<script language="javascript" type="text/javascript"></script><script src="http://www.icnetwork.co.uk/js/IC_displayMPUAd.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <font class="bigteaserpic">Bruce: Let's put on a show for fans</font> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%" border="0"><tbody></tbody></table><table class="headerTable" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr><td><p class="headtypea">Nov 10 2006 </p></td></tr><tr><td><p class="headtypea"><b /></p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2"><p class="headtypeb">By Colin Tattum, Birmingham Mail</p></td></tr></td /></tr /></tbody></table><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="400" border="0"><tbody><tr><td colspan="3"> </td></tr><tr><td colspan="3"><p class="headtypea" align="right" /><p align="right"> </p><p class="headtypea" align="left">STEVE Bruce today urged his players to show the St Andrew's public why he believes Blues are made of the right stuff.</p><p class="headtypea" align="left">Tomorrow Barnsley visit in the Championship and a week later Wolves roll up for a West Midlands-Black Country derby.</p><p class="headtypea" align="left">Bruce reckons that Blues have produced some of their best displays on their travels, not least during their recent winning streak.</p><p class="headtypea" align="left">Now it is the time for them to please the home audience, he said.</p><div class="center" id="mpuad" style="DISPLAY: inline"><script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript"></script></div><a name="story_continue"></a><script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript"></script> <p class="headtypea" align="left">"We've now played nine games away from home, and have a very good record," said Bruce. "And most of our best performances have tended to be away.</p> <p class="headtypea" align="left">"We now must make sure that, with the home games coming up at St Andrew's, we make it a fortress. We must enjoy playing there again and have the supporters right behind us. If we do, I'm sure we can progress and get better.</p> <p class="headtypea" align="left">"We had a great following of 3,500 at Derby, 5,500 at Coventry, there were the 1,500 with us at Plymouth. They've seen how much this team fights for the cause, and how they've got used to this league.</p> <p class="headtypea" align="left">"Yes, we may make some silly mistakes because we're young, but it's clear there's a big desire among the players and they've got pride playing for the shirt.</p> <p class="headtypea" align="left">"We saw it against West Brom as well, but mainly this run and things falling into place has come on the back of some excellent away performances."</p> <p class="headtypea" align="left">Bruce admitted that a more conservative approach has reaped rewards and he made no apologies for it.</p> <p class="headtypea" align="left">Successive 1-0 away victories at Derby, Coventry and Plymouth contributed to Blues' miserly manner - and the jump from mid-table to fourth place.</p> <p class="headtypea" align="left">They have now gone almost six-and-a-half hours without conceding a goal in the Championship, which helped them in an 18-day spell get to within three points of leaders Cardiff City after being 11 adrift.</p> <p class="headtypea" align="left">"Possibly it went against the grain, having to make sure we were a lot tighter," Bruce admitted. "At the start of the season, I was determined that we went out there to score more goals, which has always been the Achilles heel for us.</p> <p class="headtypea" align="left">"We were more open, more expansive but I wanted to restore us to what had always served us well. I think it's been shown that you have to do the basics in this league - any league - first and foremost.</p> <p class="headtypea" align="left">"Every team needs to be sound defensively, you need that 'zero' at the back.</p> <p class="headtypea" align="left">"I've got a picture on the wall in my office of the 2003-04 side which finished 10th in the Premier League. That side was built around such defensive strength and solidity. We kept eight clean sheets in our opening 10 games."</p> <p class="headtypea" align="left">Obviously, the responsibility is going to be on Blues much more in the next fortnight to open teams up rather that sit in tight and repell pressure on opponents' grounds.</p> <p class="headtypea" align="left">So it means Sebastian Larsson could start on the right wing instead of Neil Danns, and on the left Gary McSheffrey should replace Julian Gray from the League Cup team.</p> <p class="headtypea" align="left">Stephen Clemence and Fabrice Muamba will return after being rested and started as substitutes against Liverpool.</p> </td></tr></tbody></table></p>
