but Birmingham quickly became wise to their play.
But you also have to consider the form of Andi Weimann at the moment. He set such a high bar last season with 22 goals and looked as though he would continue where he left off when he scored four in his opening four games.
That's now 10 games without a goal and a further five without an assist. Not only that, he's had just two shots in his last five appearances.
Perhaps that is down to his summer where he was afforded just 10 days off due to his international exploits while seemingly picking up a knock for Austria during the most recent break. Fatigue could be playing a part considering the amount of football he has played at the age of 31.
City's attacking threat is such a key component to Pearson's tactics that without it, the team seem to lose an important part of their identity. Include that with the inability to defend away from home and it instantly becomes an alarming factor.
Preston, who have conceded just six all season, will prove an especially difficult test for City to get back on the scoring trail.
Another league debut...
If there's one positive to come out of yesterday, it's the fact that another bright talent was handed his league debut in Dylan Kadji. Although it's easy for his memorable moment to go under the radar in defeat.
With Matty James and Joe Williams both unavailable, the 18-year-old was named among the substitutes for the second time in a matter of days. Despite being 2-0 down at the time, was given his opportunity in the 65th minute by replacing Massengo.
There's no doubting his talent but that could also reflect in the performance of Massengo who struggled to impose any sort of authority on the game. There was a comment made from the manager after in which he said: "We didn't show any positivity with our mindset, the amount of passes back were mind-blowing and that's to do with the players not taking responsibility."
You can't help but feel the Frenchman was found guilty of playing the ball back on too many occasions. One moment, in particular, came from a City attack and when he picked up the ball deep in Birmingham's half, opted to play a ball all the way back to Dan Bentley.
While bringing on Kadji was a vote of confidence in the player, it may have also been a subtle message to Massengo. Pearson was certainly complimentary regarding him after the game by saying: "I know we’ve got players who are making a step up in terms of where they’ve been playing, and I know that we’ve got quite a few youngsters out there.
"The very fact that I was prepared to put Dylan on there to make his league debut, he made his debut for us in the cup, it’s something that I think it’s not necessarily to do with the age of players, it's whether players have got a good temperament and it’s players like Dylan who have broken into the first-team squad this season and the very fact I can turn to somebody like that and not be too worried illustrates the very fact I’m talking about."
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