Source: Team_Talk
McLeish vows to follow Brown lead
With top-flight survival guaranteed, Brown famously grabbed a microphone on the final day of last season and sang a rendition of Tigers song 'this is the best trip I've ever been on'.[LNB]The Hull fans lapped up his clearly emotional efforts as his charges upset the odds courtesy of Newcastle's 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa.[LNB]And as McLeish prepares to take Birmingham to Humberside for what is already being billed as a potential relegation scrap, he has promised to repeat the scenes witnessed back in May should Blues stay up.[LNB]"If you guaranteed me that right now I'd give you a song no problem," said McLeish.[LNB]"Aye, I don't think that's a problem, I'm a good singer.[LNB]"I'm sure Phil is better than that performance he gave."[LNB]Having taken Hull up to the Premier League and then kept them there on limited funds, McLeish has the utmost respect for Brown's managerial qualities as well as his ability to wow a crowd.[LNB]Birmingham have narrowly lost out in both of their away games so far this season - 1-0 to Manchester United and an injury-time 2-1 defeat at Tottenham.[LNB]McLeish is expecting Hull to provide just as stern a test and knows both sides will be going into the encounter looking to come away with a positive result if they are to give themselves a fighting chance of avoiding the drop.[LNB]"I expect Phil will be saying to his troops that these are the games we've got to pick up points, the same as I'm saying to my team," said the Blues boss.[LNB]"It's okay playing well against the Manchester Uniteds and the Spurs of this world but now this is where people are looking at Birmingham and saying 'these type of games are the bread and butter', and Phil Brown will be saying exactly the same thing."[LNB]He continued: "I wouldn't be disrespectful to Hull by saying we're going to play an open game now because it's Hull City and not Manchester United or Spurs.[LNB]"Hull have proved they are a very potent force on their home ground over the last two seasons when you consider their rise from the Championship.[LNB]"I've got total respect for Phil Brown and what he's done with the club. It will be a tough game for us and, if anything, even harder than the last two away games because there's even more pressure on both sets of teams.[LNB]"They're expected, if they're going to have any chance of staying in the Premier League, to be picking up points in these games."[LNB]McLeish has a host of selection dilemmas all over the pitch, largely due to a lengthy injury list.[LNB]But his most difficult task may come in attack as he ponders whether to stick with a 4-5-1 formation or switch to a more attacking 4-4-2, and indeed whether or not to go with summer signing Christian Benitez from the off for the first time.[LNB][LNB] Hull 5/4, Draw 9/4, Birmingham 9/4
