Opinion: Time was given for the Steve Bruce vision to work but Blackpool were rolling down a hill even with the handbrake on
Steve Bruce has been sacked by Blackpool - with the club currently sat in the bottom four in League One.
Opinion: Steve Bruce’s time with Blackpool promised so much - but ultimately ended up being a backwards step.
When the experienced coach arrived on the Fylde Coast last summer, initially it seemed like there was a lot to be excited by.
Taking the handbrake off after Neil Critchley’s time in charge was probably needed, and that was the case in Bruce’s first four games.
There were things to be excited by, and players looked re-energised on the back of the appointment.
Unfortunately, some of the same squad members looked more lost than ever in Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to AFC Wimbledon - which was a damning final nail after a tough start to the season.
It seemed that in many ways the handbrake had been firmly put back on, but it couldn’t stop the car from rolling backwards down the hill.
That early spark from last season was nowhere to be seen, and there was no stability at the back.
Things had become patchy in the second half of the 2024/25 campaign, with the play-off chase truly losing momentum heading into the final month.
Despite this, there were mitigating factors to consider, and the positives that had been on display felt like enough to offer something to build on in the summer.
Bruce’s squad fails to click
After making progress with a collection of players from several earlier Blackpool regimes, Bruce was given the tools to build his own squad throughout the most-recent transfer window.
Based on the work he had done with Kyle Joseph, Sonny Carey and Rob Apter in particular, it just seemed like the quality players that were recruited would naturally pick up the baton.
That wasn’t the case, and all the Seasiders have been left with is a massive drop after huge ambitions.
Is it too early to judge the recruitment on the whole? - Probably. There’s one or two risks that haven’t worked out, but some established pros have failed to hit the right note; people who should’ve been guaranteed successes.
A big part of this does fall at the manager’s door. They were his signings, and he’s not been able to integrate them and make them his own.
Some blame does need to go to certain individuals as well, as they’ve certainly not kept their side of the bargain.
An overarching problem has been a lack of identity. It’s been hard to see what the plan was - they just didn’t stand for anything.
There was no fight and no resilience. In so many of the defeats this season, at 1-0 down you knew there wasn’t going to be a fightback.
The Seasiders have become soft to play against. Too many mistakes at the back, and toothless up front.
There was no way Bruce could’ve remained after Wimbledon as that match highlighted the side’s worst qualities.
The timing of the sacking
At the full time whistle on Saturday, you already knew the head coach’s time was up. The manner of the loss, where it left Blackpool in the table, and the mood around the club just made the decision inevitable.
Bruce was given a fair chance to turn things around - and rightly so. The 1-0 victory over Barnsley should’ve been the springboard that changed their fortunes, but no momentum was really generated from that.
The signs of improvement were ultimately minimal. If they had come back in August they might’ve offered something to get behind, but nothing to pin your hopes on at this stage of the season.
Final thoughts
Ultimately, it’s a real shame it’s not worked out for Steve Bruce as the person.
It was clear just how much he wanted to succeed, and the high opinion he held of the club and its fans during his time on the Fylde Coast.
He was always genuine, always spoke his mind, and is up there with the nicest people you can meet in football. It was a pleasure to deal with him from a press perspective.
Unfortunately, both the results and the performances weren’t there, and there’s only so long you can give a manager when there’s no progress on display.
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