Steve Bruce shares uncertainty on reception from Birmingham City following Aston Villa spell as he jokes about ‘completing the lot’ after Blackpool
Steve Bruce, the manager of Blackpool, acknowledges that he is unsure of how Birmingham City supporters would react to him when they visit Bloomfield Road this weekend.
In the second round of the FA Cup, the Seasiders will host the Blues on the Fylde Coast on Sunday afternoon (K.O. 1pm).
Having managed St Andrew’s from 2001 to 2007—during which he earned two promotions to the Premier League—Bruce is well-known to the midlands team.
Bruce is aware that his subsequent tenure with Aston Villa wasn’t well welcomed by Blues supporters, despite his success with Birmingham.
I’ve completed the North East, Midlands, and Sheffield—it seems to happen to me—but I had a great time in Birmingham, and I continue to keep an eye on their outcomes.
One of the pleasures was managing them for over seven years, during which time I had a few promotions and the best player I had ever managed, Christophe Dugarry, who won a World Cup with France.
“I just have positive memories from an amazing club with excellent support.
With the two major rivals in the Midlands, the North East clubs, and the Sheffield clubs, it hasn’t always been simple.
Circumstances occur. Twenty years passed between the Sheffield match and Villa, and I had managed Birmingham for at least five or six of those years. I didn’t leave one for the other, really.
Bruce said that after his tenure at Bloomfield Road ends, he might search for another position near Blackpool to carry on the tradition of managing clubs in comparable regions.
“If they allow it, I might go manage Fylde later on after this one, and that would finish the lot,” he continued.
