Steve Bruce furious after incident in Blackpool v West Brom – ‘S*** happens’
Steve Bruce got one over his former side West Brom as Blackpool ran out 2-1 winners in a pre-season friendly at Bloomfield Road on Saturday.
Niall Ennis and Jordan Brown both scored early for Blackpool before Ousmane Diakite grabbed what turned out to be a consolation goal before half-time.
Diakite, 24, rose highest at an Alex Mowatt corner to head home a goal for Ryan Mason’s side, who’ll now be shifting focus to their next game against Lincoln City at the LNER Stadium next Saturday.
Bruce bemoans injury blow in Blackpool v West Brom
Bruce, who was sacked by West Brom in October 2022, wasn’t happy with the way Blackpool defended Mowatt’s corner when Diakite scored.
But he was understandably less pleased by a horrible injury blow to CJ Hamilton.
As reported by The Gazette, Hamilton was forced off early in the second half with a dislocated shoulder.
Bruce struggled to hide his frustration after the game at Bloomfield Road, suggesting that one of his star players will miss a chunk of the new League One season.
| Total | |
| Games | 32 |
| Wins | 8 |
| Draws | 12 |
| Losses | 12 |
| Win percentage | 25% |
“I was pleased with the way we went, we played well in the first half, and we had a really good goal (from Ashley Fletcher) disallowed. What a goal that would’ve been,” said Bruce after the game, as quoted by The Gazette on 19 July.
“I was disappointed with the goal we gave away from a set-piece, but overall the most disappointing thing is we’ve lost CJ, which is unfortunate for us. We all know we like to play with wide players, but at the moment we haven’t got any.
“That’s the biggest blow for us. It’s taken the edge off the afternoon, because I think it’ll be weeks and months rather than just days. He knew straightaway. In games of football you fall over, and that [expletive] happens unfortunately.”
West Brom defeat v Blackpool means nothing
As is usually the case with a lot of football fans, everything is either the best thing to ever happen or the most tragic news of all time.
West Brom fans over the years have had meltdowns over pre-season friendlies – who remembers when some fans booed when Albion lost to Portuguese giants Porto in 2014? – but some of the online reaction to losing to Blackpool was properly over the top.
Maybe it was because the Seasiders are managed by ex-Albion boss Bruce. Or maybe it’s just because a lot of fans fail to understand that these games mean absolutely nothing other than to build up fitness and, to a degree, make a bit of money.
Either way, the travelling fans got a chance to see new signings Nat Phillips and Aune Heggebo in action for the first time, with the former almost scoring an equaliser after the break.
It was also the first time Mason has managed the Baggies in front of the fans, something he’ll no doubt look back on fondly, despite the result, if all goes well for him in the Black Country.
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