Alex McLeish: It's still up to us

Mar 24 2008 By Colin Tattum

ALEX McLeish has insisted Saturday's defeat at Reading has not necessarily left Blues in a perilous position.

The 2-1 defeat, and Sunderland's surprise victory at Villa - their first away success all season - has given Blues' basement rivals some breathing space.

But McLeish said: "We are still in the position that everybody is round about us. We can't look back now, we've got to look forward.

"It's up to us, it's what we do from now on in these remaining seven games. We could do with a couple of wins, we know that, but we are still in with a chance of maintaining our Premier League status, and the others are not safe."

Reading manager Steve Coppell said he was taking nothing for granted after Blues again failed to deliver against a team battling it out with them on the lower rungs of the Premier League.

In their last eight such fixtures, Blues have only beaten Middlesbrough - on Boxing Day - but have lost to Bolton Wanderers, Sunderland and now Reading, and drawn versus Reading (home), Fulham, Derby County and Newcastle.

Said Coppell: "If you win a game people think you're home and dry, which is not the case; if you lose a game people get really down about it. The important factor in the remaining seven games is being able to pick yourself up and go again. We're certainly not getting carried away with this (win)."

Blues have won one of their last 12 league matches, and drawn six of them.

Reading have now won three of their last four. They have a habit of securing victories, even if they do seem easier to beat than Blues, which is so vital.

"I have found that form doesn't really go from week to week," said Coppell, considering the inconsistency of the strugglers. "It's a performance in isolation.''