Aston Villa take on local rivals Birmingham City on Sunday afternoon.
Speaking to The Birmingham Mail, Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce has joked that Birmingham City fans need to get more creative with their put-downs of him.
The 55-year-old is gearing up to face the Blues for the first time since joining their bitter West Midlands rivals Aston Villa earlier this month.
Bruce, who spent six years at St Andrews, might well brace himself for a hostile reception when he returns on Sunday.
The former Hull City manager, who has won two of his first three games as Aston Villa boss, watched on from the stands as City lost at Burton Albion last week.
But his presence did not go unnoticed by the visiting fans, who levelled ‘potato head’ insults at him from the stands, and Bruce says the supporters will need to get more vicious than that if they want to get under his skin on Sunday afternoon.
“I heard it but they’ve got to come up with something more original than that,” said Bruce to the Birmingham Mail.
“Come on the Birmingham fans, get a bit more original. That’s been going round for a long time that one. And I haven’t got a fat head anymore so people tell me.”
It has only been a little over a week since Bruce took charge of his first Aston Villa match, and he is already having a big impact.
The Villans drew 1-1 with Wolves, but narrow victories over Reading and Fulham have followed – the first time the club has managed to win back-to-back league games in 18 months.
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