since the year dot, and the wonderful girls
who work in the canteen. Everyone goes
on about Newcastle’s training ground being
s**t, but I want it on record that the pitches
are some of the best I’ve ever worked on.
That’s down to the dedication and expertise
of the groundsmen there who never get the
credit they deserve. Newcastle is still my club
and I’m glad it’s working out for Eddie Howe.
I wish him all the best.”
But surely it must rankle when his methods
are compared so unfavourably with Howe’s?
Bruce laughs. “Listen, I’ve been in the game
a long time and I’m yet to hear a player say,
‘This manager’s not bad but I preferred the
last one’. Eddie has had a lot more money tospend than I ever did, but he’s brought in
some good players and improved the team.
I’m very happy to acknowledge that, because
Newcastle and the fans deserve the success.
I worked there at a time when everyone was
talking about a potential takeover, and will it
or won’t it happen.
“The club needed new owners to come in
to re-energise it, and I always knew that if it
came during my watch, I probably wouldn’t
be hanging around for too long.
“I just hope that a few years down the line,
some of those supporters who never wanted
me will look back at my time in charge and
say, ‘Under the circumstances, Brucey didn’t
do too bad a job after all’.”Clockwise from
top Bruce Sr is
now the boss of
the Baggies; and
aided by Bruce
Jr; they tasted
promotion twice
together at HullARSENAL 3-2 HULL
May 17, 2014
“I was absolutely devastated after this one. I’m often
told that I should be proud to have taken Hull to the
FA Cup final, and I am, but this was my big chance
to win a major trophy. I thought we’d do it when we
went two up early on. Then our Alex had a header
cleared off the line and Arsenal hit back. If you look
back on the past 20 years or so, not too many clubs
outside the elite have won major silverware. There’s
Leicester of course, and Wigan won the FA Cup – but
this was Hull and my chance. So near yet so far.”
FULHAM 1-0 ASTON VILLA
May 26, 2018
“Winning a play-off final is wonderful, losing one is
the pits – made worse because of the consequences
of Villa spending another year outside the Premier
League. It was pre-takeover and there were some
issues behind the scenes. I knew how much the club
needed to go up – for football and financial reasons.
We never got going, and couldn’t take advantage of
Fulham going a man down with 20 minutes to go.
With the club having to cut its cloth the next season,
I knew things were going to get a whole lot tougher.”BIRMINGHAM 0-0 NEWCASTLE
April 29, 2006
“No one likes to be relegated. I’d experienced it as
a young player at Norwich, but this was my first
experience of it as a Premier League manager. What
made it particularly galling was that I felt Birmingham
were just starting to become established at that
level. It was a real slog that campaign, though, and
we just couldn’t catch Portsmouth in the end – they
won with a game to spare [after beating Wigan 2-1
on the penultimate weekend of the season] and we
went down along with West Brom and Sunderland.”SIDEBAR OF SHAME
In 1,000-plus matches in the dugout, Bruce has had to endure some disappointments, too...
STEVE
BRUCEFourFourTwo July 2022 73“I DIDn’T FALL OUT
WITH nEWCASTLE’S
PLAYERS. THEY ALL
GOT In TOUCH OnE
WAY OR AnOTHER”
Bruce is the first to admit that he surrounds
himself with people who thrive on the training
pitch. Though he’s happy to be labelled old
school, he bristles at being called a dinosaur
- or even worse.
“Look, I always employ assistants who are
coaching-based and I make no apology for
that,” he says. “But there’s this perception
that I leave everything to them and that I’m
just a man-manager. I’ve got all my coaching
badges and love being on the training pitch,
but management now is so much more than
that – just as it’s so much more than putting
your arms around a young player, delivering
a rousing team talk in the dressing room or
being good in front of a camera.
“Football has changed so much since I first
started, and being able to manage people is
vital. Every individual is different, and I take
pride in the fact that I’ve enjoyed very good
relationships with the majority of footballers
I’ve ever worked with.”
So what about the infamous bust-up with
Matt Ritchie at Newcastle last March, or the
widely held view that Toon players were glad
to see the back of him?
“Well, I’m not one for holding grudges so
if there were any bust-ups, they’re forgotten
the next day,” says Bruce. “As for falling out
with the players, that’s wide of the mark as
well. They all got in touch one way or another
after I left Newcastle. I just wish I’d had the
chance to say goodbye face to face with so
many people who work at that club – not
just the lads but Ray [Thompson] the kitman,
Derek Wright, their physio who’s been there