Friday May 09 2008 14:08
Alex McLeish believes the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson or Jose Mourinho would have struggled to keep Birmingham City out of the relegation dogfight this season.
The Blues need to defeat Blackburn Rovers on the final day of the season and hope that both Reading and Fulham fail to pick up three points against Derby County and Portsmouth respectively if they are to avoid an immediate return to the Championship.
But McLeish, who took the reins at St Andrew's in November, believes even managerial heavyweights like Ferguson or Mourinho would have struggled to keep the club in the top-flight.
He said: "If Alex Ferguson or Jose Mourinho were in this job from when I came in to now, you couldn't say they'd have saved the club from relegation.
"Anyway, if we win on Sunday and we stay up, all of a sudden I've gone from zero to hero.
"People told me when I first came in that I'd taken on a really hard job. I think I said at the time that I was up for the challenge and what makes it any easier now?
"I still believe we have a great opportunity. What's important to me is that we fill the ground and have a packed St Andrew's on Sunday."
Meanwhile, McLeish insists he is ready to fight on at Birmingham whatever the outcome is on Sunday.
"Six months is not enough time to build a team. I hope that these lads who're going to battle on Sunday can come on the next part of the journey and we can add more players to the squad," he continued.
"We are an inexperienced squad and we are a small squad. I think we can progress, whatever happens.
"I have ambitions for the club and I think (co-owners) David Sullivan and David Gold have the power to inspire the fans and to inspire Birmingham City."
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