Bruce: I was bog-standard player

STEVE BRUCE has revealed how he uses toilet humour to try and stop his players flushing their careers down the pan. Bruce (left) was once Sir Alex Ferguson’s all-conquering skipper – but it so nearly never happened.

The Aston Villa boss, 57, says a damning early scouting report on him now takes pride of place on his toilet wall. Fergie gave it to him as a leaving present when he finally called time on his 11-year Old Trafford playing career.

He uses it as an inspirational tale to any of his players to show that if they give their all they might be surprised how far it can take them.

Bruce, whose side face Brentford tomorrow night, said: “I put my boots on and I had a go – I wasn’t blessed with anything naturally.

“In fact when I left United I got a present from Sir Alex. One of the United scouts had come to see me play when I was at Gillingham. It was a scouting report which I’ve got hung up in my toilet.

“It said, ‘Bruce moved from the back into midfield because he had a head injury. Rather slow on the turn. Technically not very good. His left side is awful. Can’t run. Not the biggest. For me a Third Division player all his life – that’s his level!’.

“It just shows you that if you roll your sleeves up, have a go, get on with it and get yourself in the best nick you can, anything can happen.”

Bruce skippered the Reds to their first title win in 26 years in 1993 and went on to win another two – plus three FA Cups, the European Cup Winners’ Cup and a League Cup.

Bruce added: “I never criticise anyone for making an individual error.

“All I’ve asked of any of my teams over the years is roll up your sleeves, put your boots on and have a go.

“And if they do that I’ll forgive them anything – because basically that’s what I did and I didn’t do too badly.”