Alex McLeish seeking Birmingham City's X factor
Oct 21 2010 by Colin Tattum, Birmingham Mail
ALEX McLeish is demanding individual as well as collective responsibility when Blues entertain Blackpool on Saturday.
The Blues boss said he had to conjure up the right formula to provide his side with the best chance of snapping a six-game run without victory.
But he reckons Blues aren’t as bad as they are being made out, and the players needed to show their worth too.
“It’s just that X factor, isn’t it? We’re looking for that from individuals but also we’re looking for that missing ingredient for the team as well,’’ he said.
“We do feel we haven’t played badly, especially when compared to this time last year. We lost six in nine.
“We definitely have a challenge to get it right in the forward areas but we are, don’t forget, missing some players.
“Beausejour, we feel, would make a difference. He’s been on the treatment table. He’s now training at a light level.
“McFadden, to lose him, was a blow. I had a good feeling about him for this season. The condition he was in, how professional he had been.
“Gardner, it’s a lesson to him: he’s got to watch his tackling. It’s something that he, as he matures, should get better at in terms of his timing. He’s quick, he doesn’t need to dive in on people, he can jockey them and try and goad them into making a mistake without committing himself.
