Alexander Hleb hits out at Blues

Loan star Alexander Hleb has hit out at Birmingham's tactics - but insisted he will fight for the Blues cause.

The midfielder has claimed he doesn't like manager Alex McLeish's long-ball policy and misses the attacking nature of former club Arsenal and parent outfit Barcelona.

Hleb is on international duty with Belarus ahead of their Euro 2012 qualifiers against Luxembourg and Albania.

Hleb is reported to have said: "I'm not quite happy with the level of the team, but such things do happen. It's just life.

"I did tell the papers that Birmingham is not exactly Barcelona or Arsenal. They were constantly hoofing the long ball forward.

"Naturally I miss the combinational and creative football by Arsenal and Barca, but that was my own choice.

"The Birmingham style is not the kind of game I dreamed about."

But the 29-year-old, on a season-long loan from the Nou Camp, insisted he won't give up and has a good relationship with both McLeish and his new team-mates.

Hleb said: "Birmingham is more a team of fighters, but now I need to get used to their manner of playing.

"But as a whole everything suits me now, a good manager and fine relations with my team-mates.

"It is good that now I have a lot of time on the pitch, but I want to play football of a different kind."