- 04/07/2025
Steve Bruce spoke to the Gazette during Blackpool's trip to Spain.
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00:00Look, since the turn of the year anyway, and certainly what we did in January, in terms of going forward, the goal threat, we were far, far better than we were.
00:12We have to improve defensively a little bit, hence the couple of new signings that have walked through the door.
00:20We've had a busy summer so far. I'm delighted with what we've done.
00:23We've still got a long way to go before we're finished and for the season, we've still got, you know, four or five to maybe look at.
00:32So, yeah, exciting times ahead. The more time you get as a manager, the more they get to know you, the more they get to know what we're trying to achieve.
00:41So, yeah, but look, I'm delighted with what we've done so far.
00:45I was delighted that we played the back six months of the season, near abouts.
00:51So, let's try and improve. That's the key to it, to try and improve and see if we can get better.
00:58Obviously, you can point to the downsides of coming in without a pre-season last year, but it did give you an opportunity to get to know the club, get to know the players, and obviously for you to stamp your authority on things.
01:07So, is it a positive at this point now?
01:09Yeah, we've made a huge change. Look, all us managers are different. We all play in a certain way.
01:14I think the team understands now the way we want to play, how we go about it, which is totally opposite to probably what the team was before I arrived.
01:26And that's what it's saying. It takes time to implement change and the ideas of what you want.
01:32The longer you've got at it, the more transfer windows you've got at it, then hopefully, hopefully, results will improve and get better.
01:38And I think I've spoke to David and Dean probably every day.
01:45You know, there's been a lot of work that's gone on, especially with them two, to get the four or five that we've got over the line.
01:53As I said, I couldn't be more pleased with what we've done to get back to Niall and get Megan Perman.
01:57And George Honeyman, I believe, is going to be a big favourite.
02:02He already is amongst the players and the staff here. He's only been here a week.
02:06And the two centre-offs do exactly what it says on the tip.
02:11So, I'm delighted that we've been able to act. The goalkeeper's come in too.
02:16So, you know, we've been quite busy in that department. It still hasn't finished yet.
02:22Yeah, five signings in the first month. It's a good, solid start, isn't it?
02:25You can't ask for too much more of that at this age.
02:28No, and I have to tell you, they're all our first choices of what we want.
02:32We've had to work hard.
02:35You know, we've had to beat off a few teams because the competition has been huge for a lot of them.
02:41You know, they've all been, obviously, in that list of Bosman or free transfers or what you're going to call them.
02:48When they're like that and you're up against it because other teams and other clubs have got big ambitions too.
02:54So, to beat them off, I was delighted we've done it.
02:59You said, like, maybe up to five more before the season even starts.
03:02So, how much you sort of want to shape things into your vision?
03:05Yeah, yeah. I mean, look, all credit to the owner too.
03:10He wants to, his ambitions have always been, he wants to take the club up and around the championship.
03:17So, you know, we've played to him, that's what he wants.
03:21So, we've got to get, give us a healthy budget to go and try and achieve it.
03:25So, we've got to put that into practice and see what we can do.
03:28It's difficult because there's a lot of other good teams in it.
03:31So, but I'm delighted what we've done so far.
03:35Yeah, do you feel firmly backed in terms of your vision and the owner's vision aligning?
03:39Yeah, yeah, yeah.
03:40I think it's vitally important that the people who you work for when you're in my position.
03:45It's David, Dean and the owner and everybody around the club.
03:50It's a, it's a smashing club and a healthy environment to be around and what we've got to do now is put a squad of players together, get them together quickly and as quick as we can and get them up and running and not in the shape of it and get ready for what's going to be, hopefully, a good season.
04:07We'll go through the signings.
04:08Obviously, the two defensive lads came in first.
04:11Last year, it was probably quite a young defence.
04:13Obviously, Ollie was one of the more senior ones when you had the two young Vaughanies.
04:16So, you've gone for, you know, senior players.
04:18Experience, I thought, I think in defensive areas, it's good to have experience.
04:24I think we were sometimes a little bit, maybe a little bit too young.
04:28When you get young lone players in, the one thing they're going to make is they're going to make mistakes.
04:33They're learning the job.
04:35I have to say that Adele did fantastically well and young Harry from Everton did, you've seen them develop over the season and how they progressed.
04:45I just think this year we needed a bit of experience, a bit of know-how, a bit of calm and we've got that in abundance with the two of them.
04:53The two of them are real, real, real good players at this level.
04:57Obviously, does that close the door on more defensive missions?
05:00I know you were open to get in, helping back in the corner.
05:02Well, look, I think we have to look at the right, we have to look at the right-back situation.
05:06You know, the Irish lads just get over a serious knee injury, you know, so we're going to have to look at that.
