McLeish Needs Time

Alex McLeish believes neither Sir Alex Ferguson nor Jose Mourinho could have guaranteed Birmingham's Premier League status if they had been appointed at St Andrew's when Steve Bruce left in November. City will slip back into the Championship for the second time in three years if they fail to get better results than Fulham and Reading on Sunday, but McLeish insisted it would be "unfair" for supporters to judge him after less than six months in charge.

"I don't think you can judge me until I have some time in the job," he said. "I don't think it would be fair. If Alex Ferguson or Jose Mourinho was in this job from when I came in to now you couldn't say they would have saved the club from relegation. Five months is not a chance to build a team. We are an inexperienced and small squad. I think we can progress, whatever happens."