Where next for Steve Bruce after Newcastle? Two Premier League clubs may be tempted...

Michael Graham
31 October 2021

It definitely didn't work out for Steve Bruce at Newcastle, but he is unlikely to be short on offers when - or if - he wants to return to to management.

For all he never gained the love of the Newcastle fans that he craved, Steve Bruce has never found it difficult to get management jobs.

Newcastle was the tenth club to have hired him, and there are plenty of genuinely big clubs who have turned to him during his career.

So, with Bruce now back on the managerial market, we look at where he might resurface next.

Norwich City

Although Steve Bruce had his greatest successes as a player with Manchester United, it was Norwich City where he first made his name.

Bruce played 180 times for Norwich in the 1980s and was a League Cup winner with them in 1985, so there is some real history there.

Steve BRUCE - Norwich City 1988 pic.twitter.com/NmcHWD6fkq
— Old School Panini (@OldSchoolPanini) May 2, 2013

There feels a very good chance that Norwich will be looking for a new manager this season too. Daniel Farke is highly thought of there, but he already has one Premier League relegation to his name and they already appear to be heading towards another.

That might convince the board to pull the trigger and appoint a manager with plenty of Premier League experience but who could also be backed to get them straight back up if they did get relegated. That has Steve Bruce written all over it.

Derby County

Wayne Rooney isn't actually going badly at Derby given the points deduction that has them rooted to the bottom of the Championship.

The Rams have not lost many games this season, but they haven't won many either. They are drawing too many games, but at least they are staying in touch with the rest in the Championship relegation dogfight.

A takeover will surely happen at the club sooner rather than later, though, and any new owners will be coming in with aspirations of reaching the Premier League.

For all his struggles at Newcastle, few can criticise Bruce's record at getting teams out of the Championship, and with ambitious enough new owners then Derby could be something that really interest him.

Hull City

Of all the clubs that Bruce has managed, the only one where he is universally popular is popular with supporters is probably Hull.

Bruce spent four years at the KC Stadium, arriving at the club when they were in the Championship and leaving them in the Premier League. He even got them to their only ever FA Cup final too.

He eventually quit due to frustration with the owners withdrawing any real spending power. Those owners are still there and are spending even less than they were when Bruce was the manager, so it's hard to see him return under the current circumstances.

However, the club looks primed for a takeover, and if that happens then the new owners could get a lot of goodwill from fans by tempting Bruce back to the club.

Fans have already chanted his name at matches (and not with 'out' after it) so it would be a good fit for all concerned.

Crystal Palace

Bruce held onto his job at Newcastle so doggedly that younger fans may find it hard to believe he used to have a reputation as a colossal quitter.

That is largely down to a very brief spell at Crystal Palace in 2001. Bruce had already quit after a year at Sheffield United. After a spell at Huddersfield he wound up at Wigan, but he resigned after less than two months in charge to takeover at Crystal Palace.

At Palace, he quit after less than three months in charge to join Birmingham, and it got a little bit bitter for a while between him and the Eagles board.

That was 20 years ago, though, and things have changed an awful lot since then. Palace are currently trying something new having appointed Patrick Vieira last summer as Roy Hodgson's successor.

However, the Crystal Palace board sacked Frank de Beor early on when things weren't going well and turned back to an old-school established British manager in Hodgson, and they might be tempted to do the same again if things start getting a little precarious.

Nottingham Forest

Forest have just recently appointed Steve Cooper as their new manager, and things are going pretty well for the former Swansea boss.

However, Forest are a club who have had 14 permanent managers in the last 10 years, so it's hard to assume that means the job won't be vacant again relatively soon.

Should that happen, it may be a job that really interests Bruce. He has been attracted to big clubs in a bad position before, and would probably back himself to get it right at Nottingham Forest too.

Republic of Ireland

Bruce has been interviewed for the England job before so it's clear he is open to the international game. In fact, at his age, the slower pace may appeal more than ever.

Stephen Kenny is the current incumbent of the Republic of Ireland job and things aren't necessarily going badly. They aren't going great either, although it's a squad bereft of some of the star names Ireland have had in the past.

Ireland will qualify for the 2022 World Cup, though, and that is likely to prompt the FAI to make a change, and Steve Bruce may appeal.

Retirement

Whatever you think of Bruce, there is little doubt that he genuinely suffered at Newcastle. The pressure was immense, the criticism was constant and, often, deeply personal. It was, after all, his club and his people.

Perhaps, then, he will decide that enough is enough in terms of management. He has racked up 1,000 games and spent 22 years chasing promotions and fighting relegations.

At 60 years old, maybe he will simply decide to walk away and enjoy retirement instead.