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Birmingham City manager Garry Monk looked to have made a genius decision when he left Maikel Kieftenbeld on the substitutes’ bench against Hull City on Saturday, but the move quickly backfired in the 2-0 defeat at the KCOM Stadium.
On the chalkboard
Well, Kieftenbeld has been an integral part of the Blues side this season and is one of the players that has helped them be in play-off contention, but he is currently in risk of a two-match suspension given he is has nine bookings to his name.
Monk obviously didn’t want to risk losing the 28-year-old before the Second City derby against Aston Villa at St Andrew’s next weekend, and it seemed the perfect opportunity to bring the recently-returned David Davis back into the XI for his first start of the campaign following an ankle injury.
The plan didn’t exactly work out though as the Brum man struggled before being substituted just after the interval, with the Midlands outfit missing out on the chance to move to within one point of the top six had they won in Lancashire.
Big blow
The large majority of Birmingham fans would have backed Monk’s decision at the time, but there may be a hint of regret now even if the Dane will definitely be available to face Dean Smith’s men.
His absence and the result and performance proves just how influential the midfielder is to the Blues, and even though it seemed to be a good move at the time, Davis clearly didn’t have the match fitness for the occasion in a division where every games tests you.
Now Monk must pray that a decision that backfired horribly can be redeemed a little with three points against their arch-rivals on Sunday.