05:14And as I said, we're going to look all throughout the squad and hopefully by the end of it have a squad capable and strong enough and big enough and good enough to get where we want to get to.
05:25Yeah, they're going to be important to give Andy some good competition, obviously you had Adele who's gone back to his perc club and Jordan Gamble's left, so it's open to that position at the moment.
05:34Yeah, it's open, of course it's open to that position.
05:36We hope Andy stays well, that's the key to it, you know, him staying well, he deserves a very lucky kid.
05:43There's nobody who works harder than him, he got on 20 minutes of the last game, he's had all summer where he's worked hard on his fitness.
05:50So, touch wood, let's hope, let's hope he stays well.
05:55You mentioned George, when he's obviously become popular already, to get a player who played 40 games in the Championship last year must be a real boost that he wants to step down.
06:03Yeah, yeah, I mean, we're disappointed that we've lost Sonny, but we've got a really, really good replacement in George, who has played practically all his career in the Championship.
06:17So, known him for a long time as a player, he's a manager's delight, you know, he can play in two, three positions.
06:26Infectious enthusiasm, really, really good time to have around the group.
06:31And he spoke fondly of you and the club, saying obviously you made him feel wanted, you made it an easy decision.
06:35Oh, we worked hard, that's a good job, work hard away from it, made a few calls to him when he interrupted his honeymoon, when he was in Tanzania or wherever he was, just to remind him how much we wanted him.
06:45So, yeah, we've probably been a pest to myself, really, over the summer with a few of them, but that's my job to make that call once the other lads have done all the groundwork, is to, okay, make a call from the manager, tell them how we're going to go about it, how we're going to play, what we expect and what we demand.
07:04Thankfully, it's worked well at the moment.
07:06Still a lot to do with it.
07:06Look, you identify the targets that you want to identify and then you try and go about your work, especially in the market, the free transfer market, then, yeah, you have to be act quick and you have to be decisive.
07:20That's one thing we do.
07:21We've, we've, we've got, you know, the four lads and the goalkeeper, we're all, we're choices of frees.
07:30There's still one or two that we're persevering.
07:32So, we'll see what happens in the next week or so.
07:36How would it have Niall back?
07:37Obviously, you knew he was available quite early on, Stoke, made it clear he was available, but to be able to get it over the line.
07:43It's, yeah, I think with Niall, we were certainly an improvement when he was in the team.
07:50We were a threat.
07:51But he brought that goal scorer.
07:55He only interested in wanting to score a goal.
07:57And towards the finish, him and Fletcher were a handful and a half where they were excellent together.
08:05So, it was important to bring him back.
08:08He looks in really, really good nick.
08:09He's had a really good summer in that response.
08:11He's, he's due a little bit of luck too with his, with his knee injury, but he's fine.
08:18He's had a really good pre-season so far.
08:20So, so far, so good.
08:22Are you still in the market for another striker?
08:24I know you were spotted watching Sam Dallaby when he was in Scotland at one point.
08:28I know he's gone elsewhere.
08:28I went up, I went up to watch, I went up to, well, I'm not going to mention names, I think
08:36I'll be wrong, but I went up to Scotland to watch a couple of players.
08:41It didn't work out, but that's football.
08:45Is it going to be good to, obviously, you've got Niall, you've got Tom Lockson, you've got
08:48Fletch, you've got Kwasi to come back, but to get another striker in there, obviously
08:52he lost pieces last week as well.
08:53Yeah, yeah, I still think we, we need, we need, we need one more, at least one more
08:59in that department.
09:00So, yeah, that's somebody who we're on the lookout for.
09:04Do you feel a bit deja vu with wingers, obviously, you've had Sammy Silvera came in, but obviously
09:08only on the lawn, and then obviously Sonny's left, he played on the wings, Tom Lockson's
09:12obviously a winger, but you like him up for him.
09:14So do you feel like we're back when we started on wingers, that he's just apt to...
09:17Well, it's not apt to have a siege here, but we're off to a great start.
09:20We've got good wide players, they're good wide players, we probably need a bit of competition
09:25for them, and that's something that we will look at.
09:29And you're right, Lockson was bought as a wide player who can go down the middle too, so
09:35him getting injured, he had a wonderful start, if you remember, him getting injured was a
09:39big blow to us, but he's had a good pre-season so far, and he's up and rearing the goal.
09:45Was it a relief to get a goalkeeper, and obviously, people were probably looking for him going
09:50to go to Spain next week.
09:50Who's going to go in goal?
09:52Well, look, yeah, we've got two young lads who can always go in goal too, so, you know,
09:58we can, you know, we still could have adapted, but he's been something that we've been looking
10:04at for the best part three, four weeks.
