Former Newcastle and Villa boss Steve Bruce addresses concerns over Blackpool future and whether he still has owner's backing
Blackpool welcome Barnsley to Bloomfield Road on Saturday afternoon
Steve Bruce states he fully understands the situation he faces at Blackpool - but is focussed on getting his team to the levels he knows they’re capable of.
The Seasiders have endured a difficult start to the campaign, losing five of their opening seven outings in League One, with just four points currently on the board.
Last weekend’s 1-0 defeat away to Northampton Town leaves Bruce’s side sat 23rd in the third tier ahead of their clash against Barnsley at Bloomfield Road on Saturday (K.O. 12.30pm).
A 5-0 midweek victory over Barrow in the EFL Trophy would’ve provided some of the players in the squad a confidence boost, but still offered very little to overly lift the current mood surrounding the club.
Steve Bruce focused on turning Blackpool’s fortunes around
When asked if there’s a potential threat to his own future on the Fylde Coast, Bruce responded: “I never really think like that, I understand the game. I’ve been in it long enough to understand how it works, and unfortunately I’ve been there before.
“It’s how you portray yourself, how you get on with it, how you don’t let noise affect you - I certainly don’t, I just focus on the team to get the best out of them.
“I think in the last couple of weeks, we’ve played more like ourselves. We were better on Tuesday and I expect that to take us into tomorrow.
“I’ve really enjoyed it here, and even now when you’re up against it, there’s no taking away that I’ve really enjoyed managing the football club and working for a very decent owner. Everyone does their best to help you, so it’s up to me to repay that by getting a few results on the pitch.
“I understand football enormously, and no matter who you are in management - if results aren’t going for you, then the quicker you get one, the better.
“We’ve got a tough week coming up, and we’ve got some tough games coming up, but I do believe since I’ve been here, we’ve been better in the tougher games.
“We welcome a Barnsley team who beat us this time last year, they’ve got a new manager and have had a great start, so we have to get up and running.
“The likes of (Josh) Bowler and (Scott) Banks in particular have walked through the door and we can see their quality in the final third and what they can give us, plus Emil (Hansson); let’s not forget about him.
“Once they get settled into their surroundings, I know the players we have brought in are going to be okay.
“We’ve had an awful start, so it’s time to be patient. We all know in football sometimes we don’t get time, so my focus is on getting the team playing the way we want them to, and the other night we saw glimpses.
“We all need time. I think the supporters can understand what we’re trying to achieve. I think they understand that it’s difficult at the moment, but they want to see their team win, so we know what to expect.
“They’ve been fantastic, not only to myself, but towards the team in the turnaround in the last 12 months.”
Bruce: I still have the backing of the owner
Despite the tough result, Bruce believes he’s still got the backing of Blackpool owner Simon Sadler - who invested funds throughout the summer to provide the head coach with the squad he wanted.
“I think the owner has been nothing but supportive with what I’ve tried to put into place,” he added.
“He’s certainly put his hand in his pocket to give us the squad of players.
“All I can say is a big ‘thank you’ to the owner - he’s given us basically what we wanted. There were one or two that we missed out on, that’s normal, but the vast majority we went for, we got.
“I think we need a little bit of patience. There’s a long winter ahead, and I’ve seen signs in the last couple of weeks where we’ve been better.
“We’re all judged on results, and at the moment they haven’t been good enough.
“I feel I’ve got his backing. One of the reasons I came to the football club was because the owner is a stable guy who wants his club to do well. I want to try and help him get to where he wants to.”
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