As Manchester United’s first captain to lift the Premier League trophy, it’s hardly surprising Steve Bruce watched the 4-0 humiliation at Crystal Palace through his fingers.
‘Unacceptable’ and ‘all-time low’ were his immediate responses. With Arsenal up next today, Sir Alex Ferguson’s Double-winning skipper is still feeling a little anxious.
‘If they repeat Monday’s performance, God knows what will happen,’ he reflects.
Bruce can still be as forthright as he was being Fergie’s eyes and ears in a fearsome United dressing room during the 1990s.
But at the age of 63 with a wealth of experience gained at 15 clubs as player and manager, he hopes his views are thoughtful rather than knee-jerk.
Steve Bruce meets Mail Sport in his Cheshire local accompanied by his dog, Maggie
Nowadays he can be found watching Salford City and holidaying in Barbados, but he still wants to get back working in football – and has plenty to say about Manchester United
This is the first time in half a century Bruce, 63, hasn’t been tied to a job, allowing him time to move home, holiday in Barbados and watch plenty of football at all levels, both live and on TV.
Accompanied by his beautiful Boxer dog Maggie, he looks relaxed as he meets Mail Sport at his Cheshire local.
Not surprisingly, the conversation is dominated by Old Trafford talk. Though he has served many clubs — Gillingham, Norwich, Birmingham, Sheffield United, Crystal Palace, Wigan, Sunderland, Hull, Aston Villa, Sheffield Wednesday, Newcastle and West Brom — Manchester United’s remains the first result he looks for.
Signed in Ferguson’s first full season in 1987, he stayed nine years and won nine major trophies. His headed goals against Sheffield Wednesday have gone down in folklore for effectively clinching Fergie’s first title.
Though his good friend Bryan Robson was club captain, Bruce was an ever-present and skipper on the pitch.
They were certainly happier times for the club than the Selhurst Park debacle Bruce witnessed sitting down with wife Janet and their footballing son Alex.
‘Performing like that is unacceptable for Man U, isn’t it?’ he asks sadly.
‘United have beaten Liverpool in the FA Cup but they have this self-destruct button. It’s a curse.
He claims Manchester United have hit a ‘self-destruct button’ and were ‘unacceptable’ in the 4-0 defeat by Crystal Palace
He has admiration for Erik ten Hag biting at criticism, saying: ‘You can’t just sit there and be a punchbag all the time’
‘We know there are injuries but you can’t lose in that manner at United. The most frustrating thing for a manager is inconsistency. You sleep better when you know how you’re team will perform.
‘I was privileged to be there for nearly a decade. I’ve been in football 46 years and it was the highlight.
‘The really great ones — Robson, Ryan Giggs, Eric Cantona, Roy Keane — weren’t bothered by having a Lamborghini on the driveway. They just wanted to be the best player at the weekend.
‘Fergie had a great saying about money: “If you’re good enough, it will find you”. When I arrived, I decided if I’m going to fail it won’t be because I’m not trying.’
As a manager, Bruce had good times, including three promotions and an FA Cup final, and some rough spells where he took heavy flak at clubs like Newcastle.
Ten Hag has bit back at criticism by describing media coverage as a ‘disgrace’ and Bruce has a grudging admiration for the Dutchman’s response.
‘You have to defend yourself,’ he explains. ‘You take a lot of things on the chin but there are occasions to come out swinging. You can’t just sit there and be a punchbag all the time.
‘You are under the spotlight at Man U like no other club. It’s pages of newspaper coverage, every TV and radio station. To be fair to the manager, he has not thrown in the towel.
The former United captain said that the top footballers in his playing career ‘just wanted to be the best player at the weekend’ and weren’t wrapped up in riches or fame
‘Fergie had a great saying about money: If you’re good enough, it will find you’
‘The players have to deal with things. Casemiro was badly exposed playing out of position the other night. From what he produced last season, the wheels have fallen off.
‘You hope the younger players have people around them who aren’t going to blow smoke up their arse but tell you how it is.
‘Jim Ratcliffe’s first priority is recruitment. I’ve read United have signed 18 players for £50million or more. It is a colossal amount and they haven’t got value for money.
