McLeish Comments

[andrew1957]

I think McLeish is about right.
We don't make many chances but our conversion rate is terrific.
We just have to hang on to Kevin Doyle,the one and only player on the pitch who looked Premiership class.

Absolute rubbish.

All season I have been reading comments on here that Birmingham are a side full of PL class players and why don't we buy equivalents - now that we beat them comfortably them you say only one player on the pitch is PL class.

To me Hunt, Hunt, Armstrong, Cisse, Rosenior, Duberry, Ingi etc etc all looked PL class today.

[Royal Rother]

It's just a nonsense statement from VM - every Reading player today looked like they could comfortably get into several teams in the PL.

I think his idea of PL Class is actually Top 6, and quite possibly Doyle was the only one who looked good enough for that level.

[Ian Royal]

its funny
despite being better than them for a few seasons now, i still look at alot of their players enviously due to prem experience, and the appearance of being better players
but clearly they arent,

hats off to coppell again


and down with the scot twat, for being so darned ungracious

Hahnemann - 2 years
Fed - a wee bit
Rosenior - 2-3 years
Murty - 2 years
Armstrong - a little with Sheff U
Duberry - lots
Ingimarsson - 2 years
Bikey - 1 year
Cisse - a fair bit of a season
Harper - 2 years
Kebe - a wee bit
Matejovsky - a wee bit
Gunnarsson - roughly 2 years
Doyle - 2 years
Long - a little bit in 2 years.

We have plenty of Premier League experience of our own. It just happens most of it has come whilst playing at our club. Ony Duberry & Rosenior have really made a name at another club in the prem.

[kwik-silva]

Yeah, I agree, we do have a fair bit of experience, but its really whether they can put their experience into practice or whether it all goes to their heads

[Victor Meldrew]

It's just a nonsense statement from VM - every Reading player today looked like they could comfortably get into several teams in the PL.

I think his idea of PL Class is actually Top 6, and quite possibly Doyle was the only one who looked good enough for that level.

I have just been watching the first half of West Ham v Villa.
West Ham are a side just above the relegation zone and comparing with Brum and us sorry they do look a level above.
I stick by what I said earlier out of the 22 at Brum I believe that only Doyle is up to the lower reaches level of the Premier League -the rest are Championship level players,on both sides.
Andrew-you cannot be serious.

[Victor Meldrew]

It's just a nonsense statement from VM - every Reading player today looked like they could comfortably get into several teams in the PL.

I think his idea of PL Class is actually Top 6, and quite possibly Doyle was the only one who looked good enough for that level.

I have just been watching the first half of West Ham v Villa.
West Ham are a side just above the relegation zone and comparing with Brum and us sorry they do look a level above.
I stick by what I said earlier out of the 22 at Brum I believe that only Doyle is up to the lower reaches level of the Premier League -the rest are Championship level players,on both sides.
Andrew-you cannot be serious.

[VOR]

A pretty mediocre hoofball side with a couple of classy players who'll always score goals like Phillips in all honesty.

Spot on, mate. We are playing a more direct game than 2/3 years ago but McLeish's outfit Brum are a bunch of scufflers with one really good finisher. We cut them open time and again with good... passing.

[PEARCEY]

I think McLeish is about right.
We don't make many chances but our conversion rate is terrific.
We just have to hang on to Kevin Doyle,the one and only player on the pitch who looked Premiership class.

thought we had quite numerous chances today, not just the goals

though admittedly compared to theirs, our strikers are super clinical

Yes they are and Doyle again was superb today...there was some on here who wanted to see Doyle get dropped back in September...funny how quiet they are right now

[Ian Royal]

It's just a nonsense statement from VM - every Reading player today looked like they could comfortably get into several teams in the PL.

I think his idea of PL Class is actually Top 6, and quite possibly Doyle was the only one who looked good enough for that level.

