We have to be bigger than that, McLeish tells rioting fans

After Birmingham City's Carling Cup semi-final win over local rivals Aston Villa, more than a thousand home supporters ran onto the pitch and confronted away fans housed in the Gil Merrick Stand.

Dozens of seats were ripped out and a flare was thrown from the Kop stand, before being tossed backwards and forwards between the two sets of supporters.

McLeish said that Birmingham supporters had made the club look small with their actions.

"We have to be bigger than that," he said. "We have to not have the small club mentality.

"The scenes were like when Hereford beat Newcastle in the cup a few years ago and the fans ran on at the end, and that's fine.

"But not Birmingham, not a Premier League club. Our fans don't need to do that.

"We should be bigger than that. Definitely celebrate it but don't make it look as if it's the World Cup final.

"It's a kind of phenomenon for us that we've beaten them and we've got to think bigger than that. It's a huge thing for our fans. I don't condone them running on at all but I understand their emotions.

"Running on the pitch is just a no-go in modern day football."

McLeish added that he didn't think the timing of the incident affected England's catastrophic World Cup bid.

"I think it's ridiculous," he said. "I think it was decreed before that game the other night. The vibes leading up to Thursday's decision had everybody a little bit worried regardless of what happened at the Villa game."

McLeish, whose side face Tottenham today, also said that playing the derby match on a midweek evening was not to blame for the clashes.

He said: "If it was on a Saturday and we won the fans would probably have still run on, such were the emotions of beating Aston Villa. The Villa fans are used to beating Birmingham so they wouldn't have run on if they had won, even at their home ground."

Michael Dawson returns to the Tottenham squad for the first time since August for the game at Birmingham.

England defender Dawson will be on the bench at St Andrew's after recovering from the ligament damage suffered on international duty three months ago.

His return is a boost, with Younes Kaboul (hip) sidelined, while Rafael van der Vaart (hamstring) and Jermaine Jenas (calf) are also out, and captain Ledley King (groin), Jamie O'Hara (back) and Jonathan Woodgate (groin) are longer-term absentees.

Blackpool's televised Barclays Premier League match against Manchester United today has been postponed because of concerns about the Bloomfield Road pitch.

Temperatures dipped below minus eight on Thursday night meaning the Seasiders' attempts to make the pitch playable, using protective covering and hot-air blowers, proved in vain.

The Premier League newcomers' match with the 11-times champions was called off yesterday afternoon after referee Peter Walton carried out an inspection.