Steve Bruce: Live up to big club pressure at Aston Villa
Boss Steve Bruce has challenged Villa's players to show they can handle the pressure of performing for a big club in the Championship.
The club are targeting an instant return to the Premier League following last season's relegation and Bruce believes heightened levels of expectation means the demands on players at Villa Park are greater than elsewhere.
Villa made nine signings at a cost of more than £50million during the summer but just one win in their opening 12 games led to Bruce replacing Roberto Di Matteo in the managerial hot-seat. A run of 11 points from five games since has seen them rise to 14th in the table and Bruce claims players are learning to handle the heat.
"I can understand what the club have done, they bought good players who've done well in the Championship," he said. "But playing for Fulhams, Bristols, Hulls, Boltons, is not playing for a big club like this. You have to adapt to it. Because there's such a big demand on you, an expectation, that's what you have to deal with.
"And if you can survive that and play here, then it's wonderful stage to play – and that's the question to all of them. Can you go and perform at the highest level here?"