I have just been watching the first half of West Ham v Villa.
West Ham are a side just above the relegation zone and comparing with Brum and us sorry they do look a level above.
I stick by what I said earlier out of the 22 at Brum I believe that only Doyle is up to the lower reaches level of the Premier League -the rest are Championship level players,on both sides.
Andrew-you cannot be serious.

Please explain Harper's 6 goals last season, along with how a significant portion of our team finished 8th in the prem. Please also explain how you think Kevin Phillips isn't good enough for the prem.

Lots of players in those teams are up to the standard of playing the prem, but to stay there you need a little extra quality on what's on display.

[Hogmeister Royal]

though from the whistle to the end, we bossed the game
only cisses mistake let them back in it for a moment,and perked them and the crowd up for a few mins, but then we soon shut them out again, and forced them to play infront of our two banks of four,which we could have done all day with doobs and ivar imperious

Cisse's mistake which came from Hunt's inability to pass to a completely unmarked Henry on the right? Instead poking it into a congested central position?

As soon as he recieved that ball, he had two players on him. Unless I'm completely distorting events, I think it's unfair to lay blame entirely at his feet.

indeed

hunty, ivar? and doobs all could have stopped it
maybe fed aswell

Actually... no... there was only one person to blame and that was Cisse.

To lose the ball like he did, where he did, after having at least two clear chances for a simple pass, when we were in a strong attacking position was criminal. Don't get me wrong, apart from that he had a great game and made up for it with his goal, and you can say he was unlucky that Phillips finished so well to punish his mistake... but there can be no excuses for losing the ball like he did.

Not just my opinion, but also the opinon of the TV pundits, and even of Cisse himself in the post-match interview.

[SteveRoyal]

They are an efficient side who do the simple things well. They are not a beautiful passing side but they all know what they are doing and they're hard to beat.

LOL

Honestly, how do most other Champ. Managers say we move the ball well, and then Mc-Leash( ) comes along and says we don't.
Clearly, he's losing it.

[Cookie]

He didn't hear us sing olé.

[Southbank Old Boy]

I think McLeish is about right.
We don't make many chances but our conversion rate is terrific.
We just have to hang on to Kevin Doyle,the one and only player on the pitch who looked Premiership class.

Totally agree

We've thumped a few teams this season where, until we've taken a lead, they've created as many, if not more chances. Most of the time we've been very clinical infront of goal and we've won games quite comfortably without creating more chances than the opposition

I can't see how anyone can suggest we're a pretty passing side. Coppell's sides have always played percentage football, with the exception being the 05/06 and 06/07 side who played a lot more passing football than the current side. Our main attacking threat is to get it wide early or pump it into the channels for Doyle and Hunt to fight for

[The whole year inn]

Seriously, who cares?

Trying to take the media away from a woeful home performance with controversial comments. LOL

[S09Royal]

Seriously, who cares?

Trying to take the media away from a woeful home performance with controversial comments. LOL

'greed. B'ham seriously would never get promoted based on that performance today!

ALOL at McLeish...
Last week after they lost at Preston; 'We've got to concentrate on the Reading match now, put this result behind us. We're better than Reading...we have more points than them and are higher than them in the table-the table doesn't lie' Yeah, but you only had ONE point more than us
Today instead of praising our determintation and cutting edge, he slams us as not being a 'beautiful passing team'
Jealous much?!

[Victor Meldrew]

It's just a nonsense statement from VM - every Reading player today looked like they could comfortably get into several teams in the PL.

I think his idea of PL Class is actually Top 6, and quite possibly Doyle was the only one who looked good enough for that level.

I have just been watching the first half of West Ham v Villa.
West Ham are a side just above the relegation zone and comparing with Brum and us sorry they do look a level above.
I stick by what I said earlier out of the 22 at Brum I believe that only Doyle is up to the lower reaches level of the Premier League -the rest are Championship level players,on both sides.
Andrew-you cannot be serious.

