Steve Bruce plans 'change' after replacing Valerien Ismael at West Brom
Bruce will be tasked with getting a tune out of a squad who were beginning to show signs of real distress
Steve Bruce plans to slowly but surely implement change to the West Bromwich Albion side he is inheriting.
Albion have, for the entirety of this season, played in a very specific way under Valerien Ismael. From game to game, it’s been 3-4-3. The predictability of the situation began to irritate fans after a while.
Substitutions, on or around the hour mark, were always anticipated. A refusal to alter his tactics at any stage, regardless of the score-line of the quality of the performance, irked supporters who wished for flexibility and adaptability.
Ahead of Sheffield United on Wednesday night, there is a fresh debate to be had for fans to discuss in the pubs around the Black Country - how will Bruce line them up? What of the formation?
“They are professional footballers who have been playing football for a long, long, time,” he explained, when asked whether changing things abruptly could be detrimental.
“I have a lot of respect for Valerien Ismael, he is a very good man. He plays a certain way and stays with it, but I do believe you have to have the scope and flexibility to change at times.
“We will be implementing change of course. I’m not going to be implementing huge change, but we will change.”
Of the playing squad, Bruce will be tasked with getting a tune out of a group who were beginning to show signs of real distress in the previous regime.
A number of players had fallen out with Ismael; others didn’t perform well enough when it mattered on any given match-day.
The fractures were starting to appear more regularly in the Albion set-up and it prompted change - that was evident in a big way at this press conference, as Bruce sat alongside new CEO Ron Gourlay and the pair spoke with real enthusiasm and promise for what the immediate future holds.
Having been parachuted in, but not to a club exactly in dire straits, Bruce is confident he is inheriting one of the best groups in the division.
“Let’s be brutally honest - we have a squad which is as good as any in the Championship,” he added. “I’m convinced of that, despite the bad results. It’s wise to assess what we’ve got.
“Every manager wants to play in a certain way. We’ll implement change. We have had a bad few weeks but we are still sixth.
“It’s all to play for. We have got a nucleus of players in the squad and we’ve also got depth. I’m quietly confident we can make a fist of it and challenge.
“If I didn’t think that I wouldn’t be sitting here. I really think we have got an outstanding chance. Of course it’s going to be difficult, and when you change it takes a little bit of time.
“I hope I can make a bit of an impact quickly and get up and running and see what we can do.
“I understand what the supporters want here, and I’ve been here many times when it bounces up and down. Let’s bring that back.”
Bruce is already hard at work ahead of the trip to Bramall Lane next Wednesday, one of his former clubs.
“We trained this morning. It was very enjoyable, I haven’t done it for four months,” he said. “It was freezing bloody cold, let me tell you! You have to be ready for the challenge of the Championship. It’s a difficult start, but we’ll tackle it head on.”