Bruce: I couldn’t let Toon axe be epitaph
WEST Brom manager Steve Bruce has revealed he could not call time on his career in management due to the way his spell at Newcastle played out.
The 61-year-old, who spent over two years in charge of the Magpies, considered retirement following his dismissal last October.
However, in February he accepted an offer to become Albion boss following Valerien Ismael’s sacking.
Although he was unable to guide the Baggies into the Championship play-offs, Bruce will be in charge next season as he aims to win the fifth promotion of his career.
The Geordie consolidated Newcastle’s place in the Premier League with consecutive mid-table finishes in his first two seasons, but he was never popular with the fans.
That was in large part due to his previous affiliation with bitter rivals Sunderland and wasn’t helped by the brand of defensive football they played.
Bruce accepts it wasn’t pretty on the eye but is adamant he was successful at the job that was asked of him.
Nonetheless he received a barrage of abuse from supporters and, while some managers might prefer not to work in a profession that can lead to such opprobrium, he had the opposite point of view.
“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,” said Bruce.
“You can accept it if you’ve picked the wrong team but I was being pulled to pieces because people were saying I couldn’t take a warm-up, that I’d given the players too many days off.
“I knew what the team was doing on the pitch wasn’t what Newcastle United fans wanted and I knew they were fed up. They wanted change.
“But I had a brief to keep the club in the Premier League and we finished 12th and 13th in my two full seasons.
“I knew we weren’t entertaining or attractive to watch, I’ll hold my hands up. We were pragmatic, defensive, I did what I had to do.
“Would the sale to the new owners have gone ahead if the club was in the Championship? I’m not so sure.”
Meanwhile, Albion’s chief operating officer Simon King has left the club after five years to join Championship
rivals Stoke. King will perform the same role at the bet365 Stadium as the Potters restructure their backroom set-up. He will be in charge of the non-football side of the business.
A Stoke statement read. “Simon has extensive experience in the football industry and is a really important addition to the club.”
The Baggies are embarking on a restructure of their own following a disappointing campaign on the pitch. In April recently-appointed CEO Ron Gourlay reaffirmed the club’s commitment to changing things behind the scenes.
He said they are trying to follow “the model set by successful clubs around Europe.” Gourlay also stressed the “importance of having both business and football intelligence” at The Hawthorns.