Birmingham's New Stadium: A Striking Eyesore That Looks Like a Power Plant on the M1!

WHEN have you ever heard someone say: “I tell you what this place needs… chimneys.”

Whoever decided to lump 12 of the things on the plans for ’s new stadium needs to give their head a wobble.

Birmingham City are planning a new stadiumCredit: GRAB But Troy Deeney is not too happy with the Birmingham’s designsCredit: Getty Images

It’s amazing to see my beloved Blues getting this sort of investment — it will do wonders for the area.

It will be a wonderful stadium and it is a brilliant thing the owners are doing for the club and the city.

I love what they are doing, there is no doubt the ground needs upgrading, so we all have to say a huge thank you to .

But the chimneys? They have decided to dub the new ground the ‘Powerhouse Stadium’.

All it reminds me of is the enormous Ratcliffe on Soar power plant you see going up the M1.

The idea was to rival — and beat — what managed when they knocked down White Hart Lane.

For a Blues fan that was so exciting to hear, dreaming of a new ground and anticipating something world class.

And this lot have come up with chimneys. It is Birmingham to a tee.

I love the city and where I am from but the first thing I thought when I saw the plans was: “We’ve done it again.”

It is the ugliest new stadium I have ever seen. The more pictures you see of it you hope that they have been edited badly. You can understand trying to stick to the working-class roots and wanting something iconic — something that, they say, will be seen from 40 miles away.

But it’s not the stadium you will be able to see from all that way, it is the hideous chimneys.

I can only wish that in five years’ time I am writing that I got it all wrong, admit I was miles off it and that — wow — chimneys are back in fashion. Maybe I am too cynical.

The ground, and those 12 towers, will be amid the canals and old streets and there will be a feeling of ‘This is Birmingham’. We will have a shiny new stadium with billions having been spent and it will be something to be proud of.

One thing that was good to see around the unveiling was ’s involvement.

and England star Jude has been really under the spotlight, to an extent he will never have experienced before, over the international break.

It seems like a perfect storm and it has meant this monster of a player and personality is now the lightning rod.

Jude Bellingham involvement

During the Euros last year he was like our Paul Gascoigne at times and all the behaviour we loved then is, to some, suddenly unpalatable now.

There is an element of Jude having to just shrug this off. He is one of the biggest names in football and is now the face of some enormous brands.

It is going to come with the territory, but it should never become personal. Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel must take some blame.

He can argue that English is his second language, but when you call someone “repulsive” there is only going to be one result.

Every person and player will always want to be liked, that is only natural.

But will Jude, in the grand scheme of things, care about the fuss that has been kicked up? No.

Bellingham brothers praise

I have witnessed and worked with thousands of players over the years and both he and his brother, , are the two most headstrong people I’ve met.

They feel they are going straight to the top, whether you are going with them or not. That is something a lot of people will envy.

The Bellingham family had a clear plan for Jude and Jobe — and it has worked.

They are both elite superstars, and for the rest of us, including me, that is a huge marker that you have failed.

Even though Jude has a killer-instinct mentality, which will mean he remains a key asset for England at the World Cup, he has always been a really good kid.

There are boys he played with at Birmingham who, given where he is now, would have understood if he cut them off.

But no, there are always messages and shirts and tickets whenever they are needed by those he was close to back then. It says a lot.

Deeney doesn’t like the chimneys on Birmingham’s new stadiumCredit: GRAB Deeney didn’t hold back on his feedback regarding Birmingham’s stadium plansCredit: GRAB Deeney, though, still supports Birmingham’s initiativeCredit: GRAB