{"id":11418,"date":"2025-04-11T17:44:31","date_gmt":"2025-04-11T17:44:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/11418\/"},"modified":"2025-04-11T17:44:31","modified_gmt":"2025-04-11T17:44:31","slug":"i-was-made-a-scapegoat-by-acun-ilicali-now-im-targeting-the-top-with-birmingham-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/11418\/","title":{"rendered":"I was made a scapegoat by Acun Ilicali \u2013 now I\u2019m targeting the top with Birmingham City"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ryan Allsop has opened up on his memorable first season with Birmingham City ahead of the club’s trip to Wembley\"RyanRyan Allsop has proved to be an inspired signing by Birmingham City<\/p>\n

A boyhood Bluenose who watched Birmingham City<\/a> lift the Carling Cup on their last visit to Wembley will keep goal for them this time around.<\/p>\n

Ryan Allsop<\/a> has played at Wembley twice before, winning on both occasions, but neither will compare to his third appearance under the arch when Blues play Peterborough United in the Vertu Trophy.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo play at Wembley full stop is a dream, but to play there with your boyhood club is something else,\u201d says Allsop. \u201cIt\u2019s a little bit surreal and I\u2019m relishing it. I want to take it all in and keep those memories with me forever.<\/p>\n

\u201cI try to take a step back and take it all in every single time I play for Blues, especially at St Andrew\u2019s in front of the Tilton. I don\u2019t want it to pass me by, I want to make sure I\u2019m taking it all in.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s something I know my family are very proud of. To be able to call myself a Birmingham City<\/a> player is special.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peter Ndlovu was Allsop\u2019s favourite player but he can reel off players from the nineties and early noughties like it was yesterday.<\/p>\n

\u201cLooking back, I had some great memories coming down with my dad. I remember going to a soccer school on a Saturday and then I\u2019d rush home, have some lunch, and we\u2019d come straight to the game. I\u2019d always want to go in the Blues shop and get a kit, or a Beau Brummie teddy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Allsop\u2019s parents will be among his supporters at Wembley, as will his wife and children, and his aunty who hasn\u2019t missed a single Blues game this season. In a campaign that will reach 60 games when all is said and done, that is an impressive feat.<\/p>\n

As with most footballers, Allsop\u2019s family played their part in ferrying the goalkeeper to and from training when he was a youngster \u2013 and helping him deal with early setbacks, such as being released by West Bromwich Albion.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember my dad taking me when I was four and I would always put my hand up to go in goal,\u201d explained Allsop. \u201cAnd my dad used to say, \u2018If you put your hand up again I\u2019m not taking you!\u2019 Then the next time I went I would put my hand up to play in goal and eventually he accepted it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Don’t miss your Birmingham Mail Blues at Wembley special souvenir edition<\/p>\n

Chris Davies’s runaway League One leaders face Peterborough United on Sunday, April 13 in the final of the Vertu Trophy, looking to clinch the first past of a double after a season of incredible success.<\/p>\n

40-page special<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy now<\/a> and have it delivered directly to your door. Alternatively you can purchase in most supermarkets, high street retailers and independent newsagents in Birmingham<\/a> from April 2, 2025.<\/p>\n

It was always goalkeeping for Allsop, even if his exceptional ability with the ball at his feet makes you wonder whether he was a midfielder in his younger years. Though he admits: \u201cIf I had nothing to do, I fancied myself as an outfield player at points, like most goalkeepers do. I didn\u2019t want to lose doing both.<\/p>\n

\u201cI enjoyed doing the technical work that we did with our feet. At West Brom, between 14 and 18, they had lots of technical sessions and I used to really enjoy them and I\u2019d get really involved with the outfield players and it grew from there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blues have benefitted from Allsop\u2019s passing range this season. He recorded an assist for Taylor Gardner-Hickman\u2019s vital winner against Wycombe Wanderers in early March and has added a new dimension to Blues\u2019 attack with lasered long range passes to the wide players.<\/p>\n

His quality in possession hasn\u2019t come as a shock. Allsop was one of the best distributors in the Championship last season in a Hull City side that narrowly missed out on promotion.<\/p>\n

Given the Tigers\u2019 success, it was a surprise that Allsop was allowed to depart after just 12 months in Hull, but scratch beneath the surface and you learn that the goalkeeper\u2019s position had become \u2018untenable\u2019.<\/p>\n

Liam Rosenior, the manager who was the driving force behind Allsop\u2019s move to Hull having coached him at Derby County, was sacked by owner Acun Ilicali for finishing seventh. In a meeting with supporters to explain Rosenior\u2019s exit, Ilicali admitted his desire to see Allsop replaced by rival stopper Ivor Pandur had created friction between the pair.<\/p>\n

\"BirminghamBirmingham City goalkeeper Ryan Allsop<\/p>\n

Speaking on the subject for the first time, Allsop said: \u201cI was aware of it, I had various messages about it. It sort of made my position at the club untenable.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a difficult situation to be honest and I do feel that I was made a little bit of a scapegoat for the team not getting to where he wanted to get.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe other goalkeeper was the owner\u2019s signing and he\u2019d paid a bit of money to bring him to the club, so he obviously wanted him to play and I believe Liam wanted me to play. There was a little bit of friction in that sense.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat wasn\u2019t in my control, I was just trying to do my best for the club that employed me. I always step out and try to do my 110 percent best no matter what, if that wasn\u2019t seen as good enough by him then so be it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was difficult but it\u2019s obviously worked out with me being here. I couldn\u2019t be happier to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Allsop\u2019s ambitions mirror that of Blues\u2019 top brass. If everything goes to plan, this will be their last appearance in this competition for a very long time \u2013 maybe ever.<\/p>\n

\u201cI still want to play in the Premier League and I know the club is very ambitious. It fits. I haven\u2019t come here to slow down, I\u2019ve come here to make the most of what I can bring to the club.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to make sure we get back to where we belong and in my eyes that\u2019s seeing the club play in the Premier League, like I used to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is Allsop a player of the year contender? Have your say HERE<\/a>Get the latest Blues headlines sent straight to your phone<\/p>\n

BirminghamLive has its very own Birmingham City<\/a> WhatsApp community to deliver the latest headlines straight to your phone. Just click this link<\/a> to receive daily Blues content and breaking news. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don\u2019t like our community, you can check out any time you like. Click on the name at the top of your screen while in WhatsApp and click ‘Exit Group’. Read our Privacy Notice.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ryan Allsop has opened up on his memorable first season with Birmingham City ahead of the club’s trip…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11419,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7820],"tags":[855,1205,748,393,4884,7822,7821,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-11418","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-birmingham","8":"tag-birmingham","9":"tag-birmingham-city-fc","10":"tag-britain","11":"tag-england","12":"tag-great-britain","13":"tag-hull-city-afc","14":"tag-ryan-allsop","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114320577233758546","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11418"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11418\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11419"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}