Source: Team_Talk
McLeish praise for former owners
Alex McLeish believes former Birmingham owners David Sullivan and David Gold deserve credit for keeping the club on an even financial keel.[LNB] The duo will return to St Andrew's with West Ham on Saturday for the first time since selling up to Carson Yeung in a £81.5million deal last season.[LNB]Sections of Blues fans criticised Sullivan and Gold at the end of their reign for a lack of investment in the team.[LNB]But McLeish recognises their contribution to City and the former Rangers and Scotland boss will always be grateful to them for giving him his first managerial job in England.[LNB]McLeish said: "I don't know what reception they will get, it's not for me to say. But I've got a lot of respect for them, the job they did for this club.[LNB]"They brought the club up from the bones of their backsides to being a pretty decent outfit without getting that real consistency of the Premier League.[LNB]"I think Steve Bruce had a really good spell of five years in the Premier League and that was a magnificent achievement for a club that is low on resources and revenue. Steve did a brilliant job.[LNB]"That is the challenge for the smaller clubs but they did a great job."[LNB]McLeish added: "They never let the spending get out of hand. The fans got a little bit annoyed that there wasn't enough investment but that is another story.[LNB]"We've seen some clubs struggle financially. We've seen the big clubs go down the divisions and it is a tragedy.[LNB]"We wouldn't want to see that happen to Birmingham, certainly in my time here."[LNB]McLeish is hoping the Blues fans will channel their efforts into making life uncomfortable for the West Ham players rather than Sullivan and Gold.[LNB]He said: "I would like the Birmingham fans to unnerve the opposition, but more so the team on the pitch.[LNB]"The Birmingham fans have been renowned for their hostility over the years, not in a nasty way, but in making people feel uncomfortable on the pitch."[LNB]McLeish is prepared to allow striker Garry O'Connor go back on loan for a second spell to gain sharpness.[LNB]O'Connor has already spent a month with Barnsley this season after a lengthy lay-off following a double hip operation.[LNB]McLeish said: "Garry is going to go out on loan again. We just feel he is a bit rusty. He is not going to get regular first- team football at the moment and he asked to go out on loan.[LNB]"He came in for the Blackpool game and did well and I was hoping he would move forward but he said he needed more time."
