BRUCEY BONUS
Steve Bruce named West Brom boss on 18-month contract to replace Valerien Ismael three months after Newcastle sacking
STEVE BRUCE has been appointed West Brom’s new manager.
The 61-year-old was sacked by Newcastle just three months ago but is returning to the dug-out with the Championship side.
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He has penned an 18-month contract with the Baggies and replaces the axed Valerien Ismael.
Bruce said: “I am delighted to have the opportunity to manage a club that has such great history and tradition.
“It is a club I obviously know well from my time in the Midlands, and I am already relishing the challenge of taking it forward.
“I did not envisage I would return to management this quickly, but once I got the phone call from Ron [Gourlay], I knew I could not resist the challenge of getting this club back to where they want to be.
“I am coming in with one aim and that is to get Albion to the Premier League.”
Bruce, who already has four Championship promotions on his CV, has also confirmed his backroom team.
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He has appointed assistants Stephen Clemence and Steve Agnew, his son Alex Bruce as coach, and they will join James Morrison and Gary Walsh at the club.
Newly-appointed West Brom chief executive officer Ron Gourlay said: “Steve is a highly-respected and experienced manager who has an impressive record of earning promotion to the Premier League.
“His excellent man-management skills, tactical nous, and ability to hit the ground running were among the many reasons we decided he was the man to take us forward.
“Promotion remains our objective for this season, and we are confident that with Steve leading the club we have given ourselves every chance of achieving that goal.”
Ismael was sacked after four defeats in their last five games.
The Baggies have slipped to fifth in the Championship and are now only occupying a play-off place by virtue of goal difference.
And recent league defeats by Millwall, Preston and QPR have left them eight points adrift of automatic promotion.
But Bruce will be hoping to stop the slide and close the gap on the top two instantly when he takes charge for the first time next Wednesday at former club Sheffield United.
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