Birmingham Boss Alex McLeish Looks To Retain English Core

Alex McLeish has announced his intention to have an English core running through his squad in time for the start of next season.

The Scottish boss believes it is important to have players who know the English game in order to be competitive, and has already started his summer transfer campaign.

The permanent addition of defenders Scott Dann and Roger Johnson and Goalkeeper Joe Hart on a season-long-loan, underline his intentions with West Ham midfielder Lee Bowyer expected to join up soon.

McLeish admitted to The Birmingham Post that he has taken a gamble siging Championship players but believes they are more than capable of holding their own in the Premier League.

"My main aim was to bring English players to the club and if I had gone for the Premier League status players then the prices go beyond our reach," he said.

"So we pushed the boat out a wee bit and got a couple of young players who have done very well in the Championship. They don’t have Premier League experience, although they have played against Premier League teams, so that’s a huge challenge to them as well, to improve."

The former Scotland and Rangers manager seems confident his transfer policy will pay off and is looking forward to working with fresh blood at the club.

"[They've got]Young, fresh legs and I’m really looking forward to working with them," he added.

David Kifford, Goal.com