'The way it is' - Ex-Birmingham City and Newcastle United boss shares standout feature of life in League One after Blackpool FC stint

Former Blackpool boss Steve Bruce has pinpointed the size of squad turnover as one of the most challenging things to deal with as a coach in League One.

The 65-year-old, who has taken charge of the likes of Birmingham City and Newcastle United across a 27 year managerial career, spent 13 months at Bloomfield Road in his most recent position.

Following his initial appointment in September 2024, there were initially some positive signs from the Seasiders, which created a sense of excitement heading into the current campaign.

Unfortunately, despite having the ambition of fighting for promotion, Blackpool ended up battling at the bottom of the table, and only had their safety mathematically confirmed last weekend.

A big part of this was the slow start they endured under Bruce - who was sacked back in October after losing seven of his opening 11 League One games this term.

Key players including Sonny Carey and Rob Apter were among the senior players to depart the Fylde Coast last summer, but the club did invest heavily on boosting the squad following their exits with several acquisitions for the longer-term.

On a recent appearance on The Overlap Cricket, Bruce reflected on his experience of working further down the football pyramid than he had previously experienced.

“The lads who work in the lower divisions - I take my hat off to them because it's a constant turnaround,” he said.

“We had a really good team at Blackpool, but we lost three or four loan players and lost three or four to the Championship. All of a sudden we had to build a new team again.

“That seems to be the way it is, it goes around. You don’t give the players big contracts, you give them one or two if they’re lucky. It’s a big turnaround constantly.

“It’s a bit like Richie Wellens at Orient. They were in the play-offs last year but now they’re in a relegation battle because they’ve lost all of their team. It's constant with all of it.”

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