Striker Cameron Jerome, who has been given a vote of confidence this season by McLeish, responded with two match-winning goals in a 2-1 success over Blackburn Rovers to move the Blues up into sixth place in the Premier League table.
These are uncharted waters for Birmingham, who were one of the clubs expected to be fighting a relegation battle.
- Birmingham 2-1 Blackburn
- As it happened
"I am proud of the players and I think the fans should be proud of them as well," declared McLeish.
"They have shown a fantastic appetite since day one in this Premier League and they have also shown they can rise to the challenge of expectation levels.
"When you see the league table, it is a great sight but I've been there before with some of the clubs I've managed, Motherwell and Hibs and even higher.
"It has been a big part of my life, being in successful positions in the league but, 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 to be in a comfort zone.
"We have given ourselves a very good chance to be part of this strongest league in the world."
Source: DSG
