Birmingham City: Cameron Jerome must be more like Shearer says boss
Cameron Jerome takes on Alan Gow (L) and Jason Shackell.
“The running he does for us, the pace and power, has been a big asset,” said McLeish.
“I know he is not a prolific goalscorer, but he has made so many chances for himself over the last few games.
“There have been games where he has carved things out of nothing, he has hit the bar, he has had things kicked off the line. If anybody deserved a break, it’s that kid.
“It was a long time since he scored. A lot of strikers are lagging behind Kevin Phillips.
“But the goals against Doncaster and Norwich will have done Cameron a world of good and I believe he will score more now.”
As Phillips appeared on the horizon last Saturday as a substitute against the Canaries, competition up front has intensified.
Jerome will have to keep producing the goods to stay in the team, yet he does have a habit of scoring vital strikes, and in matches versus Blues next opponents Wolves, he knows where the net is.
He scored in the 1-1 November draw at Molineux and got the winner on Wolves patch in the 3-2 thriller two years ago in the Championship.
McLeish also admitted that although it was good to have players on the mend from injury, he had to weigh up whether throwing them straight in would upset the equilibrium.
“There are a lot of players back on the fitness trail,” he said.
“Sometimes it’s a double-edged sword whereas we have missed influential players, players who can make a difference, score a goal, create, they have been out for such a long time can they come right back into the pace of things?
“It wouldn’t be too harsh on big Garry O’Connor, for instance, to say that he needed that game against Norwich.
“We could see he definitely wasn’t at his top sharpness.
“With the momentum of the others players, do you leave them out to bring others in, because you feel they have a better chance of scoring, a better chance of creating something?
“That’s a Catch 22 situation.”
