The full version of the BirminghamWorld Q&A.
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00:00 So I'm joined again in the new year this time with Charlie Huffington of Birmingham World.
00:06 Charlie, let's start with Birmingham. Obviously, still this January window has been quite quiet
00:11 for the majority of clubs, but Blues had a fantastic summer in terms of spending and
00:16 bringing players in. Where are they looking like in these remaining few days of the January
00:20 window?
00:21 They're looking fairly active actually. Tony Mowbray, when he first arrived, said he wasn't
00:25 expecting much activity this window, but more in the summer. But that is changing a little
00:30 bit. Andre Dozzles come in from QPR. That was a bit of a surprise one because he's a
00:34 starting midfielder for them and they're in a relegation battle. They've got him on loan.
00:38 If it's a permanent, it makes sense. They're going to poach it from a championship rival.
00:42 But to get him on loan is just a bit of a bizarre one. Why would QPR let him go when
00:46 they're in such a position themselves? But he's a player that Mowbray has been looking
00:50 for for years now and he's finally got him. Mainly a central midfielder, but can play
00:54 a little bit further back as well if needed. So that's good signing. That's not the only
00:58 one. Another midfield addition, potential South Korean international coming in. Paik
01:03 Sung-ho, I believe it's pronounced. He's playing in his home nation, South Korea at the moment,
01:09 but he used to play for Barcelona in the youth academy. Played for Girona as well before
01:13 they became really good and become title challengers. Played briefly in Germany before going back
01:17 out to South Korea. He's in his early 20s and he's someone who is very versatile, can
01:23 play anywhere across midfields. He's got international experience. Scored at the World Cup as well
01:27 against Brazil. So he's had fantastic experience and he's someone that Mowbray clearly likes.
01:34 And how are the Blues fans settling to Tony Mowbray? It's been quite a whirlwind with
01:39 Rooney coming in for Eustace. Is it back to feeling a bit more confident in their manager
01:45 now?
01:46 I think so, yeah. I say I think so, definitely. The feel around the club is completely different
01:52 again. It's a bit more what it was like under Eustace, feeling like the manager is fighting
01:56 for the football club. With Rooney, you could see the kind of idea of the owners trying
01:59 to bring in the big name, trying to build the reputation across the pond as well. But
02:03 it just didn't work out. I think Birmingham fans are very relieved that they pulled the
02:07 trigger when they did and brought in someone like Mowbray, who's got such great experience
02:11 in the second tier. He's got the proven track record of taking clubs up to the Premier League
02:16 as well. So it's good to hope that they continue it. It's not going to be this season they
02:20 get playoffs. I think that's pretty obvious. But just to get around mid-table and to be
02:23 very comfortable, I think, is the aim.
02:27 Let's move on to Aston Villa. Obviously, they are enjoying this incredible spell under Rooney
02:32 Emre and the achievements are still possible for them. In terms of the FA Cup, you always
02:39 feel that if a club reaches these heights, they want to cap it off with a trophy. If
02:43 they do fall short in Europe, which they probably are mainly the favourites to win that, the
02:48 Conference League, you would possibly say that they want to aim to prioritise any competitions.
02:55 Is Emre making it clear that eggs are in every basket or how is he going about it?
03:00 In his press conferences, it seems like the Premier League is the priority. He's not made
03:05 that any secret. But we know very much from Emre's career that he loves European competitions.
03:10 He's a serial winner of the Europa League and he also loves the Cup competition as well.
03:14 He was gutted last year when Stevenage came to Villa Park and surprised them coming back
03:18 late to win two goals very late on in that one. It feels like this year's his redemption
03:23 in that competition. The Carabao Cup, it didn't work out. We know that already, but that one's
03:27 out the window. It just means he has more focus on the FA Cup on Europe in addition
03:31 to the Premier League. The transfer business hasn't really been there. There's window to
03:35 strengthen the squad and to get a bit more depth in. And the injuries are still there
03:39 as well. The long term ones, obviously, are Buendia and Nings and a few others coming
03:43 in now as well. Luka Dina and Jacob Ramsey, to name a couple. So it's tricky to prioritise
03:49 every single competition. But just trying to keep consistent is everything that Emre
03:53 talks about. The game plan, no matter the personnel, if you can keep that tactics and
03:57 game plan, he's just got to work with what he's got.
04:02 Now usually we do separate videos for Wolves and West Brom, but in this moment, in this
04:07 current climate, they are meeting in the FA Cup for Threat. As a Wolves fan myself, I
04:13 know the importance of this fixture. It's something that isn't really naturally played
04:19 any more as it used to maybe when both sides were in the Championship then. But it seems
04:23 that over recent times when Wolves have been promoted, West Brom have been relegated in
04:28 the same sort of season. So they've sort of missed each other. And obviously they last
04:32 met in Covid, so the fans didn't have that feeling. But Charlie, you've come into Birmingham
04:38 World and you've sort of captured the culture of the different clubs. You probably understand
04:43 yourself now. You're gaining an understanding of this derby and the history behind it and
04:48 the importance and excitement going into the game on Sunday.
