BLUES boss Jim Magilton has challenged his out-of-contract stars to help the club win promotion and earn themselves new deals.

Derek Davis

BLUES boss Jim Magilton has challenged his out-of-contract stars to help the club win promotion and earn themselves new deals.

Magilton insists that there is only so much he, and anyone else can do and it is only the players who will decide if the Blues reach the Premier League or not.

He said: “Player will get this club promoted. They decide as a group what they will achieve. For all I say and all you write, it is down to them.

“They will get all our support and all our backing and if they win games they will get all your praise and they will get a deal.

“Some lads are inspired by that, others will be intimidated by that. Others seek security and that is the same in any walk of life. The strongest will succeed.”

The Blues take on sixth-placed Cardiff City tomorrow, and Coventry City the following week and Magilton believes the festive period can have a big bearing on where the side will finish next may.

He said: “We have had ups and downs in this first half of the season. We have had a look at every team and they have had a look at us so it is important now to get a run together.

“We can use the Christmas period as a springboard for the rest of the season. We have enough games to have a real go still.”

While Alex Bruce, Tommy Miller, Richard Naylor and Shane Supple, are the most senior of players whose contracts expires at the end of June, 11 others are likely to leave next year.

Dan Harding, Matt Richards, Dean Bowditch, Billy Clarke, Liam Trotter, and Chris Casement, are all out on loan, while Jaime Peters, Kurt Robinson, Jai Reason and Ed Upson will also start looking around.

Magilton has made it clear any new contracts will not be offered until next March/April.

Magilton said: “It is down to the players to play for a contract.

“When I was a player when I signed my contract it went in a drawer and was forgotten about. I don't think of the money or the next year, all I thought about was promotion.

“In my last three years as a player I signed one-year deals and all I focused on was getting this club promoted.

“It was all-consuming for me and I was devastated as skipper of this club when we didn't do that.

“If they don't get contacts here we will do all we can as football club to help them get fixed up elsewhere.”