The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 75 Bruce's First Blood

"Bruce was eager to play for the Red Devils. He was full of enthusiasm and energy. He had long wanted to play for the Red Devils. But he was born with a curse. His first game for the team would always go wrong. It would not end without bloodshed."

--Inscription

Bruce immediately became the focus after joining the Red Devils. The media dug into his path to fame, paid attention to his record transfer fee, and some media also broke the news that Ferguson had been paying attention to him early on. All of this made fans curious.

Steve Bruce had a very distinctive look. He was a typical northern Englishman: short curly hair, small eyes, square face, spots on his face, and a big nose. He was tall and thin, with a big frame but no flesh. He was a bit hunchbacked and liked to walk with his back bent. He had no domineering aura and even lacked confidence.

Bruce lacked tonnage at the time, and his tall, thin frame made him look a bit frail and demure.

Although he was from Newcastle, Bruce didn't look like a Highlander at all. People from the Newcastle area always had that kind of unruly temperament, that fierceness written on their faces; these Highlanders always looked tough and brave, always wanting to pick a fight, and Newcastle people were naturally proud and self-righteous, but Bruce didn't seem to have that at all.

Many guys in the Newcastle area are aggressive, with an expression on their faces saying "If you don't agree, come and hit me", which always makes people feel that they are provocative and courting death, but Bruce looks honest and simple, with a harmless expression. He is not arrogant at all, and even gives people the impression that he doesn't want to cause trouble.

Bruce's simple and honest appearance deceived many people. Only on the court did Bruce become brave and fierce. He was a real fierce Zhang Fei on the court, with a big heart and a reckless performance. Although he didn't look very strong at first, Bruce was really reckless.

Bruce is not ruthless. On the contrary, he will do anything to get the chance. He is ruthless to himself to get the chance, let alone to deal with the enemy. Although he is not familiar with the environment of a wealthy club like the Red Devils, he is highly valued by Ferguson, which makes him very confident.

The English media came up with a topic, "As a fan, who do you think is better, Bruce or McGrath?"

In this vote, Manchester United fans overwhelmingly supported McGrath, and Bruce was almost completely ignored.

In the Red Devils dressing room, some players have different ideas from the public. Robson, Parker and Anderson are all players of the England national team. They have known Bruce for a long time.

Robson said: "When Ferguson told me that he wanted to bring in Bruce, I was very happy. This was a very correct decision. I know Bruce and I know his strength very well. I also know that he has great potential. When we first met in the locker room, Bruce didn't say anything and seemed very humble and low-key. When he got to the training ground, Bruce was completely different. He was very proactive and even more brave in confrontation. He always took every training most seriously."

Full-backs Anderson and Parker were impressed. This tall man has superb aerial ability and is far beyond the reach of McGrath. Anderson said: "We often see forwards heading the ball in training, but they are nothing compared to Bruce. Bruce is so strong that there is almost no high ball he can't get. Even if the ball is a few yards away from him and he doesn't jump at the best time, he can always get it."

Even as a competitor, defensive core McGrath welcomed Bruce. He said, "I have watched Bruce's games, he is a good player."

At the end of 1987, McGrath, as the core of the Red Devils, naturally did not think about his future fate. He did not know that Bruce would eventually replace him. The black brother thought that he would be much more relaxed with the arrival of a brave and aggressive younger brother.

After Bruce arrived at the Red Devils, the first thing he did was to understand the team's playing style and integrate into the team system. In addition to hard training, he also quickly gained weight and strengthened his strength in his spare time according to Ferguson's requirements.

Bruce quickly became comfortable in the Red Devils' defensive system. He found that in such a strong team, it was not more difficult to do a good job in defense than in Norwich. Bruce said: "When I was in Norwich, the responsibility was too big and the duties were too important. I needed to watch the entire defense line, not just my own defense area. I needed to pay attention to the performance of all the defenders and be ready to cover for them and clean up their messes at any time. I was the only role in the entire defense system. But I don't need to do this when I come to the Red Devils. I am a node in the system. The task is simple and clear. I just need to do my job well."

Bruce can use his body and has a certain speed. He has no flaws if he doesn't need to chase back long distances. This guy is born tough. He has enough courage and strength to resolve threats. His defensive positioning and running routes are very smart, and his awareness is also very sharp. Even with the speed and turning that many fans worry about, Bruce will not show any fear, it's nothing more than a slight delay.

Bruce is not afraid of fierce strikers at all, and he never accepts provocation. Whether in Norwich or Manchester United, he is the one who takes the initiative to provoke others, and is also the one who takes the initiative to attack in one-on-one situations on the defense line.

Deliberately irritating others?

This is also an effective defensive strategy.

Bruce is not afraid of center forwards, but only those small and agile forwards. Bruce is really helpless against those agile forwards who are particularly good at footwork and very good at feints, and must rely on the system for help. This is also what Ferguson has considered.

Bruce is truly fierce and tough, not afraid of injury, and is an absolute "workaholic". His fearlessness is comparable to that of Captain Robson, and he is often injured because of his bravery even on the training ground.

This iron-blooded temperament is exactly the characteristic of the Red Devils.

Bruce quickly became a regular starter. Before each game, he would confidently say to Ferguson, "Don't worry, boss, just watch me perform!"

Bruce would say to his teammates, "Guys, our defense is as safe as the English Channel, of course there is a no-fly zone here. Let's go win the game and enjoy the victory!"

