The decision was taken after back-to-back defeats for the Baggies, leaving them languishing eight points off the automatic promotion places. Finishing in the top two is the bare minimum for Albion, who are desperate for an immediate return to the top flight of English football.
Is Bruce the right man for West Brom?
Yes!
No!
Ismael only won 12 of his 31 matches as Baggies manager, ultimately paying the price for the poor run of results. Bruce comes in and is no stranger to the Midlands, having had spells with both Aston Villa and Birmingham, so he is in familiar surroundings.
Steve Madeley of The Athletic has dropped a behind-the-scenes claim as to why Bruce was brought in at The Hawthorns. He suggested that Bruce’s man-management capabilities could help the Baggies get back on track this season, writing: “Albion and their new Chief Executive Ron Gourlay have banked on Bruce’s strengths to unlock the creative potential of a squad blunted by the intensity and inflexibility of predecessor Valerien Ismael.
“Bruce’s approach will be very different to Ismael’s; less reliance on data, less talk of ‘philosophy’ and a greater use of ‘old school’ man-management. Albion hope it will help them lift the gloom and get players enjoying their work again.
“Gourlay, their new CEO who has done the same job at Chelsea and Reading, referenced Bruce’s man-management as a key draw. West Brom hope that he can inspire his new squad enough to revive their stuttering promotion push.”
Madeley tweeted a link to his article in The Athletic, with the comment of: “In 23 years in the dugout, Steve Bruce has been the most valuable manager in the world, a target for abuse & many things in between. Albion are banking on a bit of his famed man management doing the trick.”
TIF thoughts on Bruce’s appointment…
It’s clear that Gourlay wants to proceed in a rather different direction with the club after Ismael’s sacking, so Bruce appears the ideal appointment in that respect given the differences stated by Madeley in the respective bosses’ managerial approaches.
Only time will tell if it is the correct decision or not, but Bruce will need results as soon as possible. As previously mentioned, he has history with some of Albion’s local rivals, so fans may not be as patient with him as they would with others who don’t have that baggage.
West Brom supporters can at least feel encouraged by Bruce’s track record of promotions from the Championship, taking teams into the Premier League on four occasions, most recently with Hull City in 2016.
