Antonio Valencia and Maynor Figueroa – and
everything was really positive. But then within
a few months, most of them were gone and
it was never the same again.”
Bruce experienced something similar during
his days at Sunderland. Upon his arrival at
the Stadium of Light in June 2009, he played
a blinder at his inaugural press conference
by expressing a desire to emulate the feats
of another Newcastle-supporting individual,
Bob Stokoe, whose statue outside the ground
is a constant reminder of the club’s 1973 FA
Cup triumph over Leeds. It had the desired
effect – initially, at least. The Black Cats had
flirted dangerously with relegation in their
past two campaigns, but looked more likely
to kick on than collapse under Bruce. Finishes
of 13th then 10th meant his Geordie roots
were easily ignored.
“The clubs where I’ve done well tend to be
those where I’ve had a good relationship with
the chairman,” continues Bruce. “Niall Quinn
persuaded me to join Sunderland and I got
on brilliantly with him. Niall is a real football
man and a Sunderland legend, and at first
everything was great.
“We came 10th [in 2010-11] with a forward
line of Asamoah Gyan, Danny Welbeck and
Darren Bent, and a young Jordan Henderson
with Lee Cattermole in central midfield. That
was a smashing team and I genuinely felt we
were on to something there – but just like at
Wigan, most of them were long gone a few
months later, along with Quinny. We started
to struggle and never really recovered. It was
a very sad end, but I’m sure the Sunderland
supporters would take 10th in the Premier
League these days.”
LIKE FATHER, LIKE...
If Bruce wouldn’t win too many popularity
polls in Tyne and Wear these days, he’s still
revered at Hull, where he enjoyed some of
his greatest triumphs – not to mention his
biggest disappointment.
“They gave me a chance after Sunderland,
and while I’ll always be grateful, I’d like to
think I repaid their faith in me,” he reflects.
“We enjoyed great times, with a few bumps
and bruises along the way.”
Most Hull fanatics would agree. Bruce won
automatic promotion from the Championship
in 2012-13, then took the Tigers to their first
ever FA Cup final the following season. It was
a bittersweet day that threatened delirium
after Hull went 2-0 up against Arsenal inside
eight minutes, but the Gunners stormed back
to win in extra time.
It was at Hull where his son Alex enjoyed
the most successful spell of his career –
indeed, it was Bruce Jr who could have put
that cup final beyond Arsenal, only for his
header to be cleared off the line with the
underdogs two ahead. Alex is working with
his dad again at West Brom – the first time
they’ve linked up on the management side –but the Baggies’ chief insists his decision was
more to do with pragmatism than nepotism.
“I got the idea from Carlo Ancelotti,” says
Bruce. “I remember going to Everton when
he was in charge and watching this young
Italian behind the scenes. After being told it
was Carlo’s son, it sowed a few seeds. If it’s
good enough for someone of his credentials,
then why not? Alex wanted to remain in the
game after hanging up his boots, and he’ll
do a good job. If you look at my history, I’ve
always tended to hire at least one young
coach who’s close in age to the players.
Steve Clemence was 33 when I took him to
Sunderland. Like Alex, he’d just finished
playing and he’s been with me ever since.”Above “Black Cats
crossing your path
is good luck, right?”NEWCASTLE 1-0 MANCHESTER UNITED
October 6, 2019
“This victory is top of the pile for several reasons.
Most importantly, it was my first win as Newcastle
manager at St James’ Park and we needed it after
a bad defeat [5-0 at Leicester] the previous week.
After years of trying, I finally beat my former club,
but it was the circumstances which made this game
so special. I gave Matty Longstaff his debut alongside
his brother Sean in midfield, and he popped up with
the winner late on – a brilliant shot from outside the
penalty area. It was real Roy of the Rovers stuff.”
CHELSEA 0-3 SUNDERLAND
November 14, 2010
“A result and a performance which had everyone
sitting up and taking notice. Chelsea were almost
invincible at Stamford Bridge, but we went there and
played them off the park. Nedum Onuoha scored
a worldie just before half-time, then Asamoah Gyan
and Danny Welbeck stretched our lead in the second
half. A fortnight earlier, we’d gone to St James’ Park
and lost the derby 5-1 to Newcastle. That defeat hurt
everyone connected with Sunderland, but beating
Chelsea at their place was the perfect response.”HULL 1-0 SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY
May 28, 2016
“There’s nothing like winning at Wembley, and when
it earns promotion to the Premier League it’s even
better. We’d gone down the previous season, while
Sheffield Wednesday had been outside the top flight
for 16 years. My players handled the huge occasion
superbly, and we won the game with an unbelievable
strike from Mo Diame in the second half. Every boss
obviously wants to go up automatically, but you can
understand why so many of them say that doing it
through the play-offs is the greatest feeling of all.”SIDEBAR OF FAME
Steve’s managerial career hasn’t been without its share of Brucey bonuses, as his three favourite games prove...
STEVE
BRUCE72 July 2022 FourFourTwo