Reality bites for Blues battler Bowyer

Reality bites for Blues battler Bowyer

Published Feb. 25, 2010 2:50 p.m. ET

Birmingham midfielder Lee Bowyer believes the club's recent dip in fortunes was to be expected after their superb record-breaking run.

Blues earned deserved plaudits after embarking on a club-record 12-match unbeaten run in the top-flight.

Alex McLeish's side have stuttered in recent weeks, suffering back-to-back defeats as part of a spell which has seen them win just one in six.

Bowyer believes the St Andrews outfit were briefly punching above their weight in England's elite division and that recent results are a more realistic measure of their abilities.

But he insists that they can continue to be competitive provided they stick to the principles which have served them well after earning promotion from the Championship.

Bowyer said: "What we were doing before was not realistic. We are coming down to our level now.

"We are realising we are not going to go away and win every game. We are going to lose at places like Fulham. That's the reality of this league.

"At the start, had people been offered 17th place they'd have taken that.

"But all of a sudden because of what we did, they have expected us to keep going up and up.

"We have to be realistic. Nothing has changed from the start of the season to now. What we did before - the unbeaten run - was astonishing.

"But now we have to understand that we have to keep battling away and working hard - you have to work and nick games."

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