Steve Bruce has labelled the Championship a ludicrous division, as the Sheffield Wednesday manager prepares to face Martin O’Neill’s Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night in a do or die clash in south Yorkshire.
The Owls boss is also wary of the threat posed by Forest and in particular striker Lewis Grabban, whom he knows very well from their time together in Birmingham.
Bruce lost his first game as Wednesday boss on Saturday, with his former club Aston Villa scoring twice in the closing stages to secure a 3-1 win at Hillsborough and all but end the Owls’ hopes of securing a place in the top six.
Grabban, meanwhile, netted his 17th goal of the season at Rotherham on Saturday although O’Neill’s Reds lost on the road, and like Wednesday, saw their challenge for the play-offs suffer a crucial blow and Bruce spoke glowingly of the 31-year-old.
“We had him at Aston Villa last year and he did excellent for us," Bruce told The Sheffield Star.
"He is a very, very good player."
Bruce is acutely aware of the challenge posed by the Reds, who will be looking for their first win away from the City Ground since a 2-0 win under Aitor Karanka at Hull in November.
“They have got some good players all throughout their squad and in Martin (O'Neill) they have got a big, experienced manager so it will be a tough test."
Both sides know that if they’re to reignite their flagging hopes, three points is a must at Hillsborough, with Forest five points adrift in ninth and the Owls a point further back in 12th position, but Bruce hasn’t given up hope.
"We have still got a chance," he said.
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"We have some big games to play.
"The Championship is totally ludicrous.
“If we had won against Villa, we would have given ourselves a great chance. We did everything we possibly could but it wasn't meant to be."
