Bruce keen to lift Blues

BIRMINGHAM manager Steve Bruce is well aware the bottom could drop out of his world after the club were relegated.

No sooner had demotion to the Coca-Cola Championship been confirmed than people were queuing up on the radio to name his successor.

Departing Charlton boss Alan Curbishley, a former Birmingham player, was put forward as a candidate.

Bruce knows that fans historically have short memories.

He was king in 2002 when promotion through the play-offs was achieved against the odds.

Bruce is anxious to remain in charge at St Andews, but he said: “It is for other people to decide. It will be a huge job and there is a lot of rebuilding to be done. I hope I get the opportunity to do that.

“We have seven or eight players out of contract, among other things. But we must do everything we can to keep the nucleus of the squad if we want to come straight back.”

Whether the likes of Emile Heskey, Matthew Upson, David Dunn and Jermaine Pennant will continue to wear the colours remains to be seen.

But Bruce will certainly have to drastically reduce his wage bill given the drop in revenue.

“A number of my big players have spent too much time in the stand.”

“But this is no time to be making excuses about injuries and the like.”

Bruce believes his team never really recovered from such a poor start to the campaign. He said: “We took one point from our first seven home games and that caused us enormous damage”.