Bruce fears Yeung could wield the axe

STEVE BRUCE fears he will be sacked as Birmingam manager should prospective new owner Carson Yeung take control of the club.

Birmingham might have slumped to their third away defeat of the season at Ewood Park, but that was not the biggest issue weighing on Bruce’s mind last night.

Bruce has been anxiously waiting to see if Yeung would approve a new contract that was agreed in May with the current board after he steered City back into the Premier League.

The Hong Kong businessman already has a 29.9% stake and he expects to be in full control within the next couple of months, a move which could signal the end of Bruce’s six-year reign.

“I have to say it doesn’t look very good at the moment,” he said. “I found out on Friday that the vibes coming back from the Chinese consortium were negative. I know where I stand, that’s for sure.”

Bruce’s mood was made even darker by yesterday’s defeat, which he claimed was due to an assistant referee’s error.

Following a poor first half, City trailed at the interval to in-form David Bentley’s third goal in four games, with the England midfielder scoring in the 15th minute.

Nine minutes into the second half, Gary McSheffrey was denied an equaliser by an offside flag, and within a minute Benni McCarthy converted a penalty following Johan Djourou’s foul on Roque Santa Cruz.

Although Cameron Jerome handed City a lifeline in the 68th minute, Blackburn held on for the win.

BLACKBURN (4-4-2): Friedel 6, Emerton 5, Samba 6, Ooijer 6, Warnock 6, Savage 5 (Mokoena 57, 6), Kerimoglu 5 (Derbyshire 56, 6), Bentley 8, Dunn 5 (McCarthy 46, 7), Pedersen 7, Santa Cruz 6. Subs Not Used: Brown, Khizanishvili.

BIRMINGHAM: Maik Taylor 6, Kelly 6, Djourou 6, Ridgewell 6, Queudrue 5, Larsson 6, Muamba 6 (Palacios 62, 5), Nafti 6 (Danns 72, 5), McSheffrey 5 (O’Connor 62, 5), Jerome 7, Kapo 6. Subs Not Used: Kingson, Schmitz.

THE REFEREE: Mark Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear) 6 Might have been let down by his linesman, who disallowed a potentially crucial Birmingham goal.

MATCH RATING: *** Another excellent win for Blackburn, who continue to go from strength to strength, although Steve Bruce will feel hard done by.