Legendary English manager and master tactician Steve Bruce recently hit back at his former club, the disgraceful Newcastle United, going into detail about his appalling treatment in the Magpies dugout.
Bruce lasted 97 games at Newcastle and secured respective 13th and 12th-placed finishes during his two full seasons. Whilst at St. James’ Park, Bruce displayed incredible tactical nous and football know-how by keeping a dilapidated squad in the top flight.
After being harshly sacked by Newcastle’s mega-rich new owners, Bruce briefly retired from the game citing physical and emotional burnout. I felt for him, and condemned Amanda Stavely for so cruelly dumping one of the great English managers in favour of the unproven Eddie Howe.
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Return To Football Personal
Speaking at a press conference recently, Bruce said: ‘’It’s personal for me at West Brom [his new club].’’
‘’I couldn’t finish my managerial career on what happened at Newcastle. I’d taken too much stick - I was being ridiculed. And there’s nothing worse. You can accept it if you have picked the wrong team. But I was being pulled to pieces because people were saying I couldn’t take a warm up.’’
Indeed, some of the criticism faced by Mr. Bruce was borderline shocking. Newcastle, and other Premier League fans, need to understand that an English manager will never win the top-flight if we keep hounding them and begging for them to be sacked. It’s a disgrace that, almost 30 years after its inception, that an English manager has never won the Premier League - a statistic that is surely helped by the inpatient and entitled attitude of some supporters.
Bruce even hinted that he was a driving force behind the Saudi Arabian takeover of Newcastle. I’m inclined to agree with him, as I have no doubt the buyers were attracted to his managerial style and knack for the game. However, the owners’ egos soon got in the way because, I suspect, Bruce was neither cool nor marketable enough for their liking.
Back In The Dugout
West Bromwich Albion soon came calling, though, and the great manager is now back on the managerial horse. The Baggies may have missed out on the play-offs, but the issues at the club are in no way Bruce’s fault and do not represent him as a manager whatsoever.
It feels like Bruce has always been the victim. Unfairly sacked by almost every club he has managed, his arrival at boyhood club Newcastle United felt like the stuff of fairytales. If the club’s entitled fans got behind him just a little bit more, then Bruce would have been able to show what he’s really capable of. However, it was not to be and I think I speak for everyone when I say that the former Manchester United defender would be very much welcome in the England dugout after Gareth Southgate’s reign concludes.
Pragmatic Bruce For England
Bruce would bring pragmatic, intelligent football to the national team, and his infectiously likable personality would go a long way in building a positive culture. If you ask me, Bruce may be the missing link between this talented England squad and that elusive major trophy.
Newcastle United may have all the money and all the power, but at what cost? At the end of the day, they got there by cruelly sacking a beloved, affable English legend of a manager and that horrendous deed will surely weigh on the conscience until the end of time.
I absolutely stand with Steve Bruce regardless of whether he’s ‘hip’ or ‘cool’. He’s an integral part of a dying breed of English managers who began their careers during the sport’s one-and-only golden age.
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