Birmingham Rangers v Villa Celtic?

Old Firm rivalry could soon come to Birmingham if former Rangers and current Scotland boss Alex McLeish replaces Steve Bruce at St Andrews.

McLeish, who just missed out on leading Scotland to the finals of Euro 2008, may relish the opportunity to try his hand in England and once again lock horns with Aston Villa boss Martin O’Neill – who Celtic boss for much of McLeish’s time at Ibrox.

While 48-year-old McLeish, who spent all but a handful of his games in his playing career with Aberdeen, has played down talk of a move to Birmingham, his name is increasingly being mentioned by pundits.

McLeish was quoted by The Scotsman as saying: “There’s speculation about my future, I can’t help that. I’m flattered by it, but at the same time I don`t have any plans to leave this job at the moment. I know football is an unpredictable business and you never know, but I certainly don’t have a plan to vacate my position.”

McLeish won the SPL title twice with Rangers, lifted the Scottish Cup twice and also won the Scottish League Cup three times for a total of seven pieces of Scottish silverware – coincidentally the same total O’Neill achieved at Celtic Park.

Former Wigan boss Paul Jewell remains the favourite to replace Steve Bruce, who has signed a reported £2million-a-year deal with Wigan. A variety of other names from both the UK and Europe have also been mooted.