Source: Team_Talk
McLeish sets top-10 target for Blues
Alex McLeish has challenged his Birmingham players to secure a top-10 finish in the Premier League table - but is wary of the chasing pack.[LNB] Blues are currently lying ninth and have been in the top half of the table for five months after being tipped pre-season by bookmakers and pundits to be relegation certainties.[LNB]Their away form has faltered in recent weeks, including Sunday's 5-1 defeat against Manchester City at Eastlands, and McLeish is wary.[LNB]"There are teams coming up on the rails like Everton and Fulham. Blackburn have had a great run of results and Sunderland and Stoke are coming up there," he said. "There is going to be great competition between now and the end of the season.[LNB]"There is still fantastic motivation for the players and the tools have not been downed despite Sunday's defeat.[LNB]"You can see that and the players want to keep it going until the end of the season. I'm challenging them to finish in the top half."[LNB]Blues, unbeaten at home since September, entertain relegation-threatened Hull on Saturday with McLeish admitting there are "things to work on" after City's biggest reverse of the season.[LNB]He said: "We have got young centre-backs (Roger Johnson and Scott Dann), rookies in the Premier League, and they have been brilliant this season as have the whole back five.[LNB]"I see what happened at Manchester City as a blip but there are things to work on in terms of the next game."
