Ethan Laird thinks Birmingham City can overcome the drop, and he hopes that the words said back home following the Cardiff City loss will motivate them in the four cup finals that remain.
With four games remaining, the Blues currently rank 23rd in the Championship standings after falling to the Bluebirds on Wednesday night, their eighth loss in their previous ten meetings. As things stand, Blues are expected to relegation to League One next season along with Rotherham United.
Laird spoke candidly about the post-Cardiff inquest that took place in the locker room. Laird joined Blues in the hopes of competing at the other end of the table.”It’s evident that people care,” he added, adding that many were speaking up. Tough love is what it is. We need to talk about certain things because of the circumstances we find ourselves in. To tell the truth, I’m relieved that it took place today.
“Obviously, I’m not satisfied with the outcome at all, but there were necessary and appropriate things stated. We’re a close-knit community, so I sincerely hope we can get through this now.
“You are nearly astounded when you consider the guys we have because you’re asking yourself, ‘How?'” But I really think we can overcome this. We still have a few games remaining, so we need to approach every one of them like a cup final.
When asked why he thinks a side that hasn’t defeated Rotherham since mid-October can score enough points to make it through, Laird elaborated, saying, “I think it’s because of the characters and talent this team has, and the staff is a positive group. Although they are realists, they recognize that we will require their energy for the upcoming game. We are aware of our situation.
Understandably, given the stakes, St Andrew’s was anxious from the start against Cardiff, although the Blues did little to calm the jittery nerves of those in the stands. With Josh Bowler having sealed the victory in the 65th minute, they were unable to test Cardiff goalie Ethan Hovarth.
After hosting play-off contender Coventry City on Saturday, the Blues will travel to Rotherham and Huddersfield for two crucial away games. Nobody, regardless of the Blues, wants everything to hinge on the decisive match against Norwich.
The 22-year-old Laird went on, “It’s difficult for me to talk about because I’m an optimist and I hate that I’m in this situation in the first place. We need to battle in order to release the anxiety. That happened (against Cardiff), in my opinion, because we know we have to win and score, and sometimes as players, when you give things some thought, you end up making snap judgments. Football can go very much like that. It’s about figuring out how to handle it.
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