The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 74: There are always good horses

"There are many good horses, but Ferguson is rare."

--Inscription

Ferguson had hoped to bring in a core central defender long before the start of the season. If possible, he even hoped to buy two central defenders, but unfortunately he did not do so.

Ferguson firmly believed that the Red Devils' defense was the main reason for the team's poor performance. On the other hand, he also wanted to replace McGrath and rebuild the defense. Ferguson always felt that this guy was not very reliable because he was not very obedient in the team, had a bad relationship with Ferguson, and always adopted a "non-violent non-cooperation" attitude.

McGrath continued to drink, which made Ferguson unhappy. Another worry for him was that he didn't know when he would be in poor condition due to drinking and then get injured and miss the game.

As Ferguson expected, McGrath was injured before the season was halfway through.

Ferguson felt deeply distressed. The injury of McGrath, the strongest player, directly affected the team's defensive system and weakened its overall strength.

Ferguson had a feeling that McGrath would be out for a long time due to injury, and he missed the Manchester derby due to injury, which directly led to the team being tied by Liverpool.

Ferguson was so angry that he shouted at the board meeting, "If I had a super central defender, I would win this game! If we win this game, there is hope for the league championship!"

Not only that, McGrath's continued absence caused the Red Devils to be unable to withstand Wimbledon's attack, and the team was bullied by the Mad Gang again.

"Damn defense! We should have won both games!" The poor defense made the Red Devils fans miserable, and eventually forced Edwards to open his checkbook with great pain.

Ferguson had already decided on the candidate, and the target was Norwich center back Steve Bruce.

The negotiations were not smooth at first. The Red Devils offered 70 pounds at first, but Norwich's offer once reached 150 million pounds, which was the highest price for a defender in English football. No matter what Ferguson said, even if the Red Devils were willing to increase the price to 80 pounds, Norwich would not give in.

The negotiations fell into crisis, and finally Bruce himself expressed his willingness to join the Red Devils, which promoted the transfer process. The Red Devils and Norwich finally signed the contract on December 1987, 12, and the transfer fee was finally determined to be 17 pounds.

The Red Devils' move to buy Bruce was called a "gambler's adventure" and "blind squandering" by many media. They were not optimistic about the transfer because they believed that Bruce was not a superstar at the time, but just an ordinary English defender.

The media looked down on him, and the veterans did not support him. Red Devils legendary defender Stiles said, "In my opinion, Bruce is not suitable for Manchester United. This is a bad transfer. Bruce moves slowly and is not agile enough. He looks like a giant tractor on the muddy land of England. He is not suitable for the Red Devils' system, especially Ferguson's tactics that emphasize quick transitions and increasing the tempo. Bruce is not even as strong and jumping as Mullen, and his defensive toughness is far from that of McGrath. He will struggle in the Red Devils."

Bruce is about to turn 27, and many media have edited his performances into a highlight reel. Ferguson was so amused by the "Bruce's mistakes" that he had to ask the club's press officer to release another "highlight reel".

Even so, Bruce's highlight video is no match for the list of mistakes, because fans of course love to see stars make embarrassing and funny mistakes. In the eyes of the media, everyone knows that he is not a talented seedling, and has not proven himself in a top team. At best, he is just a central defender of a relegation team.

Steve Bruce was born on December 1960, 12. He is 31 cm tall and weighs 185 kg, which is the standard body type for an English central defender. Bruce was naughty and mischievous when he was a child. He was a typical "Highland boy" and a loyal fan of Newcastle United. He liked to play football very early. Bruce was thin and short when he was a child, like a bean sprout. He was rejected by the Newcastle United Youth Training Camp and was also "rejected" by Bolton Wanderers. His football journey started very bumpy.

Bruce could only train in the community's amateur team. He was coldly treated because of his thin body and was not favored by the coach. For a long time, Bruce was the least noticeable one in the team and even became a substitute in the amateur team, but he insisted on training, trying every means to increase his strength and enhance his confrontation ability, sticking to his dream and growing up with difficulty. Steve Bruce could only play street ball in amateur teams until he was 17 years old. He kept applying and trying out, but no professional team took a fancy to him. Bruce had no professional contract and his life was in a difficult situation. He could only work as an ordinary technician and almost said goodbye to football.

Bruce and his amateur teammate Beardsley were determined to go south to look for opportunities. This time he was finally lucky enough to pass the trial at Gillingham in Kent and got the first official contract in his career.

Bruce was an inconspicuous figure in the Gillingham team. At the age of 18, he was still thin, looked thin and weak, and had poor speed. He did not get many opportunities to play in the reserve team and was also disliked in the team's group stage. Most of the time, he could only work hard on his own. In Bruce's career, Bill Collins, the youth training director of Gillingham, played a crucial role. He believed that Bruce was not suitable for playing in the original midfield position and decided to train him as a central defender.

It was difficult for Bruce to play as a central defender at first, as this position requires more strength and confrontation, but he gritted his teeth, worked hard day and night, and his ability grew rapidly. What surprised the Gillingham coach was Bruce's excellent header ability. He kept scoring goals in training and finally won the coach's favor. When Bruce played for the Gillingham reserve team in the 1978-79 season, he made a big splash, scoring two goals in a row. He also performed well on the defensive line, completely dominating the high-altitude ball competition and clearing the threats. Bruce thus became the main central defender of the reserve team, and also miraculously scored 18 goals, which enabled him to be promoted to the first team.

