Ron Gourlay confirms whether Steve Bruce will remain West Brom manager next season
Ron Gourlay has effectively confirmed that Steve Bruce will remain in charge of West Brom next season despite a disappointing start to life at The Hawthorns.
Bruce, 61, was hired to replace Valerien Ismael on 3 February but has overseen a slump down the Championship table, a series of dreadful results and yet more eye-gougingly boring matches.
However, it looks as though he’s going to be in the dug-out next season with CEO Gourlay confirming that Bruce will be working with him on transfers this summer.
“In Steve Bruce we have a manager who has a proven track record of success in the circumstances I have outlined above, taking Birmingham and Hull to promotions and Aston Villa to a play-off final with limited resources,” said Gourlay on West Brom’s official website.
“Steve and I are in strong agreement on the changes we must make to the first-team squad for us to be successful. We continue to work tirelessly alongside the club’s football board to ensure we are ready to act when the window opens.
“We have a big summer ahead and we are already taking the appropriate forward steps. We remain committed and confident we can achieve success.”
How long until he’s sacked?
Let’s face it, not many Albion fans see the club returning to the Premier League with Bruce in charge.
Many would have assumed that his experience in the Championship and in the wider game would have led to an improvement after Ismael was sacked earlier this season.
However, it would be fair to say that there have not been any improvements whatsoever.
As it stands, the Baggies are 10th in the Championship and on course for their lowest finish in the English football pyramid since the 1999/00 campaign.
Bruce has played a role in that but the club’s absolute mess of a transfer policy in recent years is the biggest thing to blame.
Multiple directors, managers and coaches have meddled with this squad to the point that it’s beyond fixing in the space of a few months outside of a transfer window.
It needs an overhaul badly and that overhaul needs to happen this summer because a third consecutive season in the Championship would no doubt prove to be disastrous for the Albion.
Unfortunately, not many West Brom fans have any faith in the club’s ownership, board and management to be able to do that.
We’ll give Bruce until November and will be amazed if he lasts longer than that.
In other West Brom news, Albion want to sign a player who’s been recently compared to Diego Maradona.
Be sure to follow West Brom News on Facebook for 24/7 updates on the Baggies plus more exclusive interviews with Kevin Phillips.