Alex McLeish in "greatness" challenge for Birmingham City players
Oct 3 2009 by Colin Tattum, Birmingham Mail
BLUES players have been challenged to go from good to great by Alex McLeish.
Should they cut out the errors and lapses in concentration that have marked recent results, they should be all the better for it, the Blues boss said.
“They realise that little, silly mistakes cost us goals. That’s the difference between you evolving as a great player or an average player,” he added.
“And if the players learn quickly from these mistakes, then they will soon know how to turn these games into wins because that’s what being a winner is all about, tidying up their game, the finer details.
“If they make sure these things don’t happen again, then they will improve in that respect because of it.”
One player who has improved and made great strides since joining Blues is Keith Fahey. But his progression has not been recognised yet by Ireland, who overlooked him for their squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Italy and Montenegro.
McLeish said: “I am a little bit surprised this time. I know it’s difficult to pick international sides because I’ve got experience of that.
“When you’re trying to find a position for a new guy then sometimes you’ve got a bit of momentum with the fellas that are already in the squad and that can be a stumbling block in itself. But Liam Brady phoned me a few weeks ago and I told him that Keith would be playing against Villa and he played really well against them so I’m sure Liam would have gone back with a good report.
“Liam will also have the benefit of knowing Keith from his younger days when he was Arsenal, although I could say right now he is absolutely nothing like the player he was back then.”
