‘There’s a massive job on’ – Steve Bruce facing big task at West Brom

Steve Bruce’s first game in charge of West Bromwich Albion did not go according to plan on Wednesday evening when the Baggies were comfortably beaten by Sheffield United to a 2-0 scoreline.

The result saw West Brom fall to as low as ninth in the table, and having played more games than the majority of teams around them, it could be a long way back to the top six.

Jake Livermore’s first half red card did not help the Baggies’ endeavours, but relinquishing the three points to a direct rival in pushing for a play-off spot could be something that hurts them as we approach the business end of the season.

Bruce is incredibly experienced at this level and would have been through similar scenarios in the past, however, West Brom’s performances have only been trending one way and it is down to him to arrest their slide before looking up at the play-off picture again.

FLW writer Billy Mulley explained the difficulty of the challenge that lies ahead for Bruce and the Baggies, when he appeared on this morning’s Midweek Review on FLW TV.

He said: “There’s a massive job on his (Bruce) hands, West Brom looking statistically, don’t have the hardest of run-ins but it’s still going to be a very difficult task for him to come in and start winning games.

“It’s hard for West Brom fans, they’re in this transitional period.

“Some fans weren’t too happy with the appointment of Steve Bruce, I don’t think we can judge him yet.”

The Baggies spent two seasons in the second tier before returning to the Premier League last time around, losing out in the play-off semi finals in 2018/19 before sealing second place and automatic promotion in 2019/20, however given just how poor they were in the top-flight last season, it could be a good time to reset