Portsmouth boss Steve Cotterill was surprised at reports linking him with the vacant position at Birmingham and he again committed to finishing the job off at Pompey. Reports suggesting Birmingham had asked permission to speak to Cotterill were now believed to be wide of the mark.
And Cotterill has told The News: "I was surprised to hear the talk about me. I don't know if I'm potentially one of their candidates.
"It's flattering when something like that happens, but I'm happy doing the job I'm doing at Portsmouth. I've been through all the hard work here last season. I've been through all that pain, but I'm happy as manager of Portsmouth.
"It's been a tough job but I've been through all the tough times here now and want to push on."
