Birmingham City: Alex McLeish admits frustration at wait for next game - and 4-4-2

Oct 11 2010 by Colin Tattum, Birmingham Mail

ALEX McLeish has admitted Blues are frustrated at having to sit and ‘‘stew’’ since their last match.

But he said he had full confidence in his players to bounce back and respond in the right manner to recent results at Arsenal on Saturday.

Blues have lost two of their previous three games and since Everton ended their proud unbeaten St Andrew’s record a debate has raged about systems, lack of chances and style of football.

It’s a sticky moment for McLeish, who has fronted up to various criticisms, and his team.

Not since this time a year ago, when Blues also had seven points from seven games and were trying to kick-start their season, has there been such a pessimistic mood swirling around.

But it’s not coming from Eck’s office at Wast Hills, nor the training fields.

“We’ve had to scrape our way through a few battles, and we’ve had to deal with setbacks before – and that’s what we will try to do now,” said McLeish.

“We know we are lacking that killer touch in the front areas, but for a little bit of a rub of the green and their goalkeeper we would have beaten Liverpool – a game we dominated – and Wigan.

“The second half at Albion, we know, was very disappointing. That wasn’t the Birmingham team I – we – have been used to seeing.

“Our home record went, and to go so long without defeat at St Andrew’s was a fantastic achievement.

“But I don’t see why people should think we have any easy matches in the Premier League.

“Everton are, on paper, a better team than us so we know that nine times out of ten they should win.

“But until the own goal, there wasn’t much in it at all and I felt defensively we again looked very strong.

“We know we’ve got a spirit and such resilience here, that’s why we had such a marvellous undefeated record at St Andrew’s.