Source: Daily_Mail
Birmingham boss waits on Robbie Keane and Kenny miller after Aston Villa draw
Birmingham boss Alex McLeish was left to rue his side's failure to kill off Aston Villa as their derby clash ended in a 1-1 draw at St Andrew's, revealing his need to add firepower to his squad.[LNB]McLeish revealed talks to sign unsettled Tottenham striker Robbie Keane are at an early stage and that his he waiting to hear a final answer from Rangers hitman Kenny Miller.[LNB]Roger Johnson gave the home side the lead early in the second period but a deflected shot from Villa centre-back James Collins ensured the game ended all square.[LNB]McLeish felt his side had enough clear-cut opportunities when in front to wrap up the game in addition to having yet another penalty claim rejected, this time by referee Mark Clattenburg.[LNB] Enlarge Derby blues: James Collins' equaliser for Villa late on denied Birmingham three points at St Andrew's[LNB]McLeish said: 'It was probably a fair result overall. We have come a long way in a couple of years in terms of these derby games and the results.[LNB]'Had we been a bit more clinical at 1-0, we would have seen it through.[LNB]'Craig Gardner had a wonderful chance with a volley which he put wide and he is a guy you would normally want and trust in that situation.[LNB]'Brad Friedel also made a great save at that point from Matt Derbyshire and we had the chance to turn the screw.[LNB]'But we allowed Villa to come back into it, and gave away a few unnecessary free-kicks and I was disappointed with the build-up to their equaliser.[LNB]Hold on: McLeish had to settle for a share of the spoils[LNB]'But the shot from Collins was not even on target before it hit someone and was deflected in.'[LNB]McLeish voiced his concern before the game at City's failure to win any penalties this season and felt his side again had a strong case when Marc Albrighton caught the legs of Birmingham full-back David Murphy.[LNB]McLeish said: 'I don't even claim for those now. I've got to be dignified after a game and the referee has got a tough job.[LNB]'But their guy (Albrighton) has caught the legs of our guy (Murphy) and I've certainly seen those given against us.'[LNB]McLeish confirmed that City defender Scott Dann will be unlikely to play again this season because of a severe hamstring problem which will require surgery.[LNB]He said: 'It will be a long shot for Scott to be back before the end of this season.[LNB]'It is not totally confirmed yet but we are going to miss him for a long time and it is a big blow.'[LNB]McLeish is still waiting to find out whether he will be successful in his pursuit of Miller and Keane.[LNB]He said: 'With Keane, it is in the early stages and we will see what happens. With Miller, we are now waiting on an answer.'[LNB]Villa assistant manager Gary McAllister believes it is a psychological boost for his side to move out of the bottom three via a hard-earned point.[LNB]He said: 'On reflection, we created some good chances in the opening five minutes but over the 90 minutes I thought it was a fair result even though we hit the bar three times.[LNB]'It is a plus point psychologically to be out the bottom three when you look at the papers.[LNB]'But we are working hard and moving even further away from our current position.[LNB]'We are aware a little run of results can move you up this league quickly because it is so tight at the moment.[LNB] Waiting game: Birmingham are waiting to hear back from transfer targets Robbie Keane and Kenny Miller (R)[LNB]'It was important not to lose and we don't like being in the position we are in.[LNB]'But there is going to be a period where we feel we can pick up points.'[LNB]As regards Collins' deflected point-saver, McAllister said: 'We've had the rub of the green go against us before with things like ricochets.[LNB]'It was a welcome rub of the green in our favour today although Collins is saying the ball was going in anyway.'[LNB] [LNB] Explore more:People: Craig Gardner, Robbie Keane, David Murphy, Matt Derbyshire, Scott Dann, Alex McLeish, Roger Johnson, Gary McAllister Places: Birmingham
