McLeish in plea for Kevin Phillips to set a perfect example
Oct 3 2009 by Colin Tattum, Birmingham Mail
In the Championship at Turf Moor, that pair started in a 4-4-2 before O’Connor was replaced by Cameron Jerome, who plundered an equaliser.
The Phillips-O’Connor pairing clicked in those early stages of last season before O’Connor succumbed to groin trouble.
O’Connor seems the likely choice to lead the attack as a lone striker, and McLeish said that he should be given greater praise than he has received so far this season.
“Garry deserves more credit than he gets. He’s been asked to play a role, one up, that can be difficult but he has done well and then linked up impressively when we have changed to another one alongside him,” he said.
“The bottom line with strikers, though, is that they need to score goals.
“You can play as well as you can in every single game but if you don’t get goals – and that’s how strikers are judged.
“Garry had been playing well without getting a goal, then he scored the winner at Hull City and I think the fans warmed to him. He has to try and build on that.”
