Lee Bowyer call to stop the 'crazy' talk

Dec 10 2009 By Andy Walker

LEE Bowyer today dismissed the “crazy” talk of Blues snatching a Europa League place this season.

Blues’ storming charge up the Premier League table, off the back of a six-game unbeaten run, has seen some hint of a tilt at European qualification.

Alex McLeish’s men are five points off Villa, who occupy the current Europa League spot.

West Ham, Bowyer’s boyhood club, are the visitors to St Andrew’s on Saturday – a fixture viewed as a golden chance for Blues to chalk up a fourth straight win.

The Hammers are something of a crisis club – cash-strapped, relegation-threatened and with a defence that has conceded ten goals in their last three games.

However, even if Blues do notch up another three points on Saturday, Bowyer won’t be getting carried away with thoughts of representing the club on the Continent.

“I think looking at Europe, you’d have to be crazy to look that far in front,” said Bowyer, who played in Europe for Leeds, Newcastle and West Ham.

“It is silly to look that far forward. Every point is so precious and the manager says the same thing.

‘‘After what they (Blues) experienced a couple of years ago when they got relegated, they’ve realised that the slightest point is so precious.

“At the moment, yeah, we’re doing okay but we went to Spurs and thought that we got a point, we could have won it but then we lost it – this is all in the space of five minutes.

“So I think it’s dangerous to look too far in front.

‘‘I think we just have to take each game as it comes, I know it’s an old cliché but I think that’s the only way we can play this league.

“Especially because our squad isn’t massive, we have to be careful what we do and hopefully we can survive.”

As for West Ham, who are believed to have a financial offer from ex-Blues owners David Sullivan and David Gold on the table, Bowyer admits they are a club close to his heart.

The east Londoner comes from a West Ham-supporting family and had two spells with the club, in 2003 and then from 2006 until he first arrived at Blues in January.

Bowyer made just six appearances under Gianfranco Zola before leaving Upton Park for St Andrew’s, initially on loan.

However, ahead of Saturday’s match, he has identified Zola’s assistant Steve Clarke, and not the little Italian, as the “main man” at the Hammers.

“My family and friends are all West Ham and love the club,” said the in-form star.

“I think Zola is a good manager and Steve Clarke is an exceptional coach.

‘‘They’ve got Kevin Keen there also helping out and he’s done a lot of work with the youngsters who are starting to come through.

“Zola has done a very good job. I don’t know how much say he has and what goes on but I think with what he’s got to work with, he’s done really well. He will go higher eventually and this is a learning curve for him.

“But I think Steve Clarke is the main man there, he’s exceptional.

“I don’t think he wants to be manager, he’s happy doing what he’s doing. (Jose) Mourinho kept him for how long so he can’t be bad. Then whoever has gone in has wanted to keep him.

“He left Chelsea to come with Zola, so I think that speaks volumes.”