04:52 Yeah, I knew coming into the role how massive a fixture it was, but I don't think I realised
04:57 it was gargantuan. It's massive, isn't it? The last few weeks have just said that when
05:02 Wolves were playing Brentford in the replay, they knew that if they won, they were playing
05:05 West Brom. That was the bigger motivation than actually getting to a further stage of
05:08 the competition. I don't think they cared that much about progressing because it's not
05:12 a very likely target winning the Cup. But to be able to play West Brom and try and bring
05:17 an end to the hoodoo at the Hawthorns as well is such a great motivation for them. What
05:22 is it? Since 1990s, 1996, I think it is, the last time that Wolves won at the Hawthorns.
05:28 It's an insane record, really. 11 or 12 meetings, I think. I'm not sure the exact number on
05:33 that, but it's near a dozen, if not a dozen. That is bonkers, really, isn't it? From my
05:37 perspective, Wolves at the moment are a better footballing side, much better squads, proven
05:43 in the Premier League at the moment. West Brom have been stuck in the Championship for
05:46 a few years. You'd expect Wolves to go and get it, but this is at the Hawthorns and it
05:50 is the place that you're absolutely dread to go, isn't it, Charles?
05:53 Yes, it is, certainly. We've just not really shown what we can do. Obviously, so recently
06:01 and we've always made Molineux the fortress, but an away leg against West Brom is absolutely,
06:08 as you say, gargantuan. The size and historic background of this derby is incredible. The
06:15 way I'm going to go about this, I'm going to pick two figures out from each club. We'll
06:18 start with Wolves. I'm going to pick out Mateus Cunha. I think he's sort of grown into his
06:24 role slowly. Maybe when he first came in he wasn't so sure about the position and how
06:29 he'd play, but he's starting to link up with players. He's pretty much getting a goal or
06:33 assist in most Premier League games. How impressive have you been with him and how impressive
06:40 have you seen the progress of him as well?
06:43 To start with, he wasn't exactly the most clinical, was he, in front of goal, not scoring
06:46 too many, but he's started to bring that into his game. But even when he's not scoring,
06:50 he's creating chances. He's running at defenders endlessly, whether it's just pressing to cause
06:54 a bit of panic at the back or if it's running at them with the ball, he does both very well.
06:59 He never seems to tire too much. He's got aggression. We saw that at Brighton in the
07:03 nil-nil, pushing players over, getting pushed himself, calling for red guards for elbows
07:08 and getting involved in confrontations at the centre circle. He's got that passion and
07:12 desire that you want from a striker. Diego Costa had a bit of it, actually, when you
07:16 had him briefly, but now you've got a younger player who's a lot quicker, a lot more agile
07:20 and has got so much more technical ability than Diego Costa. So I think it's a very good
07:26 moment for you to be honest, having that forward player who's got that. But you haven't got
07:30 a number nine, really, have you? He's not quite that player, but he can play pretty
07:34 well in a false nine position, it seems.
07:37 Yes, of course. For West Brom, I've picked out Carlos Corberán. The transition of results
07:44 and sometimes he's had some periods of inconsistency, but overall, I think that's West Brom's shining
07:50 light going into this fixture. Maybe it's a chance for him to… He's obviously just
07:55 missed out on the Premier League before with Huddersfield. It's a chance to show that he's
08:00 going to be watched by millions, he's going to be watched by Premier League fans and maybe
08:04 clubs as well. Show what he's about as well. If he can take the game to Gary O'Neill and
08:10 make O'Neill replicate and have to play Corberán's way, how confident would you be if you were
08:17 an Albion fan and you've got that sort of Corberán in your ring?
08:24 Quite confident, really. I know O'Neill said the exact same thing, but Corberán's been
08:27 speaking about how he's getting his players to know if they don't already, the importance
08:31 of this and to have that on home soil, to have the home advantage is so important. There
08:36 is a gulf in quality between the Premier League and the Championship. Everyone knows that
08:39 and it's getting bigger, but it's not like West Brom are on mid-table side. They're definitely
08:43 pushing the playoffs. They're in the playoffs at the moment pretty securely. They'll be
08:47 hoping to stay there for the end of the season, which means they could quite possibly be a
08:50 Premier League team next season. It's not that big of a gap in the general scheme of
08:54 things, especially when it's a derby. It's so much importance. What's it been, three,
08:59 four years since you've played each other? The bragging rights are so strong and I think
09:04 West Brom having that home advantage, because it's all about the fans, they should be pretty
09:08 confident.