Steve Bruce has revealed that he felt Aston Villa could have been relegated to League One last year when he took over.

The West Midlands club were in the relegation zone when he took over, although it was only 11 games into the season.

Despite the significant spend under manager Roberto Di Matteo, Villa endured a torrid start to the season and owner Dr. Tony Xia quickly fired the Italian.

He turned to a manager with more Championship experience in Bruce, but the ex-Hull boss admitted he was surprised at how bad the situation was that he inherited.

“Inwardly I thought I've got a job on my hands here and if we are not careful we could slip the other way. I make no bones about that. For six months all I did was make us difficult to bear, difficult to play against. That's all,” he told the Express & Star.

Whilst Bruce recognised that Villa had a talented he squad, he reckoned a losing culture had engulfed the team. “The club had got into that downward spiral of being used to getting bear. It becomes the normal, 'Oh, Aston Villa have got beaten again, so what?'”

The Verdict

Steve Bruce may have a point to a degree, and there certainly was a poor mentality in the squad, which he has shifted.

However, when he took over the club still harboured hopes of reaching the top six and they spent a lot of money in January. So, relegation was never, ever considered a possibility, despite their position in October.

As well as that, his pragmatic approach hasn't altered too much this year. It seems as though he is suggesting he has done a better job than he has, but Villa fans won't fall for it.

Thoughts, Villa fans? Let us know in the comments below.

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