THE MIDLANDER: McLeish deserves to be given a fighting chance by Birmingham

16 July 2009 19:37
On too many occasions in past seasons, Birmingham City's board of directors have been accused of 'not having a go.' Given the prevailing corporate mantra that the club will never be in any significant debt under the leadership of its' current owners, it is difficult to levy that particular accusation at their door. Yet the fact remains that while Alex McLeish is trying to re-shape his first-team the difficulty of his job has been put into perspective just three miles away. Over the road in Aston, Martin O'Neill has shelled out £12m on Stewart Downing - a player unlikely to figure at all for Villa until December. And yes, McLeish may have spent £5m on Roger Johnson, £3.5m on Scott Dann - and £1.3m on Barry Ferguson, plus a loan move for Joe Hart. That all sits comfortably within the figure Villa's boss has splurged on the sidelined Downing. Of course, that doesn't take into consideration the money spent on Christian Benitez - although I'm sorry, forgive me, I simply do not believe quoted figures of £9.25m for that particular purchase. But it puts into perspective the market in which McLeish is operating. A world where he is expected to compete against £25m footballers who command the ridiculous sum of £200,000-a-week in wages. Having said that, Blues' budget last season was a major factor behind their ability to attract the players necessary to escape the Championship - so you can't benefit from it one season and then moan about it when the cards aren't stacked in your favour. However, given those factors, McLeish has not done badly...so far. Certainly, there is an improvement in the quality when compared to the group Steve Bruce took back into the Premier League two years ago. For me, Johnson is the pick of the bunch. Named in the divisional PFA team last year, the Cardiff stopper will be a big hit at St Andrew's. I'm not so sure about Scott Dann. Mrs M is a Coventry City season-ticket holder. Incredibly, one of the few things we agree on is the fact that we both expected Kieron Westwood, Danny Fox and possibly Aron Gunnarsson to leave the Ricoh for the lush Premier League pastures before Mr Dann. Those images of Didier Drogba in the FA Cup Sixth Round are haunting. We shall see. The defence has further been shored up by Joe Hart's arrival. It's a touch tough on Maik Taylor, but the youngster will have one eye on that plane bound for South Africa in 11 months' time and knows he needs to play to ensure his participation. Stephen Carr's arrival last term was a masterstroke. And if Armand Traore signs on loan from Arsenal, the defence will be given a welcome injection of energy. Moving on, if anyone knows what Ferguson can do - apart from drink at an inopportune time - then McLeish does. You would like to think that anyone who has played for Rangers for such a length of time can pick a pass, at least. I know it sounds silly, but those players were in short supply last season. Fair play to that bunch, they were dogged, resilient, bloody-minded, fit...but it wasn't the prettiest. I still think he needs another one in there, though. One question that does remain however, is just how Blues' boss is going to deploy his resources. I understand he intends to use Lee Bowyer to help his frontmen. Personally, I'd like to see Lee Carsley given some protection. He was in his element at Goodison Park, playing the role of defensive protector alongside Phil Neville while Tim Cahill, Leon Osman and Mikel Arteta were given license to roam behind Andy Johnson or Yakubu. If that's the case, is McLeish considering a playing a tight three in midfield? Don't forget, he still has to find a position for James McFadden, although a spot on either flank, would certainly make sense. Keith Fahey has been a revelation, given his background and, if my spies are correct, he's leading the pack in the running drills - although I know that counts for nothing when the team for the first day at Old Trafford is announced. The problem at the moment is that if McLeish does decide to play a lone frontman, who is given that responsibility? For anyone to play that role, they need touch, vision and the ability to bring others into play. I'm not sure Garry O'Connor, Kevin Phillips or Cameron Jerome fit that particular bill for a whole host of differing reasons. Intriguingly, Marcus Bent did play there for Everton on his own and was reasonably successful. Benitez may be many things - but he's not much taller than Phillips in stature. It's asking too much, surely, for him to shoulder the burden on his own. It's going to be a struggle this season, no question about that. But there are at least six others in the mix alongside Birmingham. Hull City, Wolves, Burnley, Stoke, and Wigan are likely to be fighting for those bottom six places along with Blues. As ever, it may be down to the board's determination to retain the club's Premier League spot that determines whether they add another two to the mix. I really hope they can find a way. The manager has not done badly with his budget. And, after the pressure he was put under last season, McLeish deserves an evens chance to prove himself.

Source: Daily_Mail