Veteran Anderson said: "I have played for various different giants and won the European Champions League. I think Bruce is much better than ordinary fans imagine. He has a magical ability, that is, accurate prediction, digesting threats in subtle risks. I think this is what truly excellent defenders are good at."

On December 1987, 12, Steve Bruce made his first appearance for the Red Devils against Portsmouth.

This was the 19th round of the league. McGrath of the Red Devils continued to be absent, and Ferguson let Bruce start and take charge of the overall command of the defense. The Red Devils were much stronger than their opponents and had a great advantage after the opening. Bruce was very familiar with the central defender position, but he was still too nervous and overly excited in front of his new teammates.

The Red Devils' entire team pressed the opponent to attack, and the defense line kept moving forward, so the back naturally looked empty. Once Portsmouth intercepted the ball and counterattacked, especially once they picked up the speed to play a fast break, the Red Devils' defense line would appear very thin, and it would be easy for the opponent to break through in a one-on-one situation. Bruce was not good at this. He was not fast, and he turned slowly, and the teammates who needed to help him were not in position. Especially if he had to turn around and chase back or face the opponent's forward one-on-one, it would be difficult for him to complete the task. As a result, Bruce inevitably began to get nervous.

Portsmouth took advantage of the Red Devils' eagerness to attack and launched a very sharp counterattack. In the 37th minute, the opponent's forward dribbled the ball directly to Bruce. He made a mistake in his haste to retreat and was directly dribbled past, and then rushed into the penalty area to form a single shot. Bruce had to commit a foul under the passive situation. The referee immediately whistled a penalty kick, and the opponent easily scored.

Despite conceding a goal, the Red Devils still won the game with their overall strength. Robson and McClair each scored a goal, and the final score was locked at 2-1.

Many years later, Bruce still hasn't forgotten this game. He said with great shame, "I have a little-known record. Every time I play for a new club, something bad always happens. I was sent off with a red card at Gillingham, I scored an own goal at Norwich, and it was the same when I came to the Red Devils. I gave the opponent a penalty. Not only that, my nose was injured and the bridge of my nose was almost broken. The leak I made was not small, and our team almost failed to win. But I was also lucky at the Red Devils because we had strong teammates who helped me and eventually won the game."

Bruce said: "What I remember most vividly is that after the game, the whole team listened to the boss (Ferguson)'s speech in the locker room. He did not criticize anyone, but simply summarized the process of the game. After the speech, we were about to go out, and the boss patted me on the back and said: 'Well done, continue next time!' This made me very excited!"

Bruce said: "I was so excited, my adrenaline was surging, and the energy filled my whole body all of a sudden. I thought I would be scolded, after all, I have heard about the horror of blowing the plane. But now the boss actually praised me... I could run out and play another 90 minutes for him, or even keep fighting. The fire in my heart was burning, my mind was boiling, and my whole body was full of strength."

Ferguson also mentioned Bruce in an interview after the game, giving him more affirmation and praise. The Red Devils fans composed a song on the spot, praising him for his bravery and shouldering the defense of the penalty area alone.

Indeed, Bruce was a great help to the defense. He dared to clear all dangers with his feet, dared to confront his opponents, dared to block the holes with his body, and inspired the entire defense. When he was competing with his opponent for the header, he was hit in the nose and immediately bled. His face was covered with blood, but he just stuffed something to stop the bleeding, straightened his crooked nose by himself, and immediately returned to the court to play.

Bruce was scary enough at that time, his blood had dyed his jersey red, and the blood on his face had not been cleaned yet!

Bruce gained Ferguson's trust in one game and became one of the core players in the back line. In the remaining games of the Red Devils, Bruce, Robson, Strachan and McClair became the backbone and pillars of the Red Devils.

Bruce was always so passionate, brave, bloody and tough on the court. He broke his scalp, broke his nose and bled profusely, but he still didn't leave the front line; he bravely tackled and charged forward against the opponent's studs, risking the possibility of broken bones and legs, risking a broken head, and he would stick to his position and not retreat, even after blood was spilled on the green field, he still insisted on playing.

This guy is really a daredevil, he is willing to sacrifice his life for victory.

Bruce is only ruthless towards his opponents, but only cares about and loves his teammates and his own fans. Bruce is very popular in the Red Devils locker room. He almost never refuses his teammates' requests, and he is very patient in bridging the differences and conflicts between his teammates. Bruce is very hospitable and generous. He will enthusiastically invite his teammates to his home. He will also pay close attention to the needs of the youth players and always give them encouragement and support.

Strachan once said, "Bruce is always brave first, passionate and reckless during the game. When he is faced with the possibility of being kicked by the opponent if he stretches his head to head, he never hesitates. Especially when it comes to standing up for us midfielders, Bruce is like an angry lion and the leader of all the Red Devils players."

Although his debut was almost a failure, Bruce was loved by the Red Devils fans. As the season progressed, Bruce's frequent bloody scenes even shocked all his teammates and opponents, and also shocked the fans watching the game. Bruce turned into a warrior who faced danger head-on, and did not leave the front line even with a minor injury. For the safety of the defense line, he always fought desperately and sacrificed himself to block the opponent's spikes and iron heads, which won the love of the Red Devils fans.

Everyone was amazed at Bruce's desperate fighting spirit and his life-threatening spirit. Before Bruce, they had only seen Robson play like this.