McLeish is aware of the need to bring in new players with Blues having slipped to 19th spot in the Premier League after the 3-0 home reversal by Arsenal on Saturday. He has already met with club owner Carson Yeung's right hand man, Peter Pannu, to discuss budgets and transfer targets. But McLeish is aware of the need not to put the club's future in jeopardy by excessive spending. McLeish said: "I've already sat down with Peter Pannu last week and we've agreed that we are going try and bring some players in. "Carson (Yeung) has given the green light to do something. "Will it be loans or permanent deals? I don't know. There are both options available. "But we are not going to kill the club by paying excessive money - which can happen in the January window." Birmingham's on-loan midfielder Alexander Hleb angered some fans by saying in an ESPN interview before the game that in an ideal world he would prefer to return to Arsenal. McLeish played down the significance of Hleb's remarks but is looking for the Barcelona player to make his mark during the second half of the season. He said: "Is that a bad thing (what Hleb said)? He wants to play at the top level, and Arsenal are at the top level. "But he has got a job to do here and it is time for Alex to show during the second half of the season what he is really capable of. "He came here half-fit, then he gets an injury, has been out for a month, and I put him in the squad against Manchester United last week ahead of schedule. "He really should have been doing another week's training but I've thrown in him because we need a player of his calibre to make a difference. "He has got to get that into his head and have the right mentality to help this club. "We need Alex to make a big impact from start to finish and if we can get him to a real sharpness level, and he buys into that and gets really fit, he will be a big asset to us." McLeish has also warned his players to be mindful of maintaining discipline to avoid picking up needless suspensions. Midfielder Lee Bowyer could face a three-match ban for violent conduct if the Football Association decide to charge him for an alleged stamp on the knee of Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna. McLeish said: "I don't like losing anyone through suspension and these are things that it is difficult for a manager to legislate for. "We've got a pretty good record in terms of our discipline. "I've said to players before every single game it is important we keep 11 people on the pitch. "We got a couple of early bookings against Arsenal which puts those individuals under pressure. "We need to make sure our discipline record is good because we can ill afford to lose players."
