Jaidi - We are not safe yet

Defender believes Blues must stay focused in the run-in

Last updated: 1st April 2008

Rahdi Jaidi

Jaidi: Keeping focused

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Despite last Saturday's vital win, Birmingham defender Radhi Jaidi is taking nothing for granted in the quest for Premier League safety.

The Blues gave their safety hopes a massive lift with the 3-1 defeat of Man City, so enabling them to open up a four-point gap to third-from-bottom Bolton, who lost 3-2 against Arsenal.

But Jaidi knows from experience that nothing is certain in football - as Birmingham's Championship run-in last term proves.

In that run-in, the Blues lost against Burnley and Barnsley in their seventh and sixth games to go.

This meant they found themselves in the play-off zone before they won four consecutive games to secure automatic promotion.

Jaidi told the Birmingham Mail: "Safe? I don't think so. I'm not quite feeling that.

Keep concentration

"In six games anything can happen so we have to keep our concentration until the last game and we know who is going down.

"It's the same as last year. It looked bad for us, it was a shock to lose those games (to Burnley and Barnsley) and although we did manage to recover, nothing was ever definite.

"So it's very hard to say. Our future is dependent on us, so let's fight to keep it that way.

"We have a good team and this can be a valuable experience for us and, if we stay up, the experience will stand us in good stead for next year."

Birmingham face Wigan at the JJB on Saturday in a relegation six-pointer which will go a long way to ensuring their safety if they can win.

Big game

Jaidi added: "It is a big, big game.

"It will be tough, hard and we have to be focused. For the last three weeks I think we have played well, but we dropped so many easy points.

"Against Manchester, our good play and strong mentality finally brought us the result.

"I slept easy after that game. We try to do our best always but sometimes it doesn't happen for us.

"If we play like we did last Saturday then we have a chance."