Birmingham City,know as The Blues,were formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance and played at Muntz Road.They turned professional in 1885.They joined the Football League in 1892 and gained new owners.
The club adopted the name Birmingham City FC in 1905 and in 1906,they moved to current home St Andrews.The club won the Second Division in 1921 under Frank Womack and then in 1932,they reached the FA Cup Final in 1931,only to lose to West Brom.Birmingham remained in the top flight for eighteen years before relegation in 1939.
After the war,they won the Second Division title and reached another FA Cup final.Arthur Brockersbale won the First Division title in 1955.In 1963,the club finally won the FA Cup after winning against Aston Villa at Wembley.Stan Cullis took the club to two cup finals and one FA Cup final in 1968.
In the 1970s,Alf Ramsey managed the club briefly and after he resigned,Trevor Francis was sold to Nottingham Forest.Ron Saunders became boss in 1982 and the club win Division Two that year to get back to the top.A drop in form saw them drop to the Third Division in 1989,and Saunders quit.
In 1992,23-year-old Karren Brady purchased the club from the Kumar family.A poor start to the 1993/94 season saw a drop in form which could've seen the club drop to Division Three,and Terry Cooper was sacked.Barry Fry replaced him,and he won promotion in his first season.Trevor Francis replaced him.
Steve Bruce took over from Francis after the latter took them to the 2001 League Cup semifinal at Wembley.Bruce Bruce guided them to the Premier League in 2002 and kept them up in the 2002/03 season.Bruce left in 2007 when Carson Yueng took a share in the club.
Alex McLeish was named his replacement at St Andrews.He won the Carling Cup in 2011 where his team beat Arsenal.However,they were relegated in May 2011 and McLeish resigned.Chris Hughton replaced him but,despite guiding them to the playoffs,he left after one season.
Lee Clark is the current manager.
Birmingham have a talented squad in terms of striking options.Former Doncaster loanee Federico Macheda has enjoyed life there,Nikola Žigic was signed by the club in 2008 from Valencia and midfielder Lee Novak has scored some vital goals.
THE GAFFER-LEE CLARK
Geordie Lee spent seventeen years as a player before retiring due to a knee injury.
Having come through the academy as a defender at Newcastle United,he made his mark when Newcastle won promotion to the Premier League in 1993.He made 200 appearances for the Toon.
The next stop was First Division Sunderland,where he joined in 1997.He won another promotion with them in 1999.He left for Fulham that summer and spent six years at Craven Cottage.
Upon Lee's retirement in 2006,he worked as a coach at Norwich.His first job was with Huddersfield in 2008,where he tirelessly worked to get the club to the Championship.After much disappointment,his contract was terminated in 2012.
After his sacking,he was named Birmingham manager in July 2012.
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