McLeish's View: West Ham (a)

Last updated : 10 February 2008 By Brian Cartlidge

James McFadden's first half penalty earned Blues a 1-1 draw at Upton Park and moved them out of the bottom three of the Premier League table, albeit on goal difference over Reading.

"We've been unlucky on our travels of late and not got much, we haven't won away in a while, so it's a valuable point and keeps us alive and kicking," the Blues boss told Sky Sports News after the match.

"We have a young team and they have to learn fast.

"But I thought they worked their socks off and I can only applaud their spirit and I couldn't fault their commitment.

"We knew that they had beaten Liverpool and Man United here (Upton Park) and the onus was on them to win at home, but we picked holes in them at times.

"McFadden led the line really well and Forssell showed his international experience and I can only applaud my players.

"We are still learning but we have got enough to stay up if we play like that every week."