McLeish happy to turn tables on Birmingham critics

Alec McLeish has described the five-match winning run that has hoisted Birmingham to sixth in the Premier League as the perfect riposte to those who tipped the club for relegation.

A 2-1 win over Blackburn on Tuesday, secured by a Cameron Jerome double, extended Birmingham’s best run of victories since the launch of the Premier League in 1992 and their best top flight sequence since 1983.

Former Scotland manager McLeish insists the priority remains survival but, with new owner Carson Yeung having pledged funds for squad strengthening in January, Birmingham are looking like a team capable of higher things.

“I am proud of the players and I think the fans should be proud of them as well,” McLeish said.

“From where we started at the beginning of the season, we have proved a lot of people wrong. We don’t set out to do that but there is a lot of good stuff about the team in the media and the players should embrace that and not be intimidated by that and make sure they keep challenging themselves to not be in a comfort zone.

“With each game that they have won, people are asking for more, and asking for other things like (qualification for) Europe. We are keeping our feet on the ground and making sure we are in the Premier League – that is our main aim.

“We have given ourselves a very good chance to be part of this strongest league in the world.”

McLeish praised the contribution of the hard-working Jerome, who bagged his second and third goals of the campaign.

“I’ve kept saying Cameron is a work in progress in terms of the Premier League.

“He has been there before and I challenged him at the start of the season to improve and show he could really cause defences problems and against Blackburn he was a fantastic centre-forward.”

Jerome gave Birmingham a first-half lead with a scrambled strike after Christian Benitez’s goalward header was blocked and then doubled the lead three minutes after the interval with a fine finish from Stephen Carr’s low cross.

Ryan Nelsen pulled a goal back with just over 20 minutes left but Blackburn were unable to produce an equaliser and manager Sam Allardyce was left fuming over his side’s defending.

“You can’t give away two silly goals like we did, especially the first one,” Allardyce said. “We gave them the first corner and then we decide to give them a goal and in the mood they are in, and with the confidence they have got, it is always going to be difficult to come back from that.

“We’ve killed ourselves in the space of a few seconds and the rest of it in between, in terms of who is the better side, is down to the toss of a coin.”