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Steve Bruce addresses awkward Aston Villa question ahead of Birmingham City reunion
Steve Bruce is unsure of the reception he will receive from Birmingham City fans when his Blackpool team host Blues in the FA Cup on Sunday lunchtime.
Blues travel to Bloomfield Road looking to build on Tuesday night’s controlled victory over Exeter City and looking to build on their first round success over Sutton United. Victory will put them into the hat for the third round draw on Monday.
However, to get there they will have to overcome a very familiar face in the Seasiders’ dug-out, their former boss Bruce who as well as having good times at St Andrew’s also managed fierce rivals Aston Villa.
Indeed Bruce returned to Blues with Villa in October 2017 and was unhappy when the home side distributed clapperboards to supporters, some of which ended up on the pitch.
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His last match against Blues came in September 2022 when a Scott Hogan hat-trick condemned West Brom to a 3-2 loss.
Asked about crossing the Second City divide he said: “It was years later, and it seems to have followed me,” he told the Blackpool Gazette. “I’ve done the North East, Midlands, Sheffield – it seems to happen to me, but I thoroughly enjoyed my time there (at Birmingham), and I still look out for their results.
“To manage them for the best part of seven years was one of the highlights, with a couple of promotions in there and the best player I ever managed in Christophe Dugarry – who was a World Cup winner with France. I’ve got nothing but happy memories from a fantastic club with great support.
“It’s been difficult at times, with the Sheffield clubs, the North East ones, and the two main rivals in the midlands – it’s not easy. Circumstances happen. There was 20 years between the Sheffield one, then Villa there had been a good five or six years since I managed Birmingham. It’s not like I left one for the other.
“Maybe after this one I’ll go and manage Fylde down the road if they’ll have me and that’ll complete the lot.”
