Ex-Cats assistant thinks positively as Blues boss

Former Sunderland assistant boss Steve Cotterill is positive about his future as Birmingham City manager, going into his first match in charge tomorrow night.

The Blues, who host highflying Cardiff City tomorrow, sit in third-bottom spot in the Sky Bet Championship, with just two wins on the board from 11 games.

They are a point above second-bottom Sunderland and will climb out of the relegation zone with a victory, even if only temporarily.

Cotterill (pictured) took over following the departure of Harry Redknapp and has made the most of the two weeks since his appointment.

“I am happy with their response for sure,” said Cotterill, who worked under Howard Wilkinson during his brief Stadium of Light reign in 2002-03. “If you saw them on the training ground this morning, I wouldn’t say they were like that at the beginning part of last week. But probably the less said about that the better. “They have been excellent, they really have. “They are in good spirits. We got a lot of work done last week and a fair bit done this week as well.”

Cotterill has been busy on the training ground, looking for the best way ahead for the Blues’ squad.

“We have looked at all aspects of trying to get a successful football team together,” he added on bcfc. com. “Probably every aspect that you could mention we have tried to cram in this last two weeks. “It’s all about positivity. “We have been positive from the word go on the Monday morning when I started after Hull City (a crushing 6-1 defeat a fortnight ago).

“It has all been about going forward, rather than wasting time on a lot of the negatives – I think you are better suited doing that.

“That’s what I have tried to do, focus on all the positives and the good things that we have got going for us rather than dragging up the negatives that will be banded about and being 22nd in the table.”