10:07The big thing for the goalkeeper was, was he going to stay in Argentina, or was he going to
10:11come back to England, thankfully, he's come back to England, and delighted to have gone
10:15him.
10:16He's someone who's used to being a first choice.
10:18Yeah, yeah, he's been first choice at Wickham and did very, very well, very impressed a lot
10:21of people.
10:22Does that close the door on a potential return for Harry Tyra, haven't we?
10:25No, no, I still think we need another goalkeeper, that's for sure.
10:30We've decided this year that rather than have a number one, we're going to try and have,
10:35you know, two goalkeepers who are going to slug it out, if you like, a bit like the rest
10:40of the team, you know, and you have competition, or you have competition in each and every
10:44position, and that's hopefully going to bring out the best of people.
10:50You mentioned, obviously, Sonny Kerling before, how disappointing was it?
10:52Obviously, you say it was Hans de Moffa back in May, but for him to eventually go out
10:56somewhere, how hard was that?
10:57Look, you can understand, people want to play in a high level.
11:00I'm disappointed that we've lost him, because he was just starting to show the sparkle
11:05that we all know he's got, and certainly for that three or four months towards the end
11:10of the season, I don't think there was a better player in Division One than Sonny.
11:15I wish him all the best.
11:16He did great for me.
11:18I know in some of the time before me, it didn't quite happen for him, but as far as I'm concerned,
11:25he was excellent for us and produced some stunning displays towards the end, which
11:31everybody got off the seat.
11:34Victim of your own success, in a way, you got the best out of him.
11:37Yeah, he did too good.
11:39Was he always going to leave?
11:41No, I think we were up until, I think because he was enjoying it, enjoying his football so
11:46much, that he wanted it to continue.
11:49Obviously, the lure of playing in the division above us was probably the outstanding factor
11:57for us, but we did everything we possibly could to try and keep hold of him.
12:02Unfortunately, it didn't quite happen.
12:04And Matthew Pennington was another one you hinted you'd like to have around the place
12:07still, but he's gone too.
12:09Yeah, yeah.
12:09I wish Pennington the best of luck.
12:11Great pro, great lad.
12:13He wants to play week in and week out.
12:16It's something which I couldn't give him.
12:19So, another wonderful servant and a great pro and a great lad, and he deserves to have
12:26a long and lengthy career.
12:28Is that hard as a manager?
12:30You see someone you like, you like around the place, but you can't let them know what
12:32they want?
12:33Yeah, of course.
12:34Of course.
12:34It's the part of management, all through it, where you manage these lads and you help
12:39them along the way and you see them progress and grow up, have families and all the rest
12:45of it.
12:46I've only worked at Pennington for six months, but as I said, as a pro and a great lad,
12:51you don't get many as good like him.
12:53So, he'd be sadly missed too.
12:55And shrewd business with Jake Beasley, obviously.
12:57Yeah, Beasley's another one, another one where I couldn't give him what he wanted, which
13:01he wants to play regularly and be the main man somewhere.
13:04I wish Beasley the best of luck.
13:06He's another one.
13:07You know, we're blessed at the club.
13:09They're having some really, really outstanding professionals, really.
13:14And it's always difficult to say goodbye to them.
13:17But I wish him the best of luck, Beasley, and all of them, all of them, the best of luck
13:23in their future career.
13:24Obviously, you say it was your first pre-season with Blackburn, it was your first pre-season
13:27with any club for a good few years.
13:28So, you enjoy being back in this environment?
13:30Yeah, yeah.
13:31Well, look, you can control the stuff that you're working with.
13:35And of course, over the next four, five, six weeks, we can start to encourage the pattern
13:40of how we're going to play and how we're going to play and all the rest of it.
13:43But towards the end, and the back end of the season in particular, I was delighted with
13:48some of the football we played.
13:50There's not many people who scored more goals than us.
13:53I think you can do your homework on it.
13:55I think there's maybe only Leeds who scored more goals than us in the second part of the
13:59season.
13:59So, I was delighted in that respect.
14:02We had to be better defensively.
14:04That's what we've got to work on.
14:05That's what we've tried to invest in.
14:08And let's hope that works.
14:10And also speaking to the new signings, you said, you know, be able to aim as high as
14:13possible.
14:14I'm guessing that comes from you.
14:15I said it from day one, that I mirror what the owner wants.
14:19He wants his team to play in a certain way, but gets the supporters off their seats a little
14:24bit.
14:25And also, though, he wants to get out of the division, which is the reason why I'm here.
14:30So, let's have a really good team that we enjoy watching play and let's see what we can do
14:36in the division and see if we can make a fist of it and get where we want to get to.
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