‘Newcastle have spent, but done it well. Anthony Gordon cost little more than half of Antony.
‘Fergie’s biggest strength was buying players who served the club for years: Peter Schmeichel, myself, Denis Irwin, Gary Pallister, Roy Keane. Recruitment is key. You want longevity.
‘As for the manager, he has to find out why his players aren’t fit. They’ve had something like 14 different pairings at the back. It’s unheard of. Centre-backs always getting injured, what is that all about?
‘United haven’t coped without Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw. Raphael Varane has been a great centre-half. Been, not is. He’s not available enough.’ Bruce will make only his third visit of the season to Old Trafford on Wednesday to see them play Newcastle.
In contrast, he’s a regular at League Two Salford, run by his United pals Gary Neville, Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs. Steve’s son Alex is on the coaching staff and son-in-law Matt Smith finished the campaign with 25 goals playing up front.
The ‘wheels have fallen off’ for Casemiro, while he hopes ‘the younger players have people around them who aren’t going to blow smoke up their arse’ moving forward
Bruce knows that Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s top priority is good recruitment in his revolution
‘Fergie’s biggest strength was buying players who served the club for years – you want longevity’
‘It’s three thousand fans compared to 75,000, but you know something, it is refreshing to watch the lower leagues,’ says Bruce.
‘The lads who play aren’t superstars who drive around in Ferraris. They have to win to pay the mortgage.
‘When I started at Gillingham, I’d go to the social club next door for a beer and a bite to eat with the supporters after games. It’s like going back to where I started. I enjoy the honesty of it all. I’ve really enjoyed watching it.
‘Alex was Robbie Savage’s manager at Macclesfield earlier in the season but when Giggsy and Scholesy are on the phone offering my son a job, I don’t think Sav has much chance shouting and bawling at them!’
Bruce Snr hasn’t worked since leaving West Brom in October 2022 but is now keen to return, possibly as a general manager or sporting director to help a younger coach.
‘I am itching to do something now,’ he admits. ‘I would like to think I’ve been around long enough to offer something.
‘I think a young coach should have somebody with grey hair alongside him. I was indebted to John Benson at the start of my career at Wigan.
‘I was young, hot-headed, trying to show everyone I was the boss. John, God rest his soul, had been a manager at Manchester City and calmed me down. He’d say “Steve, do yourself a favour and go home, let me book the scouts. You need to be fresh for the weekend because that’s all that matters”.
Bruce admits he’s ‘itching to do something’ and claims he has a lot ‘to offer’ potential clubs
‘There are different titles in the game now like technical director. Young managers need someone to assist them who doesn’t want their job and my ego has gone a long time ago!’
Bruce still has the everyman personality that served him well over the decades. As he departs the pub, he starts a chat with a passing cyclist he’d never met before.
‘I come here as one of the locals. They don’t look at me as, “He used to play football”. It’s more like, “It’s him from up the street”, he says.
A good football anecdote is never far from his lips. To get away from more gloom about United, he reminisces about getting phone calls from the Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy during a financial crisis at Aston Villa, when he was hoping to get Jack Grealish on the cheap.
‘I told Daniel, “£12million — over my dead body”. I think Villa ended up selling a car park to pay everyone’s wages.’
There was also nostalgia seeing Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze tear United apart. ‘I tried to get them at Newcastle but they were southern boys so they chose Palace,’ he reveals.
He hopes United can find special leaders to turn things around.
‘I signed John Terry as a player at Villa and for that one year, he controlled the dressing-room,’ says Bruce.
He thinks Declan Rice is a modern leadership figure who can help young players like Kobbie Mainoo
‘The way he applied himself made a huge difference to everyone and we reached the play-off final.
‘Bryan Robson wasn’t noisy but you’d look at him and think, “Oh my God, what a force of nature that man is”.
‘It is a dying breed but you can find them to complement the youngsters coming through like Kobbie Mainoo.
‘Declan Rice is one you think of straight away. He was West Ham’s captain when Arsenal bought him. I always looked at captains of other clubs because they’ll have leadership skills.
‘This inconsistency of Man Utd is driving everybody nuts. We weren’t getting thrashed by Arsenal on Monday, we were getting thrashed by Crystal Palace. It was an all-time low.’
