This week’s Keep Right On episode had a lot of discussion about Tony Mowbray, the Birmingham City manager who resigned after the team defeated Sunderland.

We found out on Monday that Mowbray will be taking a temporary leave of absence from his Blues managerial position in order to receive medical treatment after receiving a diagnosis. The 60-year-old has given his longtime assistant Mark Venus the reins, and he will lead his debut game on Saturday against Ipswich Town.

After wishing Mowbray well, Alex Dicken (AD) and Brian Dick (BD) talked about Venus and the boisterous crowd who attended the Sunderland game at St Andrew’s. This week’s podcast featured questions and answers regarding free transfers, ticket incentives, and areas the Blues should focus on strengthening in the summer.

What do you think about the ticket incentives? Anything that boosts the number of attendees is beneficial.

AD: “I think there is opportunity for the Blues to have days like that, maybe three or four, throughout a season where they draw youngsters from schools and colleges into the stadium, but Tom Wagner can’t do that all the time. There is a sizable student population in Birmingham that none of the clubs have reached out to. The goal is to bring them in at a low cost. I used to be a student, thus you shouldn’t have to pay thirty pounds for a ticket.

“I’ve been crunching some statistics because, as we’ve both mentioned, there have been some games this season when the costs have been steep: Sheffield Wednesday, Rotherham, and Leicester around Christmas. I know that the Blues had some bargains around those games if you combined them. A four-person family (two adults and two kids) sitting in the Kop for the Southampton match will pay £95. You also have to pay for your meal, drink, transportation to the game, and possibly a program. All told, this could cost you anywhere from £150 to £200. Few people will regularly commit to such an expense. More incentives are required. You will ultimately run out of fans if you don’t get any new ones. You should concentrate on attracting the following wave of supporters.

BD: “I’m simply curious if charging £140 for a seven-game end-of-season ticket is worthwhile. To maintain the momentum that began on Saturday, something along those lines. It would be regrettable if the price dropped to 20,000 once more when playing Southampton. It takes a great deal of imagination and creative problem-solving. Another thing to consider from the perspective of the fan is that you will most likely have to pay more for a better product on the field. Knighthead has made much talk about raising cash in order to better the FFP balance, but sadly, that money comes out of the purses of its followers. While I do believe that there should be more value than £32 for any portion of the stadium at every game, it is the fans who provide the revenue. If they believe it is worthwhile to pay for, I believe Blues supporters will react.

Is there a potential for free transfer signings? particularly in the striker division, or if not, is there any possibility Dixon will be promoted to the first team soon?

AD: “I don’t think Dixon will have many opportunities left until the season ends. Possibly in the final few games if he continues to perform well in the 21s. The Blues have an abundance of players in the forward spots. There are seasoned players who have played before Dixon that Mowbray isn’t even able to include in the squad. Since there are no longer any FA Cup games, I don’t see it occurring.

BD: “It’s just not going to happen that there is a free agent. It will take a striker one to six weeks to come back up to speed if they have been out. That won’t take place. The fact that we all fervently hope the Blues have a striker who scores 20 goals a season is implied in the point. The team is getting goals from all over. Although they are few, they are consistently arriving in large enough numbers to push Blues past the breaking point.

BD: “Goalkeepers and strikers because there won’t be any goalkeepers or senior strikers left at the conclusion of the season. I’ve been raving about Sinclair Armstrong here, but that’s just my imagination; no one has confirmed any communication with me. At Sheffield Wednesday, I also think Bailey Cadamarteri is a young guy with a lot of potential. Even on a second loan, Stansfield is the apparent player you would most like to see return. The Blues’ net will undoubtedly be wider than it has been in years. In order to proceed in that direction, Tony Mowbray needs two goalkeepers and two forwards.

AD: “Talking about Sheffield Wednesday strikers, I thought Ugbo was a pretty good player—he scored two goals against the Blues and seemed to have good physical attributes.” I would love to see the Blues sign a number of these players in this league. The problem with Mowbray is that he most likely believes something quite different about the areas we believe the Blues need to improve. When we examined the team’s backbone in January, Mowbray saw three midfielders, whereas we saw defense, midfield, and a striker! If they go ahead and sign Dozzell on a permanent basis, the midfield won’t require much reinforcing in the summer. Your midfield is already there since they have Paik. Regarding goalies and strikers, I concur, but I would also want to see a center defender who is left-sided and left-footed. If you plan to play from the back, I believe that position is crucial in the current game.

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