Blues' transfer KO for Pavlyuchenko

Birmingham manager Alex McLeish has shelved plans to resurrect a move for Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko because of his stunning revival.

Blues were close to sealing a deal for the Russia international in January and had a £10million bid rejected by White Hart Lane chiefs.

Since then the 28-year-old has hit eight goals – leaving McLeish to concede Blues will be priced out of a second move.

The manager said: "His price will have gone up. I've given him too much confidence by saying I wanted him."

McLeish was raging in the wake of Saturday's 3-1 defeat at Sunderland, which saw Blues concede twice in the opening 11 minutes.

Darren Bent's early double and Frazier Campbell's late third sandwiched Cameron Jerome's strike, leaving the manager angry at Blues' first-half showing.

He said: "We could have been three or four down in the first 25 minutes. We were all over the place, shambles – it was so unlike us. But in the second-half we were much more like ourselves.

"You have got to say Craig Gordon saved Sunderland from losing four or five goals. I really thought when I had him at international level he was a cool customer, unflappable, and I thought he could definitely play at the Premier League level."

But Sunderland boss Steve Bruce has backed his former club to record a best ever Premier League finish.

Bruce guided Blues to 10th in the top flight in 2003-04 and, with the class of 2010 currently ninth, expects them to beat his achievement.

He said: "You would have to say, 44 points with eight games to go, I wouldn't have thought that possible. It's been a fantastic season. Will they beat 10th? If I was a betting man, I think they will.

"It wouldn't bother me. I had eight-and-a-half years at the club. I want the club to do well."