Pressure part of the job, says Alex McLeish

May 2 2008 By Colin Tattum

ALEX McLeish has enjoyed title and cup wins, as well as relegation, in the SPL.

But whatever Blues fate this season, he said he would maintain an unshakeable belief in his own ability.

Not that the pressure and stress doesn't get to him sometimes: "Listen, I'm human. Of course it affects me.

"I know I'm a bad loser, but I've got to recover quickly and I think people like Alex Ferguson feel stress.

"It's part of the game, it's part of professional sport, it's part of trying to be successful and trying to be a winner."

"You tend to create pressure for yourself," he added. "You've got enough pressure you put on yourself if you are ambitious and, I suppose, in any situation.

"If we had been middle of the table then of course that would have been a momentous season in Birmingham's life.

"But if you are a team who maybe has done well for a couple of seasons and then you get towards the middle of the table, the pressure's on you to do even better. So it's always there.

"I have had experience of it at both ends of the table.

"The one thing is that I have always had good belief in myself to take things forward."