HARLEE WINS AITOR’S VOTE OF APPROVAL

HARLEE DEAN has averaged 46 games a season for three years in Birmingham’s defence and has been named captain by consecutive managers.

Yet apparently he would struggle to win a popularity contest at the club.

New manager Aitor Karanka admits he has been left scratching his head at the picture painted by critics of the centre-half.

It certainly does not bear any resemblance to the person Karanka met on his arrival at the Blues in the summer.

In fact, the Spaniard has been so impressed with Dean that he did not hesitate to follow in the footsteps of Pep Clotet and also made the 29-year-old (above) his leader on the pitch.

Defensively, Birmingham look a solid unit and Karanka wants to give credit where it’s due.

He said: “It’s curious, because when I arrived here everyone was criticising him to me, as a player, as a person, as a captain.

“And since I have been here he has been really helpful for me outside the pitch, and on the pitch you can see that he is a proper leader.

“He is the captain, I think he feels really confident and he is showing now how good he is as a player.”

While Karanka has addressed Birmingham’s defensive weaknesses, the team still have a problem at the other end.

But Millwall are also struggling up front and have now drawn six out of their last eight games.

Manager Gary Rowett said: “I am sure fans will be sat at home and frustrated because it looks like we’re going away to get draws but we’re not.”

BIRMINGHAM: Etheridge 7, Roberts 7, Dean 7, Friend 7, Colin 7, Sanchez 5, San Jose 5, Pedersen 6, Sunjic 6, Leko 5 (Bela 78, 4), Jutkiewicz 5 MILLWALL: Bialkowski 6, Skalak 6, Pearce 7, Hutchinson 6, Cooper 7, M Wallace 6, Woods 6, Leonard 6, J Wallace 7 (Thompson 86), Parrott 6 (Smith 62, 5), Bodvarsson 7 (Bradshaw 86)

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