Ex-Birmingham City man namedropped in 'most disliked player' claim - he cost Blues £2.2m and "wasn't very good" | OneFootball

FLW's Birmingham City fan pundit has pinpointed two ex-players who the St. Andrew's crowd never warmed to

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Birmingham City are now a club looking upwards rather than over their shoulders, with the latter trend certainly relevant to the vast majority of recent seasons at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park.

After suffering relegation from the Premier League in May 2011 under Alex McLeish, the West Midlands outfit were the subject of many events which, in the eyes of many, would have made for its own documentary on top of the recently-broadcast Amazon Prime five-part series that showcases the staggering impact which the duo of Tom Wagner, alongside NFL icon and minority stakeholder, Tom Brady, have had on Blues on such a short period of time.

Indeed, the US duo, connected as part of Blues' ownership circle through Knighthead Capital Management, have got supporters believing that their tenure will not be yet another false dawn, having seen plenty of those under the stewardship of Carsen Yeung and Birmingham Sports Holdings Limited (BSHL).

During a dramatic 12-year period, uncertainty was the clear and damaging buzzword associated with Blues, with there being a distinct lack of clarity and direction, on top of a high amount of turnover on the pitch and in the dugout and a rather toxic atmosphere in the stands.

As such, it may come as no surprise to many bluenoses that, when asked to pinpoint any player(s) in particular, who were never fan favourites, Football League World's Birmingham City fan pundit, Jason Moore, identified two from the latter half of the tumultuous 2010s.

Harlee Dean and Jack Storer namedropped as two disliked ex-Birmingham City players

The first of Moore's selections came in the form of ex-Birmingham captain, Harlee Dean, who played for the Second City outfit between 2017 and 2023 as they continuously finished in the Championship's lower reaches.

The defender was one of several additions made by Harry Redknapp during his only transfer window at St. Andrew's, and one which demonstrated a clear lack of planning, with Dean joining ex-Brentford colleagues Maxime Colin and Jota in the Midlands for £2.2m.

Over time, the Basingstoke-born man endured an extremely mixed period with Blues, and he is most remembered for two goal celebrations.

The first of those saw Blues fans question whether Dean had taken aim at ex-boss Aitor Karanka with a 'shrug' after heading home against Reading in March 2021, which came 15 months after sparking controversy with his actions after scoring in a 3-2 defeat against West Bromwich Albion at St. Andrew's.

"Two (players) immediately spring to mind, so I'll roll with them. The first one's a weird one, because he captained the club at one point, Harlee Dean," Moore told FLW.

"It was during a period when we were crap and he was on an astronomical wage. Not his fault, but he just wasn't very good.

"When you're losing on the pitch it's, naturally, not great between players and fans. But, he scored and started giving it to the fans.

"From that point on, the relationship was gone. It didn't matter what he did, even the Karanka shrug, he was never well-liked. But, during that period he was hated."

Moore then identified ex-Blues academy graduate, Jack Storer, who was handed his first-team opportunity under Gary Rowett in the summer of 2016 after signing from Stevenage.

After a stunning pre-season, scoring seven times, the striker made his bow against Cardiff City on the opening day as one of just four appearances.

However, his time at Blues is unfortunately remembered for a headbutt on ex-Wolves defender, Kortney Hause, just seven minutes after coming on as a substitute in the Midlands derby, which ended in a 3-1 defeat.

"Another one that sprung to mind is a very niche name that I don't think many outside of Blues even know, Jack Storer," Jason continued.

"He was just vile," Moore claimed. "I don't even know what step he's playing in nowadays.

"There was a game (vs Wolves) where a headbutt cost us the game, and he was vile during pre-season.

"He was just a piece of work and not what our club is about. He was another who thought he was the big 'I am' and he wasn't very good.

"It was a shame because we thought we'd got a talent on our hands and a striker who can score goals.

"Harlee Dean and Jack Storer are the two who come to mind," Moore concluded.

Jack Storer's recent career action after previous Birmingham City mishap

Dean would eventually go on to feature for Reading following his St. Andrew's exit, whilst Storer has endured a slightly differing career path since making just four appearances for his boyhood club.

The 27-year-old's most notable career move was a brief stint with Partick Thistle in 2017, yet at just 27 years of age, the striker has played for a plethora of non-league sides in the West Midlands region, and is currently in the midst of a fourth spell with Stratford Town, who play in the Southern League Premier Division Central this season.

The ex-professional has, evidently, for some time, been left mulling over the critical action against Wolves which sparked a drastic change in career path, as he failed to become a regular in Blues' first-team plans ever again.

As such, on his Instagram and TikTok profile, Storer set up a movement called 'The Lost Dream' in order to help those who were unable to forge a career in the professional game speak out about their individual set of circumstances.