Tottenham 2 // Birmingham 1
LONDON // From an afternoon of complex calculations and knotted nerves, Birmingham City were consigned to precisely the place they did not want to be. And Harry Redknapp was sent on the European journey Tottenham's manager would rather have avoided.
Undone by a final-minute goal here, so despairingly marginal was Birmingham's descent that it was not fully determined until the final kick of the Premier League season some 160 miles north.
Ultimately, a campaign gilded with their first major silverware in 48 years ended tarnished by relegation from the top tier. The financial realities of the modern game dictate that to be an unacceptable trade-off.
"If you're saying you stay in the league but you've got to sacrifice the Carling Cup, of course you'd swap it," the manager Alex McLeish said.
"It's such a fine line. One goal put us out of the Premier League. If that had gone the other way it would have been the greatest season in Birmingham's history. The way it's happened to us is absolutely devastating."
The precise cost of relegation is a slippery figure that can only be accurately calculated in retrospect. Yet Birmingham face a cull of at least £24 million (Dh144m) of Premier League television revenue, with millions more in lost commercial and match-day income.
That their fate came down to the season's final minute was partially a product of their Carling Cup success. Pivotal to that triumph over Arsenal, Nikola Zigic has not started a match since. The steady defending of Scott Dann has been absent since the semi-final.
"There's no doubt we've suffered since," said McLeish.
Safe by just a solitary goal at kick off, Birmingham's security increased with Blackburn's trio of goals at Wolverhampton then diminished with Charlie Adam's equaliser at Old Trafford. Starting the second half, a goal for either Tottenham or Wigan would sink them to the drop zone.
The former came four minutes later. Danny Rose's perseverance on the left saw him round Sebastian Larsson and pass to Pavyluchenko, the substitute striker who looped the ball into the far corner. White Hart Lane cheered louder at news of Blackpool's second at Manchester United than for their own man's goal.
With limited options on his bench, McLeish held to his strategy and waited and his old boss's team levelled in Manchester to bring Blackpool back into range.
With United netting again, Birmingham were now within a goal of potential survival. With 12 minutes remaining a corner unsettled Tottenham. Barry Ferguson's shot rebounded off Rose to Craig Gardner. A Birmingham fan since childhood, the midfielder's left foot did not betray him.
Though Hugo Rodallega's goal at Stoke City quickly pushed Wigan back above them, McLeish's calculated conservatism had his team a single goal above Wolves.
Then their local rivals reduced the deficit at Blackburn and Birmingham were headed downwards - not on goal difference, but on goals scored.
A corner won by Roger Johnson ended with the centre-back sat disconsolate on turf as his header leaked wide of the post. Tottenham counter-attacked and, running at a half-empty defence, Pavyluchenko fired a shot off the underside of the crossbar and in.
"It's probably the worst moment of my career," McLeish said of Birmingham's second relegation in four seasons. "They're my lads, I built the squad and it's a low for me in my career. But it's not fatal and I'll bounce back."
sports@thenational.ae
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
Stage 7:
1. Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal - 3:18:29
2. Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep - same time
3. Phil Bauhaus (GER) Bahrain Victorious
4. Michael Morkov (DEN) Deceuninck-QuickStep
5. Cees Bol (NED) Team DSM
General Classification:
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates - 24:00:28
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers - 0:00:35
3. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep - 0:01:02
4. Chris Harper (AUS) Jumbo-Visma - 0:01:42
5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo - 0:01:45
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company%20profile
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
RESULTS
6pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah – Group 2 (PA) $40,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner: AF Alajaj, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
6.35pm: Race of Future – Handicap (TB) $80,000 (Turf) 2,410m
Winner: Global Storm, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
7.10pm: UAE 2000 Guineas – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Azure Coast, Antonio Fresu, Pavel Vashchenko
7.45pm: Business Bay Challenge – Listed (TB) $100,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Storm Damage, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor
20.20pm: Curlin Stakes – Listed (TB) $100,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Appreciated, Fernando Jara, Doug O’Neill
8.55pm: Singspiel Stakes – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner: Lord Glitters, Daniel Tudhope, David O'Meara
9.30pm: Al Shindagha Sprint – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Meraas, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
SQUAD
Ali Khaseif, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Adel Al Hosani, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Bandar Al Ahbabi, Mohammed Barghash, Salem Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Hassan Al Mahrami, Walid Abbas, Mahmoud Khamis, Yousef Jaber, Saeed Ahmed, Majed Sorour, Majed Hassan, Ali Salmeen, Abdullah Ramadan, Khalil Al Hammadi, Fabio De Lima, Khalfan Mubarak, Tahnoun Al Zaabi, Ali Saleh, Caio Canedo, Muhammed Jumah, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue, Zayed Al Ameri
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
No_One Ever Really Dies
N*E*R*D
(I Am Other/Columbia)
Habib El Qalb
Assi Al Hallani
(Rotana)
Batti Gul Meter Chalu
Producers: KRTI Productions, T-Series
Director: Sree Narayan Singh
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyenndu Sharma, Yami Gautam
Rating: 2/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Reputation
Taylor Swift
(Big Machine Records)
What is tokenisation?
Tokenisation refers to the issuance of a blockchain token, which represents a virtually tradable real, tangible asset. A tokenised asset is easily transferable, offers good liquidity, returns and is easily traded on the secondary markets.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
STAY%2C%20DAUGHTER
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The%20specs
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Martin Sabbagh profile
Job: CEO JCDecaux Middle East
In the role: Since January 2015
Lives: In the UAE
Background: M&A, investment banking
Studied: Corporate finance
