STEVE Bruce today paid his own poignant tribute to former Blues team-mate Gary Ablett.

Bruce praised Ablett’s humility and said his death was a reminder of what’s really important, especially in these current pressure-cooker days of football.

Bruce and Ablett were two of the big-name signings who arrived at St Andrew’s in the summer of 1996 under newly-installed manager Trevor Francis.

Although nearing the end of their careers, they formed an excellent defensive pairing, with Ablett also being utilised at left-back.

Bruce and Ablett used to travel down together to training from their family homes in the north west for several months before moving permanently to the region.

“I enjoyed playing alongside Gary and I enjoyed his company,” Bruce told the Birmingham Mail. “His great characteristic was how humble he was.

“He’d come from Liverpool and Everton and won trophies, but you’d never have known it.

“He was a really nice bloke and his death, at just 46, really rocks you to your boots, doesn’t it?

“When something like this happens to a person like Gary everything else in football pales into insignificance.