SOCCER/ West Ham United-3, Birmingham-0: The ongoing disintegration of Birmingham City's season shows no signs of ending, with apparent dressingroom problems now set to compound the on-pitch calamities. Even a stunning defeat here was not the worst news of the night for Steve Bruce.
Nicky Butt's Birmingham career is in doubt after suggestions that the former England midfielder, on a season's loan at St Andrew's, stormed out of Upton Park after a furious argument with Bruce.
Butt played the full 90 minutes in Birmingham's last Premiership match, the 2-0 home defeat by Arsenal, but was dropped for the trip to east London. Apart from the suspended Emile Heskey and the injured Muzzy Izzet, Butt was the only absentee from the match of nine days before.
The intrigue of the episode grew when it transpired that the manager's 21-year-old son Alex Bruce, normally a defender, had been selected in midfield. Reportedly this decision precipitated Butt's angry withdrawal amid accusations of nepotism.
Bruce now has a big decision to take as he considers how to deal with so flagrant a challenge to his authority. Whatever the repercussions, Birmingham's luck by no means altered with the personnel changes. Fortune has a habit of scorning teams with troubles and, six points adrift of safety going into this match, Birmingham's situation is far from serene.
Thus, when Nigel Reo-Coker executed a powerful but speculative drive from 25 yards, the ricochet the ball took from the bodies of two Birmingham defenders was inevitably unkind. Kenny Cunningham lunged in an attempt to clear but could only dab it into the path of Marlon Harewood, who firmly dispatched his shot beyond Maik Taylor for his 12th Premiership goal of the season.
Birmingham's response was meek. So inadequate was their central midfield that Butt's flight from the ground might have been vindicated were it not for some of his own woeful performances over the past two seasons.
Ten minutes after the interval Bruce might have been sent off for a second caution when his arm connected with Reo-Coker's attempted centre, but the innocuous position of the incident provided sufficient doubt to protect him.
There was no such ambiguity over Martin Latka's use of his hands. When Christian Dailly sent a header into the box, the Czech defender took it upon himself to bat the ball away from Ashton's head. Dermot Gallagher pointed unhesitatingly to the spot. Taylor guessed correctly to thwart Harewood's spot-kick with a dive to his left, the striker converted the rebound.
West Ham were in complete control as Lionel Scaloni crossed from the right wing from which the diving Yossi Benayoun would have scored had he connected with his head. But it scarcely mattered. The ball evaded Taylor and found Ashton at the far post, where he had merely to stoop to add West Ham's third.
WEST HAM UTD: Hislop, Scaloni, Ferdinand, Gabbidon, Konchesky, Benayoun, Mullins (Dailly 46), Reo-Coker, Etherington (Katan 77), Ashton (Zamora 77), Harewood. Subs not used: Bywater, Sheringham. Goals: Harewood 11, 63, Ashton 65.
BIRMINGHAM CITY: Maik Taylor, Melchiot, Cunningham, Latka (Clapham 71), Gray, Pennant, Bruce, Clemence, Jarosik (Painter 71), Sutton, Forssell (Campbell 67). Subs not used: Vaesen, Birley. Booked: Bruce, Latka.
Referee: D Gallagher (Oxfordshire).
