Bruce leaves Blues for Wigan as McLeish arrives

Steve Bruce has left Birmingham City to become manager of Wigan Athletic, and Blues have moved quickly to appoint the former Scotland manager Alex McLeish as his successor.

Bruce's move to Wigan was completed on 19 November after the two clubs agreed a compensation package worth around £3 million. McLeish resigned as Scotland boss to take the job at St Andrew's, and was unveiled at the end of the month.

The end of an era

Bruce spent almost six years at Blues, after joining from Crystal Palace in December 2001. He led the club to promotion to the Premiership in his first season, through the play-offs, and kept them in the top flight for four years.

After relegation in 2006, he led Blues straight back up last season, finishing second in the Championship with a club record 26 league wins. His teams were known for their hard work and team spirit, and he signed several players who became favourites with the fans.

His departure comes after weeks of uncertainty. Wigan had made clear they wanted Bruce, who managed the club briefly in 2001, and talks over his contract and compensation dragged on. There were reports that Bruce's relationship with the Blues board had become strained amid the uncertainty over the club's ownership.

Takeover talk

Blues have been the subject of takeover talk for months. The Hong Kong businessman Carson Yeung bought a stake in the club over the summer, and has been in talks about a full takeover with the current owners, David Gold and David Sullivan.

That uncertainty was widely reported to have played a part in Bruce's decision to leave, with questions over his future and his transfer budget hard to settle while the ownership of the club was unclear.

McLeish arrives

McLeish, 48, is one of the most successful managers in Scottish football. As a player he won three Scottish league titles and the European Cup Winners' Cup with Aberdeen under Sir Alex Ferguson, and he won 77 caps for Scotland.

As a manager, he led Rangers to two Scottish league titles and several cup wins, and took over as Scotland manager in January this year. Scotland narrowly failed to qualify for next summer's European Championship after a 2-1 defeat by Italy at Hampden Park earlier this month.

His appointment has been welcomed by Blues fans, who had feared a long search for a new manager. He will be joined by his long-time assistant Roy Aitken.

A tough task

McLeish faces an immediate challenge. Blues are in the bottom half of the Premier League table and need to pick up points to avoid being dragged into a relegation battle.

He has a squad that knows how to work hard, but lacks experience at the top level. The January transfer window will be crucial, and the new manager will want to know how much money he can spend.

His first game in charge will be a demanding one, and the fans will be hoping that his arrival can give the team a lift as they head into a busy Christmas period.