Bowyer repays Blues' faith

Bowyer: More mature

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Birmingham boss Alex McLeish feels Lee Bowyer's form this season has helped to silence any doubters.

Some regarded the Blues' capture of the one-cap England international as something of a gamble, having snapped him up as a free agent over the summer following his release by West Ham.

The 32-year-old, who enjoyed a productive loan spell at St Andrews last term prior to securing a permanent switch, arrived with a reputation for being a troublemaker at times.

However, he has put the problems of his past firmly behind him, with his experience proving invaluable to Birmingham.

McLeish feels his decision to bring Bowyer on board has been justified and is full of praise for the manner in which the former Leeds and Newcastle midfielder goes about his work.

He said: "When Lee came here, I chatted with him and said 'you are a grown and mature man.'

"He has had to count to 10. He used to have a short fuse. I think he has done well in terms of the red mist. I see it in training sometimes and give a wee reminder and he kind of puts the brakes on.

Passionate

"But he is a passionate guy, he plays with passion, plays with great commitment, and is the type of player I love.

"When he first arrived, a lot of people were saying he was not the same player as before and that his legs had gone. But he has proved a lot of people wrong."

McLeish has brought the best out of Bowyer this term by deploying him behind two out-and-out strikers, having established early on that he was not suited to an advanced role in a 4-5-1 system.

"We tried him in that advanced midfield role, with the one up, early in the season and you don't really get the best out of him," added the Scot.

"But, coming deeper from midfield, he is still a threat and he picks his moments. We have told him to pick his moments. He can't do it every single run.

"He is now a mature, intelligent guy with a lot of experience and older players tend to learn from their experiences during the seasons."