Alex McLeish is moments away from becoming Birmingham's most successful manager in 51 years.

The Scotsman's side currently lie in ninth spot and have already beaten the bookies who tipped them as relegation favourites.

The last time the Blues finished in such a high position was back in 1959 under Arthur Turner.

City host already relegated Burnley on Saturday as they try to finish the season with a 16-game unbeaten home run.

"It coincides with the year of my birth so it would be nice," he told The Sun.

"There is no guarantee we can do it but it would be nice.
Critics

"We've confounded the critics. We didn't set out to do that, we set out to prove we were a good team.

"We've had a wee bit of luck this season but the achievement of coming from the Championship and being ninth at this stage is amazing.

"For a team that doesn't excel at scoring, to finish as high as we will is pretty remarkable."

McLeish has also hailed the impact of new owner Carson Yeung and vice-chairman Peter Pannu.

"It's been a pleasure to work in this atmosphere," the 51-year-old said.

"We want to thank the fans on Saturday. It will be a carnival atmosphere from them but we are not going to be disrespectful to Burnley."