When Matt Derbyshire rose to Premier League prominence at Blackburn Rovers, nobody would have anticipated a move to Greek side Olympiakos in order to give his blossoming career new direction.
And yet, his time in Greece was largely successful after making himself a hero in the Greek Cup against rivals AEK Athens by equalising in the sixth minute of additional time in a game Olympiakos went onto win, his permanent move to the club saw him score six goals in nineteen appearances.
If Rovers fans’ were surprised at his move abroad, Derbyshire’s return to the Premier League with Birmingham may attract an identical response.
However, with Birmingham in desperate need of a striker due to the loss of Kevin Phillips and Derbyshire determined to make his mark on the top-flight second time around the move is relatively risk free for all the parties involved.
His last Premier League season saw nine goals in fourteen starts and sixteen substitute appearances including some crucial late goals and whilst the St Andrews faithful’s pulses will hardly be raising he may prove to be yet another shrewd move by Alex McLeish.
Talk of bigger names such as N’Zogbia and Babel from Wigan and Liverpool respectively would perhaps be ones that evoke more excitement but it is my belief a fired up Derbyshire would be a better fit into the team ethic and work rate McLeish has instilled.
Blues’ should not try and run before they can walk in the Premier League with regard to signing players after one good season or become embroiled in the inflated expectation McLeish has been burdened after their 9th placed finish.
They need players of Derbyshire’s calibre with something to prove and what people should not forget is that these sort of signings were an integral part of their success. Roger Johnson and Scott Dann were plucked from the Championship for their debut seasons in the Premier League and made a wonderful partnership whilst Barry Ferguson was brought in from Rangers looking to cast away any critics from his time with Blackburn Rovers.
McLeish said of Derbyshire “I’m pleased we’ve got him, I’m glad we’ve got another (signing) over the line. I think he’s showed he can score a goal, and he’s learnt new tricks abroad, hopefully become a more mature footballer.
“He’s had his journey in Greece and, from speaking to him, he’s so keen to get on that Barclays Premier League pitch once more.”
So the moral of the story is, before naively casting their judgement upon Derbyshire before he has kicked a ball in earnest or looking towards the Welsh capital and questioning why ‘Big Eck’ did not move for Craig Bellamy, Blues fans must remember that building a squad to establish themselves in the Premier League takes time.
Who knows? Derbyshire may yet work his way into the hearts of the St Andrews crowds just like he did in Greece.
