Kevin Phillips urges Birmingham City to keep their streak against the big guns going

Mar 30 2010 by Colin Tattum, Birmingham Mail

KEVIN Phillips has urged Birmingham City to maintain their proud record against the top dogs when Liverpool visit St Andrew’s on Sunday.

Of all the teams above ninth-placed Blues, only Villa have won at St Andrew’s this season – and that was back in September.

Blues have drawn against all the others and but for better luck would have beaten Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City.

Certainly, they have put in their best performances against such company as a Premier League side.

With only Liverpool left of the big guns to come, Phillips said Blues had to approach their task with the usual gusto.

“I don’t think there’s any sign of us letting up,” said Phillips, scorer of Blues’ stoppage-time equaliser against Arsenal.

‘‘I’ve said all along let’s not allow the season peter out. Let’s turn it into a fantastic season.

“Our record against the top four, the top teams, has been excellent. We can say not one of them has come to St Andrew’s and turned us over.

“We need to continue that in the next game. We want to finish the season as strongly as possible.”

It is one of those strange quirks, too, that Liverpool have never beaten Blues in the Premier League in seven attempts under Rafael Benitez.

Phillips said Alex McLeish has been spurring Blues on by using the unbeaten run at St Andrew’s, which now stands at 13 games, as evidence of their worth.