How does Steve Bruce's Villa start compared to Birmingham tenure?

With Steve Bruce thriving at Villa Park, it’s time to take a look at how he began life at rival club Birmingham City more than a decade ago.

When comparing how a manager fared at two different clubs, it is quite difficult to work out how the future will go. The stature and running of both teams can vary greatly, however it is particularly interesting in this scenario given that the clubs in question are Birmingham City and Aston Villa.

The bitter rivals have not shared too many things over the years, but one of the exceptions to that is Steve Bruce. Fifteen years ago the former United defender had a reputation for not being able to hold down a job, but that was all about to change at St Andrew’s where he remained for six years.

In terms of how he begun, interestingly enough the 55-year-old’s first game was against Wolverhampton Wanderers for both Villa and Blues. He failed to win either clash, but when it came to his overall record in the first eight games the differences are intriguing.

Birmingham manager Steve Bruce urges his side on against Aston Villa

Four wins, three draws and one loss has been cause for celebration in recent weeks at Villa, meanwhile for Birmingham things were a little more rocky with three wins, two draws and three losses.

Now this isn’t to say he is going to be more successful in his current position, because if anything it will be a challenge to top what he accomplished with Birmingham. What it does teach us is that managers, whether it was 15 years ago or now, need time to initiate their own system into the starting XI and see where it takes them.

Aston Villa Manager Steve Bruce