Clark promises to entertain

Lee Clark: Has promised to entertain the Birmingham fans following his appointment as new Blues manager

New Birmingham manager Lee Clark has set his sights on promotion to the Premier League but has promised to entertain the fans in the process.

The 39-year-old was confirmed as the new Blues manager on Tuesday, replacing Chris Hughton, who left to join Norwich three weeks ago.

The former Newcastle and Sunderland midfielder has been out of work since he was sacked as Huddersfield boss in February, despite the club riding high in fourth place in League One at the time.

Birmingham have struggled financially since relegation from the Premier League in 2011, with former boss Hughton having to re-build the side on a shoestring budget.

Things have since got worse, with the club currently under a transfer embargo for not filing their 2010/11 accounts on time.

Clark remains undaunted by the financial restrictions placed on him, insisting the club is a Premier League side in all but name.

The Newcastle-born boss has promised exciting times ahead for the St Andrew's faithful under his stewardship.

"Without a doubt I will aim to entertain the Blues fans," he told the club's official website.

Record

"My record speaks for itself. In my two full seasons at Huddersfield we were in third position in the league for the highest goalscorers, the next season we were fourth only behind the clubs who got automatic promotion and when I left in February we'd scored more than anybody else in the league.

"This is a big, big club as I know from whenever I've been fortunate enough to be here as a player or as a member of the opposition coaching staff.

"The passion and drive of the fans is superb and when you walk around and see the facilities and the stadium then you know that this is a Premier League club in waiting.

"It will be a big test but that's just the expectation of myself and my staff.

"Looking at the basis of the squad, there's a great mixture of experienced players who are still hungry to be successful and young players who are still learning the game but are exciting.

"One thing that I'll be bringing with me is the work ethic, the desire, the passion that I have for the game and I will strive every day to make the club better."