Birmingham City: We are well equipped - Barry Ferguson

Sep 7 2010 by Colin Tattum, Birmingham Mail

“I think it’s important, players’ character,” said Ferguson. “The manager’s not a daft man. He knows what type of characters, what type of people, are in the dressing room. He knows what he wants.

“That’s why probably he has not brought in even more players, because they have got to be right.

“You see what we’ve got in the team, everybody gets on with each other.

“It’s a great spirit - the best spirit I have ever been involved in, the best bunch of lads I’ve met.

“I think we needed a couple of players as it’s always healthy to have good competition, and we’d not got the biggest of squads.”

With more options, McLeish can utilise different formations according to the circumstances and opposition.

At Bolton, Blues started off 4-5-1 for the first time this season and then changed later in the match.

Ferguson said: “A criticism labelled at us last season was that we didn’t score enough goals.

“We create enough chances. Even when we play with five midfield, it allows the boys to break forward and I just sit in and take the ball.

“It worked well most of the game against Bolton.

“We can play 4-4-2, 4-5-1 and the 4-5-1, people say it’s defensive, but it isn’t. The midfielders are able to support the front at any time.”

Ferguson was a central figure in the dramatic draw at the Reebok Stadium, when 10-man Bolton came back from 2-0 down.

A dodgy penalty award and then a free-kick awarded against Ferguson, when he was sandwiched between Gary Cahill and Mark Davies, gave Bolton the lifeline.

He recalled: “We were on top of them from the word go. We were the better team, we played the better football.

“The decisions, what can you say? It was definitely a foul on me. I turned to walk away and I was astonished the referee awarded a free-kick.

“I watched it three times in the dressing room. It got worse very time I watched it.

“What can you do? We weren’t happy to draw, especially as we had been so comfortable.”