HAVE BLUES FOUND THEIR OWN SIR ALEX?

29-11-2007

Alex McLeish arrives at St Andrews today with probably the greatest pedigree of any Blues manager apart from World Cup winner Sir Alf Ramsey.  Although he was hounded out of Rangers, his record there and elsewhere stands comparison with the best.

McLeish enjoyed plenty of success on the field, playing a key role in Aberdeen’s glory years of the early 1980’s when they won three SPL titles in five years and the Old European Cup Winners Cup in 1983.

His boss at the time?  None other than Sir Alex Ferguson, the most successful manager in England over the last decade or so.  All the evidence suggests that McLeish the pupil learned plenty from the master.

His first foray into management was in 1994 when he astonishingly took Motherwell to a runners-up spot in the League. 

Like a lot of ex-players he soon found that life in the dugout wasn’t as easy as it looked, and after a couple of (successful) relegation battles with The ‘Well, he headed to Hibs, and couldn’t prevent them falling out of the top division.

It’s here that McLeish’s talents really started to shine.  Proving that he could flourish in adversity he took Hibs back to the top flight, and in 2001 they finished third as well as making the Scottish Cup Final.

Rangers stepped in and McLeish was an instant hit, winning the League Cup and Scottish Cup double in 2002 before going one better and hoisting the Treble in 2003. 

Another SPL title followed in 2005, and he also took Rangers into the knockout stages of the Champion’s League for the first time.

Despite that he was sacked the following year, after a series of high-profile, big money signings (Boumsong, Prso) turned out to be duds.

Even allowing for the “two horse race” nature of Scottish football, it’s a record that deserves respect; while Scotland’s near qualification for Euro 2008 proves his ability to make the most of limited means.  Just the man for Birmingham City, then.

True, they aren’t likely to win any European Cups any time soon, but they could spring a few pleasant surprises.  All the evidence suggests that Blues may just have found their own Sir Alex. 

Is McLeish the man for Blues?

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