Bruce spent four seasons at Gillingham, making more than 200 appearances, twice becoming the team's player of the season and being named in the league's team of the year. In addition, Bruce was selected for the England youth team during his time at the club to participate in the 1980 European U18 Youth Championship.

Bruce performed well in Gillingham and successfully attracted the attention of top league teams. Newcastle coach Arthur Cox wanted to sign the new star, but was fired before he could take action; Norwich took the opportunity and eventually bought the newcomer for 13 pounds.

Bruce soon got a chance to play in the Norwich team nicknamed "Canary", but his performance in his debut was disastrous. In this game against Liverpool, Bruce scored an own goal in the first minute of his appearance, which directly led to the team's defeat. Bruce withstood the fans' abuse and was determined to let his performance speak for itself. In the following games, Bruce showed great strength. Not only did he have excellent control of high balls, strong anticipation ability, he was also very active in confrontation, and he also had good offensive ability. In the "East Anglia Derby" against the city rival Ipswich in the League Cup semi-final, Bruce stepped up at a critical moment and scored the winning goal to help the team reach the final.

Bruce played steadily in the League Cup final, not only defending well, but also commanding, which greatly boosted the confidence of his teammates. In the end, Norwich defeated Sunderland to win the League Cup, and Bruce was awarded the best player of the game.

Norwich won the League Cup, but unfortunately they were relegated at the end of the season. Bruce did not abandon the club because of relegation, but was determined to fight his way back to the First Division with the team. Bruce was respected by the whole team and replaced Dave Watson as the captain. In the following season, Bruce led his teammates to rush all the way, winning the Second Division Championship in just one season and returning to the top league.

After being promoted to the First Division, the whole Norwich team was in high spirits and, under Bruce's leadership, they finished fifth - a rare good result in the history of Norwich! Bruce's performance this season was so outstanding that he was called up to the England national team and played in the match against Malta - this was Bruce's first and only time to wear the national team jersey.

In the summer of 1987, Bruce attracted the attention of strong teams including Tottenham, Chelsea and Glasgow Rangers, but the high price offered by Norwich scared off all the giants. At the end of the year, Ferguson cut the Gordian knot and brought Bruce to Old Trafford for £27 two weeks before Bruce's 82.5th birthday.

Bruce set the record for the highest transfer fee for an English defender, which immediately dominated the football news headlines of major media.

Bruce made his first appearance at Old Trafford, and Ferguson personally accompanied him to meet the press. Ferguson said: "Bruce has excellent qualities as a central defender and is also rich in experience in the English League One. His temperament fits well with our Manchester United. I believe he will be successful in Manchester United."

Bruce said, "It is my dream to play for the Red Devils. I really hope to work with Ferguson. I can't wait to play."

The reporter asked Ferguson: "How did you find out and decide on Steve? How long did it take to investigate?"

Ferguson said: "I'll tell you a secret. I noticed Bruce when I was still in Scotland and I was coaching Aberdeen at the time. I have been paying attention to him for a long time and now I finally have the opportunity to bring him in. I am sure he will become a great central defender in the Red Devils. I am very sure of this."

Ferguson was already following Bruce when he was coaching Aberdeen? Isn't that legendary?

This is exactly the case. Ferguson was familiar with the coach of Gillingham at the time and had heard of Bruce early on. Ferguson even sent a special scout to investigate, but Norwich got there first. Ferguson believed that Bruce had all the qualities to play a good central defender, and all he lacked was a better platform. When Bruce joined the Red Devils, he was 183 cm tall, weighed over 83 kg, and had excellent jumping ability. His height, weight, strength, endurance and other indicators were very eye-catching, which made the Red Devils fans full of expectations for him.

Ferguson firmly believes that the Red Devils urgently need to introduce a commander-level central defender, and Bruce is the right person. Ferguson said, "We have been observing Bruce for a long time. Our coaching staff has personally observed and discussed him. I think Bruce has an outstanding advantage, that is, he dares to command the defense and has a strong ability to coordinate. Our Red Devils already have a well-functioning midfield and a powerful attack line, but have always lacked an efficient and unified defense line. He just happens to have this specialty."

Ferguson believes that Bruce is not like an ordinary central defender. Although he turns slowly and is not very fast, the Red Devils' formation and tactics can be fine-tuned for him to make him more suitable. Ferguson said: "Bruce is already very strong physically, and he also has a brave spirit. These are the characteristics of English central defenders, but he has one characteristic, which is that he likes to play smart football. He can definitely gain a foothold in a first-class team and will continue to improve."

Bruce didn't believe Ferguson at first, until Ferguson gave Bruce an envelope and told him: "Our concerns are all in it. We are not lying to reporters or deceiving you. You can take this and see our work."

Bruce later said, "I was completely stunned. Ferguson's gift was a bombshell. This was so magical that I couldn't believe it was true. In the envelope Ferguson gave me was a scouting report, which Ferguson arranged for scouts to observe me. At that time, I was still playing for Gillingham. He really paid attention to me, and he had always paid very detailed attention to me. This report suddenly filled me with strength. It was a huge encouragement to me! I framed it and hung it in front of my house."

Bruce felt great trust and encouragement. "I am introverted and taciturn on the court, and I don't like to shout. The boss (Ferguson) appreciates me so much, and it is really exciting to do things for me. I am willing to fight for him, and even willing to die for him!"