Stan Collymore says sorry to Birmingham manager Alex McLeish
Oct 9 2009 by Colin Tattum, Birmingham Mail
Stan Collymore
ALEX McLeish has accepted a personal and public apology from Stan Collymore for describing him as ‘cowardly’.
The former Villa striker now turned successful media pundit, criticised the Blues boss for his tactics in the Bolton Wanderers match.
He said 4-5-1 was ‘cowardly tactics’ and Blues deserved to lose for what he felt was negativity.
Colin Tattum will be live online today at 12.30pm to answer all of your Birmingham City related questions at www.birminghammail.net/live
McLeish was furious and returned fire via these pages, and Collymore realised that he had overstepped the mark.
Collymore explained: “I do a column in The Mirror every Monday and the word ‘cowardly’ was used in my column which, although I didn’t specifically use that word, it was used under my name and therefore I have to apologise for it, nobody else.
“Basically it cast aspirations of Alex McLeish’s system 4-5-1 – and I stick to the fact that a negative 4-5-1 doesn’t give anybody anything – and I read it, and I was horrified.
“I know that Alex, in the Birmingham Mail, when asked the question, said that some people should know better and that was a reference to me when I used the word.
“I totally agree. Cowardice happens in other fields, it doesn’t apply to football at all, unless you are a kind of persistent cheat or somebody who is trying to get somebody injured, etc.
“So I texted Alex and sent him an apology, I said I would call him during the international break and apologise. When I go to Birmingham City next, I shall apologise to him and his staff.
“He is absolutely not a coward, in any way, shape or form.”
Collymore also said Blues were ‘anti-football’ on air when discussing the Burnley match in his Call Collymore radio show.
But McLeish, who has come under fire from some fans who want 4-4-2, has decided not to hold a grudge after Collymore’s communications since.
“I had a fantastic reply from him, not that he needed to reply to me, he’s the manager of Birmingham City, he’s the one the that makes the decisions,” said Collymore, on talkSport’s Kick Off show with Danny Kelly.
“The fact that he replied, and replied with good grace, good humour... I apologise unreservedly to him and his backroom staff.”
