Birmingham boss plays down European qualification expectations
Alex McLeish is confident his Birmingham summer signings will enhance the Blues, but not necessarily enough to earn a European berth.
Chile winger Jean Beausejour, Czech Republic defender Martin Jiranek and Belarus midfielder Alexander Hleb joined Blues on a busy transfer deadline day, prompting talk the club could improve on last season's ninth-place finish.
"That's nonsense to start talking about that," he said. "I thought silly season finished when the window closed.
"I don't think we should be thinking about that. We're still a fledgling Premier League team. We want to establish ourselves and develop again.
"If we finish in the top 17, like the targets I set last season, then I'll be happy.
"Some people might not be happy with that but for me there's around eight teams that are going to be pretty hard to keep in touch with over the course of the season.
"There's another 12 out there playing to stay in the Premier League."
McLeish is confident, however, that his new arrivals will move Birmingham in the right direction.
"Collectively they'll enhance the quality of the squad," he said.
"We try to take a step up with each season, and sometimes you take a step up within each window.
"We believe that we have again enhanced the overall quality of the squad.
"But it doesn't guarantee you anything because we know that we're not a surprise package this year and that teams will be waiting for us.
"We're well aware of that challenge, and I'm throwing the gauntlet down to the players that did so well last year, and saying to them 'do it again guys'."
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Results & Fixtures
Matches
| Home | Away | Score | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri Feb 17th | |||
| Reading | Burnley | - | 20:00 |
| Sat Feb 18th | |||
| Crystal Palace | Watford | - | 15:00 |
| Leeds United | Doncaster Rovers | - | 15:00 |
| Hull City | Brighton & Hove Albion | - | 15:00 |
| Millwall | Middlesbrough | - | 15:00 |
| Peterborough United | Bristol City | - | 15:00 |
| Barnsley | Portsmouth | - | 15:00 |
| Ipswich Town | Cardiff City | - | 15:00 |
| Reading | Burnley | - | 15:00 |
| Nottingham Forest | Coventry City | - | 15:00 |
| Southampton | Derby County | - | 15:00 |
| Blackpool | West Ham United | - | 15:00 |
| Leicester City | Birmingham City | - | 15:00 |
| Tue Feb 21st | |||
| Millwall | Middlesbrough | - | 19:45 |
| Blackpool | West Ham United | - | 20:00 |
| Wed Feb 22nd | |||
| Hull City | Brighton & Hove Albion | - | 19:45 |
| Tue Mar 13th | |||
| Leicester City | Birmingham City | - | 19:45 |
Tables
| Team | P | W | D | L | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Ham United | 30 | 17 | 6 | 7 | 16 | 57 |
| Southampton | 31 | 16 | 8 | 7 | 22 | 56 |
| Cardiff City | 31 | 14 | 11 | 6 | 14 | 53 |
| Blackpool | 31 | 14 | 10 | 7 | 14 | 52 |
| Birmingham City | 30 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 20 | 51 |
| Reading | 30 | 15 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 51 |
| Hull City | 30 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 6 | 50 |
| Middlesbrough | 30 | 13 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 50 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 31 | 14 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 49 |
| Burnley | 31 | 14 | 5 | 12 | 8 | 47 |
| Leeds United | 31 | 13 | 6 | 12 | 3 | 45 |
| Leicester City | 31 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 5 | 42 |
| Derby County | 30 | 12 | 6 | 12 | -4 | 42 |
| Crystal Palace | 30 | 10 | 10 | 10 | -1 | 40 |
| Watford | 31 | 10 | 10 | 11 | -7 | 40 |
| Barnsley | 30 | 11 | 6 | 13 | -6 | 39 |
| Ipswich Town | 30 | 11 | 4 | 15 | -10 | 37 |
| Portsmouth | 30 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 1 | 35 |
| Peterborough United | 30 | 9 | 7 | 14 | -4 | 34 |
| Millwall | 31 | 7 | 10 | 14 | -11 | 31 |
| Bristol City | 31 | 8 | 7 | 16 | -19 | 31 |
| Coventry City | 31 | 6 | 7 | 18 | -16 | 25 |
| Nottingham Forest | 30 | 7 | 4 | 19 | -25 | 25 |
| Doncaster Rovers | 29 | 6 | 6 | 17 | -24 | 24 |
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