'Probably...' - League One rival boss makes bold Birmingham City promotion claim despite Shrewsbury setback
Birmingham City’s next opponent after they play Exeter City has made an interesting prediction on Blues.
Blackpool manager Steve Bruce believes that Birmingham City will ‘probably’ win League One by 20 points.
Blues suffered a shock 3-2 defeat to bottom side Shrewsbury Town at the weekend. They had been second going into the latest round of fixtures, but they dropped down to fourth.
Stockport County and Wrexham defeated Burton Albion and Exeter City on the weekend and overtook them at the table. Birmingham does have between one to three games in hand over those above them, however.
Asked about the competitiveness of the division pre-match Bruce said: “It certainly is. Especially with what we’re finding this year.
“I mean Birmingham of course will probably win it by 20 points or so I would have thought. They’re the standout team in the division but there are a lot that are chasing them. Very good sides like Wrexham, and Stockport, and there’s always one or two who give you a bit of a shock.
“It’s very competitive really, and I’ve enjoyed the honesty of it. I’ll not change it, I think. It’s a long slog all season because there’s some very good teams in the division.”
Bruce was a player at Birmingham City towards the end of the 1990s. He later returned to become the manager at St Andrew’s in 2001. During a six-year spell in charge, he twice led them to promotion.
The 63-year-old faces his former club in the second round of the FA Cup this weekend. He returns to Birmingham for first league meeting between the two sides on December 29.