Matt Le Tissier says confusion at White Hart Lane didn't help Birmingham's failed bid to avoid the drop.
Matt says Carling Cup took its toll on Birmingham's small squad
Matt Le Tissier told
Soccer Sunday confusion at White Hart Lane didn't help Birmingham's failed bid to avoid the drop.
As the second half came to a close Blues appeared unaware relegation rivals Wolves had bagged a second goal in their clash with Blackburn, which left Birmingham in the drop zone on goals scored.
Instead of piling forward for a winner, Alex McLeish's side sat back against Spurs and defended the 1-1 scoreline they believed would see them survive.
A mad dash forward in the final few minutes, once they realised what was going on, was in vain, and Roman Pavlyuchenko's strike on the break sealed their fate.
"For four or five minutes it didn't seem they were aware Wolves had scored," Le Tissier said. "And then all of a sudden Alex McLeish was shown shouting to his players, urging them forward, but by then they'd lost some crucial time and there were only a few minutes left.
"Then they had to commit everybody and they conceded a goal in the last minute of injury time."
Poor display
However, Le Tissier criticised Birmingham's approach to the game and felt they should have been far more offensive with survival in their own hands.
"I'm not sure they really deserved anything out of this game. For a team that needed something from this game they didn't really look to win this game at all," he said. "They never set out with any real positive intentions. They had Cameron Jerome up front on his own and they just sat in and waited.
"Spurs didn't look that fussed in the first half but the turning point in the game from Birmingham's point of view would have been the injury to Peter Crouch because it meant he had to go off and on came a centre forward with something to prove.
"Pavlyuchenko had something to prove to the manager - that he's worth keeping at the club next season - or was maybe putting himself in the shop window for next season. They could have done without him on the field because he scored two cracking goals."
Out of steam
It's a miserable end to the season for Blues, who just a few months ago were celebrating a Carling Cup final victory over Arsenal. However, Le Tissier feels the stresses and strains of competing on two fronts has taken its toll on Birmingham's small squad.
"I think the size of the squad has cost them dearly this season," he said. "The cup run meant they didn't have a lot in the tank and they've only got one point from their last six games of the season. When you're in the bottom half already and you finish a season like that then you're going to get relegated.
"Wolves picked up eight points from four games, Blackburn and Wigan kept taking points while all the time Birmingham kept losing and losing."
