McLeish's side tackle West Ham at St Andrew's on Wednesday hoping to secure a Carling Cup final date with either Arsenal or Ipswich on February 27. Unfortunately, the warm-up did not quite go as planned. In adopting a bold approach against Manchester United, McLeish was hoping to catch Sir Alex Ferguson's men off guard. Instead, it was United who made the flying start, eventually condemning Birmingham to their biggest defeat of the season. McLeish now faces the tricky task of trying to raise morale, although he does not feel it will be too much of a problem. "We have a bunch of players who will bounce back well," McLeish said. "There is evidence today they have that in their locker. "People will say taking this drubbing will affect their confidence, but that is not the feeling I got from senior players in the dressing room. They were more angry than anything else." McLeish admitted he had half an eye on the Hammers clash when he selected a side which included a Premier League debut for 19-year-old midfielder Jordan Mutch. And his attentions may also be diverted by his on-going battle to bring in new faces. Robbie Keane and Kenny Miller have already turned Birmingham down, although McLeish is adamant the search for a new striker will continue. However, doubt has been cast over the finance that is available by acting chairman Peter Pannu, who has questioned the improvement Birmingham's summer signings have made to the team. It means Stoke may yet have some joy in their attempts to lure Cameron Jerome to the Britannia Stadium as McLeish might need funds to bring someone else in. The other option would be to face the remainder of the campaign with the players at his disposal just now, something the Scot is adamant would not bother him unduly. "If these are the guys I have got for the rest of the season I will do everything I can to get the best out of them," he said. "That is my job. I have managed to do that up until this particular juncture."
