McLeish said that with such a horrendous injury list he couldn't risk losing any more players and so the likes of Roger Johnson, Christian Benitez, Lee Bowyer and Keith Fahey did not play and as a result Blues were easily beaten 2-0 by Steve Bruce's side at The Stadium of Light. "Such are the injuries we have suffered that I couldn't risk people tonight, I just couldn't risk one or two players who I really need at top sharpness for the weekend," the Blues boss told Sky Sports after Tuesday night's match. "We would love to win the Carling Cup, don't get me wrong. Our supporters would love to see some semblance or a wee chink of going to Wembley. "But at the moment, we are still a work in progress and I don't have as strong a squad as I would like to have.
"But we are building towards that."