McLeish reckons the midfielder is finally starting to prove his doubters wrong, following his goal against Fulham.
Bowyer scored the only goal of the game at St Andrews on Saturday.
“When Lee first came here, I got some people raising their eyebrows saying his legs had gone and he was not the same player,” said McLeish.
“But he has proved a lot of people wrong. He can run all day, has class about him, and is a real leader.”
McLeish added: “The goal was the one bit of class we produced in the game. It was trademark Lee Bowyer.
“It was a late run onto a great pass and the execution was world-class.”
