Birmingham City suffer big injury blow - some fans take aim at transfer strategy | OneFootball

Blues will be without Ethan Laird's services for a considerable period of time

Birmingham City have suffered a major injury blow as Ethan Laird is set for a considerable spell on the sidelines, leaving some Bluenoses questioning the club's transfer policy towards the end of the summer window.

A frustrating night at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park - in which Demarai Gray's stunning 99th-minute equaliser salvaged a draw for Chris Davies' men against cash-strapped Sheffield Wednesday - was made even worse when the Blues boss revealed that the versatile full-back sustained a major hamstring issue in last Saturday's 3-0 defeat to Coventry City at the CBS Arena.

Fortune certainly hasn't been shining down on the West Midlands side of late, with the midweek draw against an Owls side, whose players suffered yet another setback of their own due to another instance of delayed wage payments only adding to the pressure on Davies' shoulders at present, with owner Tom Wagner watching on from the B9 boardroom - as was exclusively revealed by Football League World - ahead of Friday night's well-documented 'Hollywood' clash with Wrexham in North Wales.

Laird will play no part in the fixture, which will gain plenty of publicity either side of the Atlantic, or for the foreseeable future, leaving a major void in Birmingham's rearguard that many felt wasn't addressed properly as the September 1st transfer deadline drew ever closer.

Birmingham City fans take aim as Ethan Laird suffers major injury setback

The former Manchester United academy graduate had featured in all nine of Blues' previous competitive outings in the opening weeks of the season, featuring in his natural right-back position as well as covering at left-back due to two injuries sustained by Alex Cochrane in encounters with Blackburn Rovers and Swansea City respectively.

Laird started the Midlands 'derby' on the left side of defence as Cochrane was reduced to a place on the bench after following strict concussion protocols, before the 24-year-old was replaced by his colleague on the hour mark after overstretching the hamstring muscle whilst taking aim at goal with Blues already 2-0 down at said point.

As such, the normally reliable figure was omitted from Tuesday night's 2-2 draw at St. Andrew's, with Davies revealing the unfortunate prognosis in his post-match press conference.

"Ethan is unfortunately an injury that will take him some time, a few months, which is a real blow. A real blow to him and us," the 40-year-old said.

"He’s had it assessed and looked at, and unfortunately it was as bad as we feared it would be. We won’t see him for a few months."

Unsurprisingly, this has left many Blues supporters concerned in the long run, with Bright Osayi-Samuel also suffering a blow to the foot against Wednesday, which could leave Alfons Sampsted as the club's only natural right-sided defender should the summer recruit also be forced to spend a period on the sidelines.

Another supporter has taken aim at the hierarchy for not addressing the long-standing issue of recruiting a natural left-back to provide cover for the aforementioned Cochrane, with Lee Buchanan omitted from the club's 25-man squad for now as he recovers from a serious ankle problem of his own.

Despite Knighthead's well-documented ambitions and an array of 'statement' signings made throughout the summer, one Bluenose has subsequently questioned the decision to sanction a loan move for the versatile Taylor Gardner-Hickman, who is currently with Blackburn Rovers.

Another supporter has urged Davies to start summer recruit, Phil Neumann at full-back for Friday's clash at the Stok Cae Ras with Jack Robinson back available for selection after serving a one-game suspension, with Eiran Cashin's performance alongside Christoph Klarer coming under the microscope.

Ethan Laird situation serves as major warning to Birmingham City

As many have alluded to, this situation serves as a major warning to Birmingham when it comes to overall squad depth, regardless of the individual talent at Davies' disposal right throughout the squad.

Laird's ability to feature in multiple positions, as well as his bursts of pace from deep, have been an extremely useful asset for Birmingham in the past year or so, and with the side struggling for confidence and when it comes to creating a plethora of chances in games, it is a huge blow that such attributes cannot be called upon.

Of course, Osayi-Samuel is renowned for having somewhat similar traits, yet the ex-Fenerbahce man hasn't convinced supporters in recent weeks despite looking rather impressive on opening night against Ipswich Town in particular.

With one squad slot left remaining, there is still the possibility that Blues could dip into the free agent market to find a short-term solution to this issue which involves both right and left-back, although it would, in a way, only add to the frustrations of those who felt such a problem should've been addressed in the summer.