Hughes has high hopes for future
FORMER Birmingham City star Bryan Hughes has backed Steve Cotterill’s appointment as manager and reckons he has been left a ‘good squad’ by Harry Redknapp.
The popular ex-midfielder urged the current players to unite and show the qualities that brought them to the club in the first place.
Hughes said: “They need to get together, regroup, work hard for each other.
“Whether that be, like myself, a technical sort of player, or someone who has got a bit of passion and will die for the cause.
“They all bring something to the table so they have got to get that formula that brings success.
“I think Steve Cotterill is a really good appointment, he is very experienced, he’s knows the Championship really well.
“So I am really excited to see what happens over the next few weeks and months.
“He has inherited a good squad that Harry Redknapp has left him with and I am sure he will want to hit the ground running.”
Hughes spent more than seven years at Blues and was a key player in the team who won promotion in 2002.
During that time he made 247 league appearances for the club and scored 34 goals.
Meanwhile, Lee Carsley believes record signing Jota will have a big impact on the club’s season.
The assistant manager worked with Jota when they were at Brentford together, when Carsley was his caretaker-boss at the start of the 2015/2016 campaign.
And with Jota on the comeback trail from the hamstring injury that has kept him out of the team for the last month, Carsley reckons his goal threat will be vitally important to his new club.
“He will create a chance from nothing,” Carsley said. “I think he’s a player that will have a big part to play if we are going to have any kind of success or run of winning games this season. I think the fans will enjoy watching him because he’s a good player.”
The Spaniard joined Blues on transfer deadline day for a fee in excess of the £6million Blues paid Valencia for Nikola Zigic in May 2010. He arrived having had an incredible end to last season, which brought 12 goals and five assists in 19 Brentford starts.
Jota returned to Griffin Park last term having spent several months back in his homeland with Eibar.
Carsley reckons Jota was even better in his second spell in England and continues to improve.
“I think he’s kicked on and he showed (that) in his second spell. He always had a goal threat but his goal ratio and shots and chances created went up again,” he said. “I’d expect that to improve again.”