Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce has admitted that there is a weight of expectation for him to achieve promotion back to the top flight this season.
A disastrous campaign in 2015-16 saw the Villans relegated for the first time in the Premier League era, and they were subsequently denied an instant bounce back as they managed an underwhelming 13th-place finish in the Championship last season.
Bruce replaced Roberto Di Matteo at Villa Park in mid-October with the club having won just one of their opening 11 games, but his return of 15 wins and seven draws from the remaining games of the season still left them 18 points adrift of the playoff places.
Villa go into the new season among the favourites for promotion, however, having recruited experienced names such as John Terry, Glenn Whelan and Ahmed Elmohamady so far this summer.
"As long as you have a squad capable, then you have a fair crack at winning the title. But we need a bit of luck and already have a fair few serious injuries," Bruce told Sky Sports News.
"This club Aston Villa demands promotion. You can try to dampen the expectations from the fans but it is there and you can't deny it.
"I would give my past four promotions to take this one because of the huge expectations. Last year we didn't match the expectations."
Bruce has previously earned two promotions as manager of Villa's arch rivals Birmingham City as well as two promotions with former side Hull City, who arrive at Villa Park on Saturday for the first game of the new season.
Neil Wilkes
