McLeish set for contract talks - 7M sport

McLeish set for contract talks

Posted Saturday, February 20, 2010 by PA

Birmingham boss Alex McLeish is set to hold weekend talks with club owner Carson Yeung over his new contract and feels he should be on a parity with his contemporaries after his success of the past two seasons.

McLeish is understood to on a deal worth only around £750,000 a year after making the move to St Andrew's two and a half years ago. The former Scotland boss is adamant that he is not driven by money and his main ambition when joining Blues was to prove himself in the Barclays Premier League.

"I am supposed to be having talks with Carson about the real terms of the new contract because that has not been discussed," he said.

"Money has never been my God. When I joined Birmingham, I told the lawyer to get it dusted because my mission was to prove myself in the Premier League. That was more important.

"But when you make progress, you look to be on a parity with your contemporaries.

"There is no timescale and I am not in a massive hurry to get the contract done but I am happy to stay here.

"It would be great to continue this journey and keeping here so that in 10 years time people can look back and say 'that was a great era at Birmingham City'."

McLeish would be entitled to ask for a pay rise after steering City to promotion from the Coca-Cola Championship last season and an eighth spot in the top flight during the current campaign plus an FA Cup quarter-final place.

He admits Birmingham need to improve the infrastructure - including training ground facilities and a larger back-up staff - if they are to improve their current rate of progress, but is adamant he has the full support of Yeung and his partners.

McLeish said: "We will not be able to maintain these levels without getting the infrastructure right but the board are giving me their support. The relationship I have got with the board is terrific and I don't understand where these headlines I have read this week about us being at loggerheads have come from."



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