The pressure is building at St. Andrew's - but this is no ridiculous knee-jerk reaction to the end of Birmingham's incredible 15-game unbeaten run at the fortress that is Stamford Bridge.For it is now time for Birmingham owner Carson Yeung to put his money where his mouth is and deliver on his promise of providing manager Alex McLeish with the players he needs, and deserves, after performing miracles so far this season.
McLeish must feel like the Cuba Gooding Jr character in the film 'Jerry Maguire' , demanding of Yeung 'Show Me The Money'. Quite simply, Yeung has not so far, at least not to the level he promised.
The Hong Kong tycoon invigorated a club sorely in need of energising when he breezed into the West Midlands last October, with his arrival undoubtedly playing a small part in McLeish's astonishing work this term.
Season ticket prices were lowered and the scepticism that surrounded previous owners David Gold and David Sullivan's reign had been initially removed.
Some winced when Yeung proudly boasted that £40m would be available in this transfer window, however. It was naive on his part and, while it succeeded in raising expectations and instantly currying favour with supporters, he also made a rod for his own back.
Now, with only four days left before trading closes for the season, Yeung has only financed his manager to the tune of £5m, for midfielders Craig Gardner and Michel. And the first signs of frustration from McLeish surfaced before the trip to Chelsea when he admitted that names had been put forward to his owner and he was now waiting for results.
Kenwyne Jones, Ryan Babel and Roman Pavlyuchenko are understood to be his targets and just one of those signings will take a hefty chunk out of the funds that Yeung claimed were available this month.
McLeish said: "I have asked the board for one or two players and I'm waiting on the go ahead. I've told them who I want and it's up to them now. I'm not going to say any names but we've certainly targeted one or two pretty decent centre forwards.
"We just need to wait and see what unfolds. I've always said that I didn't need to spend £20m-£40m, but I do think we need to spend some money."
Time is running out for Yeung to deliver on his promise. McLeish has mounted a compelling case to be named the manager of the season and deserves some tangible reward.
He is obviously reluctant to unsettle the spirit within his dressing room by bringing in blue-chip signings but wants to bring in proven quality to take Birmingham to the next level.
Yeung needs to start proving he can talk the talk or he runs the risk of his standing on the St. Andrew's terraces taking a dive.
But, even more importantly, his relationship with McLeish could hinge on results before Monday's transfer deadline.