Please explain Harper's 6 goals last season, along with how a significant portion of our team finished 8th in the prem. Please also explain how you think Kevin Phillips isn't good enough for the prem.

Lots of players in those teams are up to the standard of playing the prem, but to stay there you need a little extra quality on what's on display.

Could you explain to me how we got relegated with so many Premiership-class players in the side?
Kevin Phillips would be too slow in the Premier League.
All of this is IMHO and whereas we don't have class individuals we are a team which is nearly as important but that doesn't mean to say McLeish's comments were wrong-I think what he said is right.
We are currently about where West Brom were this time last year and we can see how they are now doing whereas both Hull and Stoke realised they would not be good enough and invested heavily in the transfer market.
For any team getting promoted this season I think they would have to do the same to give them any chance of survival.

I don't want to detract from what was an excellent result today when superior striking won the day-my comments have been made specically in response to what McLeish said and is the topic under discussion.

[Southbank Old Boy]

Please explain Harper's 6 goals last season, along with how a significant portion of our team finished 8th in the prem. Please also explain how you think Kevin Phillips isn't good enough for the prem.

Lots of players in those teams are up to the standard of playing the prem, but to stay there you need a little extra quality on what's on display.

[/quote]

Scoring 6 goals doesn't make you Premiership class. I'm quite a Harper fan, and I think he is capable of holding his own in the Premiership. He'd not get in most sides, but in a good side he'll do a decent job

As for the rest, Doyle has shown he's good enough to score goals and play well in a side creating chances. He can't create much for himself though, but he's certainly good enough

The rest of the remaining palyers from the squad that finished 8th are a couple of years older and past their peak. Stick them in a new side that isn't brimming with confidence, momentum and the unknown factor and I think they'd struggle in the Premiership (that includes Hunt who's lack of basic skills prevent him from being a a Premiership quality player in my book)

[Amongst the sheep]

Seriously, who cares?

Trying to take the media away from a woeful home performance with controversial comments. LOL

'greed. B'ham seriously would never get promoted based on that performance today!

ALOL at McLeish...
Last week after they lost at Preston; 'We've got to concentrate on the Reading match now, put this result behind us. We're better than Reading...we have more points than them and are higher than them in the table-the table doesn't lie' Yeah, but you only had ONE point more than us
Today instead of praising our determintation and cutting edge, he slams us as not being a 'beautiful passing team'
Jealous much?!

He is clueless. They got a lucky break and a well taken goal but hardly put us under pressure. Coppell is streets ahead tactically and like a previous poster I loved his comments after the game regarding zero significance. Excellent.

[S09Royal]

From http://brumsnumber1.ipbhost.com/index.p ... 6800&st=45

'Birmingham manager Alex McLeish:
"We had chances but Reading were more clinical than us and it's obviously disappointing.

"But it doesn't decide anything. They are above us in the table on December 20 but the league will go right to the wire.

"They are an efficient side who do the simple things well. They are not a beautiful passing side but they all know what they are doing and they're hard to beat."

Brum Fan;
'We're not a beautiful passing side and we don't all know what we're doing.'


They also seem to think they'll only be contesting in the play offs after todays result too.

[Ian Royal]

Could you explain to me how we got relegated with so many Premiership-class players in the side?
Kevin Phillips would be too slow in the Premier League.
All of this is IMHO and whereas we don't have class individuals we are a team which is nearly as important but that doesn't mean to say McLeish's comments were wrong-I think what he said is right.
We are currently about where West Brom were this time last year and we can see how they are now doing whereas both Hull and Stoke realised they would not be good enough and invested heavily in the transfer market.
For any team getting promoted this season I think they would have to do the same to give them any chance of survival.

I don't want to detract from what was an excellent result today when superior striking won the day-my comments have been made specically in response to what McLeish said and is the topic under discussion.

Yes: We had no right winger, 1 central midfielder and several players off form.

Also we only just went down, despite having a poor season with the occasional high point