Steve Bruce ready to regenerate Aston Villa

But you would never have guessed it from the 55-year-old's demeanour during his official unveiling as the club's fourth permanent manager in less than 12 months, writes Matt Maher.

Bruce appears the kind of man for whom confidence, self-assuredness and humility appear default emotions and while it is always dangerous to read too much into first press conferences – and Villa have had a fair few in recent times – there was undeniably a different air around Bodymoor Heath yesterday. It was certainly alluded to by chief executive Keith Wyness, who believes Bruce is the man to "blow away the cobwebs" he feels are still lingering following the club's relegation.

The manager, for his part, certainly appears revitalised, three months out of the game following his departure from Hull City having served him well. Certainly, his sense of humour seemed sharper than ever.

"I've been used to being called potato head for the last 20 years. I always took it as a compliment!" he quipped, when the inevitable questions began about his past associations with Birmingham City.

Bruce had begun the afternoon by breezing into a pre-conference buffet put on for media. That in itself would have been unthinkable from many of his predecessors but provided no better proof of the new manager's down-to-earth nature. Held in considerable affection by members of the media during his six years at St Andrew's, this in some ways felt like a homecoming for a man who still resides in the Midlands and knows what makes the area.

Clearly, he already has a feel for the club and a grasp of the issues, both good and bad. There have been plenty more of the latter at Villa Park over the past five years and Bruce is well aware of the consequences should things go badly. Then again, there was a palpable excitement in his voice when he talked about the potential should he finally be the man to get the club back on the right track.

"I'm very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to manage a club of this stature and size," he said. "Yes it's not had the best of times and I suppose a bit like Rafa Benitez at Newcastle, he's excited at the challenge of turning the club around and trying to get back on track

"If it does get back, with the owner's plans, I hope I'm around long enough to be involved. The owner wants to be back in the Premier League sooner rather than later. Plans there afterwards are staggering. He wants the club to be back where it was 10 years ago, up in the top six or eight in the Premier League. Look around and the infrastructure is there. Then he's certainly got the finances to achieve that."

Bruce, who has signed a rolling contract, knows to fulfil the dream he needs results and the start is far from easy, with Villa hosting Wolves in a Midlands derby on Saturday before a trip to Reading on Tuesday night.

But he is also aware three games in the next week provide a chance to build early momentum and that in a 46-game season the outlook can soon change.

"The one thing you have to do, more than 15 years ago, is hit the ground running," he said. "You have to get results quick. All I'm trying to do is get a few wins, get back to back wins and then can we win three games in a week? We've certainly got the players and the potential to do that. Certainly when I look at the group of players, we've got a good group for the Championship, They are suffering from the aftermath of last year. I've lived in the Midlands for 15 years and I know what the fans want. They want a spirit and passion. That's why I always try to get a team together the supporters can associate with."

His three predecessors – Tim Sherwood, Remi Garde and Roberto Di Matteo – lasted less than a combined 18 months. But the club's reputation as a managerial graveyard holds no fear for Bruce. He went on: "I hope that I can be the one that turns it around otherwise I'm going to be another statistic and another person will be sitting here. I'm not afraid of that."