Business of Sport Ep.4: Steve Bruce, former Manchester United Player & Football Manager, 'How the Premier League changed football'

This week we welcome Steve Bruce to Business of Sport. Steve played over 700 games for some of England’s biggest teams, most notably captaining Manchester United in the 90’s, winning multiple league titles and FA cups. After retirement, Steve made the move into management, taking charge of over 1000 games with the likes of Newcastle, Aston Villa, Birmingham and Wigan.

In todays episode, we discuss:

Life as a player:

• How Steve found his way from early beginnings at Gillingham to the heights of Manchester United.

• How did contracts differ from what we see in the market today, and what did the finances look like?

• Sir Alex Ferguson: what made the former Manchester United manager so special and what was it like to play under him?

• How to captain the likes of Eric Cantona and Ryan Giggs, and what did the team do to support them?

• Steve’s leadership style and the importance of managing the individual in a team environment. 

The move into management:

• How did Steve leverage the experiences as a player to become a successful Premier League Manager?

• After four jobs in two years, Steve talks through the importance of finding stability and consistency at Birmingham.

• The difference between playing with big personalities and managing them, and how to get the best out of the ‘maverick’ player.

• Managing up and down and the relationship with the owner: from falling out with Simon Jordan to being coveted by Dave Whelan.

• The hiring and firing process: what actually happens in the crazy employment cycle of a football manager?

 A life in football:

• How did Steve balance a young family with the demands of professional football?

• From supporting Newcastle to managing them through a difficult time in the club’s history. How did that impact Steve and his family?

• The responsibility associated with ensuring players reach their full potential, and the biggest reasons some don’t manage to.

• What is next? 40+ years and not stopping yet, what is in store in the future?