The way that Steve Bruce parted company with Birmingham City was a bit of a mess and I feel a bit sorry for Steve as I thought he was backed into a corner that he certainly didn't want to be in.
The owners didn't exactly give the impression that they wanted Bruce to stay.
They didn't deny Wigan the right to talk to Steve, which most clubs would do if they wanted to keep their manager - in the same way that Scotland did with Alex McLeish when they didn't allow Birmingham to talk to him, so he had to resign.
McLeish: up for the challenge of the Premier League
First and foremost Steve must have felt unloved and unwanted and that probably influenced his decision.
The proposed takeover of the club by Carson Yeung has been a long, drawn out saga, which is so typically Birmingham City.
I've got a feeling that it won't happen - I think if it was going to happen it would have done so by now. My gut feeling is that David Gold and David Sullivan will still be in charge of Birmingham whether they want to be or not.
I always believed that McLeish wanted to do what his mentor, Sir Alex Ferguson, had done and come to England to have a crack at the Premier League.
Andy Gray
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The fans just want the club to move on and go up a level in terms of the team's progress in the Premier League. That will make them happy. I don't think they'll be happy if Gold and Sullivan don't invest money in the club to get it going again.
New era
I haven't spoken to Alex McLeish since he took the job but I know him quite well. I'll send him a text to wish him luck and will hopefully catch up with him at White Hart Lane on Sunday.
What I do know is that Alex is a hugely ambitious young manager - always has been.
To get to the top in Scottish football you look to be managing one of the top two i.e. Rangers or Celtic.
He did very well at Ibrox, winning seven trophies in his short spell there. And then he did so well as the national team manager, so he has pretty much done what he wanted to do in Scotland.
I always believed that Alex wanted to do what his mentor, Sir Alex Ferguson (who he played under at Aberdeen) had done and come to England to have a crack at the Premier League.
That was what he wanted to do and he will be absolutely delighted that he now has the chance to do it.
Alex will bring bags of enthusiasm with him to Birmingham. He is very astute and has a good knowledge of the game. He is also experienced having managed Rangers in Europe and, of course, almost getting Scotland to Euro 2008 in a very strong group they were given little chance of getting out of.
He's a top, top boy - one of the game's good guys and he's a manager that has a burning desire to succeed.
Experience
Some have said he was a surprise appointment given his lack of Premier League experience, but I don't believe that at all. The only way you get Premier League experience is by managing in the Premier League!
That's like saying Martin O'Neil shouldn't have left Celtic to come to Aston Villa because he only managed Leicester in the Premier League for a few years.
Jose Mourinho had no Premier League experience - he came from Porto who are in an even easier league - and look what he achieved.
If you've managed Rangers and won seven trophies and you've managed Scotland and taken them to the verge of qualifying for the European Championships against the likes of Italy, France and Ukraine, then I would say your CV is pretty good!
It may take him time to get used to the Premier League but you've got to learn to walk before you can run. And he'll enjoy the challenge of the Premier League - especially the cut and thrust of it.
You can look at it whatever way you want but the question is: Is he a good manager? I think he is.
And McLeish is as close to Alex Ferguson as anyone is likely to get and he will no doubt give him a call for advice if he needs it.
There have been an awful lot of players in and out at St Andrews over the last couple of years and they have probably suffered this season because of that. They have found it hard to get a settled side this season.
Add to that a little bit of inexperience, but I think they have a good enough squad to avoid relegation, but they have to start winning games, starting at Tottenham on Super Sunday.
A month ago that may have been an easier game but now with Juande Ramos in charge, Spurs look more stable. I'll be there in the commentary box so it will be interesting to see how Alex and Birmingham get on.
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Comments (6)
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Mark Murdison (Aston Villa fan) says...
Steve Bruce is a damned good manager and should never have left the blues..Anyway, it's Wigans gain! You know.. I actually feel since Robbie Savage left the club that the desire to win has gone ! Mikkel Forsell is a gem of a player and really needs to be playing every week.. McLeish is learning how tough it is down here in the premiership..I think it will get tougher for him.. ! I actually want the blues to stay up..the Brum derby is just classic !!!
Posted 12:53 3rd February 2008
Reiss Smith (Birmingham City fan) says...
Bruce never took Blues anywhere! McLeish will be welcomed by all Blues fans because Brce was disliked amongst the crowd. I hope he does well at Wigan, but he wont do well at all i can assure you. McLeish is a much better manager and will bring Birmingham onto new levels that Brucey could not achieve. KRO
Posted 00:47 16th December 2007
Les Pestell (Tottenham Hotspur fan) says...
Another bad day for the Brummies. Spurs to win. Bruce, a good manager !! you lot are better off without him.
Posted 12:25 2nd December 2007
Mark Brown (Birmingham City fan) says...
I feel bad for Steve Bruce in the way things were handled as he has been a great person to run the team for the last few years. Hopefully Alex can bring in some new energy into the club and get some stability into a squad and get the team to gel together. A great start would be a victory this Sunday against Spurs and it would be nice to see a run of games in the win column. I wish all the Blues fans around the world all the best for the upcoming holiday season and lets get behind the team like we never have before and show the rest of the Premier League what Birmingham City are really about and that we will always keep right on til the end of the road............
Posted 17:17 1st December 2007
Steve Rooks (Birmingham City fan) says...
First of all, the board didnt want Bruce to go, but felt that it would be an unhappy camp if they did not let him speak to Wigan(good god Wigan) after the Newcastle appoach when the board said no he was unhappy for weeks saying his chance had gone. Bruce went for one thing only MORE MONEY, he was told at a meeting with the new owners his job was safe and was also told by the present board that they did not think the takeover would take place.Plus he was then upset about a payment Blues wanted back and was unhappy it got to the press, i remember a couple of years ago when the same happened to Savage and he told him to grow up. Gray sort yourself out.
Posted 06:17 1st December 2007
Steve Mcloughlin (Birmingham City fan) says...
Im a big blues fan at the tender age of 14. When steve bruce left i was gutted and didnt believe there was a suitable replacement for him. Alex Mcleish is a good manager by the looks of things, but im uncertain as to whether he will take the club forwards and get the correct players in to improve our medieocre squad. Carson Yeung needs to be put in his place, because if you cant cough up the money required to buy out the club, then where is the money for transfers going to come from. I think it is a little bit of a risk taking on Alex but i wish him well in the job and I hope he takes the mighty blues forwards.
Posted 21:53 30th November 2007
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