Frustrated McLeish

Blues boss Alex McLeish admits to frustration setting in as waits for the next game to come along after the international break.

No games for the Premier League or the Championship has left fans craving football and McLeish knows just how they feel.

But there is also pessimism around the club after losing to Everton last time out and the next game being at Arsenal.

McLeish said: ‘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.

‘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.’