‘We’ll see if the phone rings’ – Steve Bruce hints at return to management
![‘We’ll see if the phone rings’ – Steve Bruce hints at return to management ‘We’ll see if the phone rings’ – Steve Bruce hints at return to management](https://i1.wp.com/talksport.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/07/a203881d-4585-48c2-b94e-f04c98a34d22.jpg?strip=all&quality=100&w=1920&h=1080&crop=1&w=1920&resize=1920,1080&ssl=1)
Steve Bruce has insisted he is ready to return to work after more than two years away.
Bruce has not managed a club since February 2022, when he was sacked as West Brom manager, but has a long coaching career with 11 different teams, including Newcastle, Aston Villa and Hull City .
![Bruce desperate to return to management after two years away](https://talksport.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/03/dejected-steve-bruce-head-coach-888165368.jpg)
3
However, the 63-year-old is ready to end his sabbatical and return to work, launching a live appeal on talkSPORT to all potential employers.
Speaking to Alan Brazil and Ally McCoist on talkSPORT Breakfast, the former Manchester United defender said: “For a long, long time I thought it was exactly what I needed. I didn’t never really had a break.
“Unfortunately, now I think I’m putting myself under my good lady’s feet!
“And I’m looking to try to do something, whether it’s a return to management or a return to work in some capacity, I’m not really sure.
“But we’ll see, we’ll see if the phone rings over the summer. But I’d definitely like to try to do something.”
Bruce enjoyed success as a top-flight manager at several of his previous clubs, including Birmingham, Hull and Sunderland.
However, his final spell at West Brom ended after just eight months with the club 22nd in the Championship.
Before that, Bruce had taken charge of his beloved Newcastle, the club he grew up supporting as a child.
![Bruce is one of the most experienced managers in world football](https://talksport.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2020/09/NINTCHDBPICT000610194903-e1601048050791.jpg)
3
![Bruce is a legend at United where he made over 400 appearances](https://talksport.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/04/joint-birthday-celebration-manchester-united-894601609.jpg)
3
After two and a half years, the former England international was sacked by Newcastle’s new Saudi regime within days of taking over as owner, and replaced by Eddie Howe.
Nevertheless, Bruce is one of the few managers to have taken charge of over 1,000 competitive matches.
He oversaw four promotions and led Hull to the FA Cup final in 2014, where they took a two-goal lead against Arsenal before later losing.
Bruce’s playing career notably saw him play for United, where he made 417 appearances and became recognized as a central defender having scored 52 times.
Previously he had struggled at Gillingham in the Third Division as a youngster, but he immediately became a key player at the age of 18, making 44 appearances during his breakout season in 1979/80.
In total, Bruce made 929 competitive appearances as a player with further spells at Norwich, Birmingham and Sheffield United, making him one of the most experienced players and managers in English football.
He made it clear that club rivalries would not stop him from taking up a new job either, having worked both sides of the Tyne-Wear derby with Sunderland and Newcastle, both sides of the Sheffield Division with United and Wednesday and THREE sides of the Birmingham rivalry between Birmingham City, Villa and West Brom.
Sports