Simon Jordan rubbishes Birmingham City comparison and says ‘it’s not fair’
Birmingham City have become the most successful EFL team in history having hit 108 points this week
Respected radio commentator Simon Jordan believes Birmingham City has performed as expected this season, albeit with a strong showing. However, he does not believe that their accomplishments can be compared to Reading, the 2006 Championship winners, whose record points total they have just surpassed.
On Wednesday night, the Blues easily defeated Blackpool to reach 108 points, making them the most successful team in the EFL era with one game remaining. They surpassed the 106 that the Royals amassed under Steve Coppell’s tenure, which ended 19 years ago when they were promoted to the Premier League.
In the 45 games played so far, Chris Davies, in his first season as manager, has presided over 33 victories and just three losses. He has also given Newcastle United, a team vying for the Champions League, a serious scare in the FA Cup and a fun day out at Wembley. The Blues are anticipated to compete fiercely in the second division the next season.
Jim White (L) and Simon Jordan (R) discussed Birmingham City’s record points tally
Jordan acknowledges that the Blues’ accomplishments have been noteworthy, if not unexpected, but he disagrees that there are similarities between this team and Reading’s performance in 2006, merely because Reading performed better.
“You can only win the league that you’re in, and they’ve won it with a remarkable return,” Jordan told talkSPORT. “They have spent around £30m, which probably equates to a significant portion of the entire spend of that league. They shouldn’t have been in that league in the first place, they’re too big a club – I know that sounds a bit wrong to say, but they shouldn’t have.
“They can’t pat themselves on the back having been responsible for getting their club relegated from the Championship, when not that long ago they were a Premier League side, but they have come back.
“I know there have been comparisons, now that they have got the EFL record total, eclipsing Reading’s in 2006 – Reading won the Championship. It’s universally accepted that the Championship is one of the most difficult and competitive leagues in the world.
“It was the season my team [Crystal Palace] were in that league, and we were expected to go back up having been relegated the previous season, so I know how good Reading were. It’s not a fair comparison. They have held order, but to spend the kind of money they’ve spent, I would think that is a fair return on their investment.”
If the Blues had accomplished this higher up the football pyramid, would they have gotten the recognition they otherwise may have? Simply put, Jordan feels that the media in this nation doesn’t provide as much insight or recognition into the events occurring in the lesser leagues.
“Ask yourself how much time we spend talking about League One and League Two and how much time we spend dwelling on the Premier League. Of course there is less interest because it doesn’t occupy the same precedence or same investment,” he added.
“The media don’t alight upon it in the same way as the Premier League. It doesn’t make the news or carry the information that, ultimately, the Premier League does, so of course people pay less attention to it. There is, though, lots of talk in the EFL that they have success – there are unprecedented returns for second tier teams compared to other leagues around the world.
“It has massive clubs languishing in the Championship and sometimes also in League One – we have seen other clubs down there – we’ve seen Southampton, Nottingham Forest, Ipswich, Sheffield Wednesday, Sunderland…all of these clubs have been big clubs in the world of football.
“It’s not a case of not paying due respect to the competitiveness of those leagues – simply, the football world alights upon the Premier League, media wise, a damn sight more than it does on the EFL.”
