Bruce relishing opener with Tigers
AHEAD of facing former club Hull City for the first time since resigning more than a year ago, Steve Bruce admits to being “hugely proud” of not only his four years at the helm but also the considerable transfer income the Yorkshire club has since earned.
The 55-year-old’s Aston Villa welcome the Tigers on Saturday for an opening day fixture that will be shown live by Sky TV.
Bruce quit the KCOM Stadium in July last year following a series of disagreements with the City hierarchy but admits to retaining fond feelings for his old club.
“We are looking forward to taking on Hull,” the Villa manager told The Yorkshire Post. “It is quite ironic, really, that we should face each other on the first day.
“I did laugh to myself when I first saw the fixtures and thought: ‘This has to be some sort of fix to have Hull first’. But it is a great fixture to start with. I had four wonderful years, which, if I can repeat here, then I will be very happy as it means we will have achieved a lot.
“It was disappointing how it ended. The club wanted to go in one direction and I didn’t. That is football sometimes.
“But Hull was still a special time in my career and one I am hugely proud of being part of. The supporters took to me straight away and helped make it a memorable four years.
“We had a lot of fun together and, let’s not forget, we were top dogs in Yorkshire for most of my time there. That hadn’t happened much, if ever, before.”
Bruce’s reign saw City twice win promotion to the Premier League, play in an FA Cup final and compete in Europe for the first time in the club’s history.
Backed considerably by the Allam family in the transfer market for much, the former Manchester United captain transformed the outlook of a club who had only previously spent two years in the top flight.
Big money signings such as Shane Long, Nikica Jelavic, Jake Livermore and Abel Hernandez were made and City initially flourished, as underlined by that Cup final appearance in 2014 and the debut in the Europa League.
Relegation a year later meant the books had to be balanced as James Chester and Robbie Brady were sold.
The Tigers bounced straight back by winning the 2016 Championship play-off final only for Bruce to quit two months later. Relegation again followed last May and many of Bruce’s signings have since left the KCOM, often for big fees.
Harry Maguire, a £2.5m capture from Sheffield United, joined Leicester for £15m plus add-ons, while Andy Robertson’s switch to Liverpool could earn Hull around £10m for an initial outlay of around £2.85m.
Others to leave for a profit since Bruce’s reign ended include Robert Snodgrass, Eldin Jakupovic and Jake Livermore, while Sam Clucas – a £1.3m arrival from Chesterfield in 2015 – is valued in the £10m bracket.
“There has been a lot of changes since I was there and again since dropping out of the Premier League,” added Bruce.
“But it is still a big test for us, as Hull still have some very, very good players. Hernandez, Clucas and people like that are Premier League players.
“Of course, a lot of the players I signed or helped develop have left – and earned good money for the club. Lads like Maguire, Livermore, Robertson, Brady, Chester, there are quite a few.
“The size of the fees shows we must have been doing something right. I have to credit my staff for that, and in particular the scouts. They were the ones who pushed me to sign lads like Maguire, Robertson and Clucas.
“It is nice when you see lads like those go on and do well. It is the same for me with Jordan Henderson, who I gave a debut to at Sunderland. I watch all their games and am happy to see them doing well.”
Bruce seems certain to be afforded a warm reception by the travelling City fans at Villa Park on Saturday tea-time. If that proves to be the case, the appreciation will be mutual.
“The fans know how I felt about the club,” added the Villa chief. “It is funny, I went away on holiday to the Maldives not too long ago and overheard a family who were clearly from Yorkshire.
“I clocked the accent straight away but it was two or three days before they came over and said they were from Hull. We had a really good time, chatting about what a special time it had been.
“No-one can take those memories away. Or the success we had – reaching Wembley nearly every season, winning promotion twice, playing in the Cup final and Europe. I feel hugely proud of what we achieved.
“Good times but, of course, they are gone now and we both want to win this opening match. This time last year was strange, in that I was away for the first day of last season – the first time I hadn’t been involved in 40 years. Quite a strange experience, if I am honest.
“Things were still quite raw then and there was a big sense of disappointment. But, the past is the past and we all look forward to what should be a cracking start to the season.”
Good times but they are gone now and we both want to win this opener. Steve Bruce ahead of welcoming former club Hull City to Villa Park.