Bruce ready for dogfight

Latics boss accepts battle for survival

By Chris Burton   Last updated: 14th November 2008

Bruce ready for dogfight

Bruce: Troubling times

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Steve Bruce accepts that his Wigan side have become embroiled in the Premier League relegation battle.

The Latics currently sit fourth from bottom in the top flight table, only holding firm outside the drop zone by virtue of a superior goal difference over Newcastle.

They face the troubled Magpies at St James' Park on Saturday, with both sides desperate for points to ease their woes.

However, with only three points separating Fulham in 10th from rock-bottom West Brom, Bruce believes this season's fight for survival will be one of the toughest yet.

"You could say to 12 clubs: 'Right, your season starts now'," Bruce opined.

"I've never known it this tight before and it just shows you what kind of league it is this year.

"We are in that pack amongst 12 or 14 teams, and we think we're probably five or six points worse off than what we should be, but I'm sure a few other clubs will be saying exactly the same thing.

"I always think it's an accumulation of the points that you need over the course of the season, and you need to get to that 40-point mark very, very quickly. The quicker you get there the better, for obvious reasons, and we hope we can do that.

"You've got your top-four clubs and then under that Aston Villa and probably Spurs, who I think are in a false position at the minute, but then you have 12 or 14 clubs who can all beat each other on their day.

"If the league was like that from top to bottom and there was about five points separating us all then that would be fantastic.

"But, already with 12 games gone, the top four are who you would expect - and the rest of us are in a relegation dogfight."