While Steve Bruce is yet to achieve much of note as Newcastle United manager, the 58-year-old is set to reach a phenomenal personal milestone in Newcastle’s clash with Manchester United today.
This afternoon’s match at St James’ Park will be Bruce’s 400th game as a manager in the Premier League, a remarkable figure which puts him in some esteemed company.
There are only six managers who have achieved more than 400 matches; Arsene Wenger, Alex Ferguson, Harry Redknapp, David Moyes, Sam Allardyce and Mark Hughes.
But what many Newcastle fans will be asking is… how on earth has he got to that figure?
It’s no secret that Steve Bruce’s managerial record is a poor one, and his figures were frequently thrown at him after his initial appointment for the Toon job.
Bruce has won just 111 of his 399 PL matches, giving him a win ratio of just 27%.
This will make him by far the least successful of the other managers to have reached the 400 milestone, as even the likes of Allardyce and Hughes have win ratios of 33%.
And given Newcastle United’s current form, it’s unlikely his ratio is going to improve in the coming months.
But when looking at Bruce’s managerial career, it’s clear his road to 400 matches has not been a case of good luck.
A deserved 400 for Bruce?
In fairness to Bruce, he’s worked hard to achieve this milestone, and while some will argue his role in the dugout for Newcastle is undeserved, there’s very few of his 400 PL matches in charge he hasn’t earned.
His first taste of Premier League management was not handed to him, and came at Birmingham City in 2002 after he guided them to promotion from the First Division.
He reached his first 100 PL games while there, keeping The Blues in the top flight for four consecutive seasons, until relegation in 2006.
But he stayed loyal to the club after their demotion, quickly seeing them promoted again the following season.
Not long into the 2007/2008 PL season, he left Birmingham for his previous club Wigan who were in threat of relegation and was able to save the club and then guide them to an 11th placed finish the following season.
This period covers Bruce’s first 228 PL matches, and despite tasting relegation once, it’s fair to say he’d earned his stripes in the Premier League having quite frankly overachieved in spells at Wigan and Birmingham.
Periods at Sunderland and Hull cover the next 164 matches, where he solidified his reputation as a middling manager, never securing higher than a mid-table finish and the threat of relegation always a possibility or even a reality in the case of Hull.
But unless you’re managing the top six, that’s not really a unique situation for a manager these days.
And for Bruce, 241 of his PL matches managed have come from Birmingham and Hull, two teams he personally guided to the top flight.
No one can say he didn’t then earn the right to guide them through the toughest division in England.
While he may never be the most successful manager, Steve Bruce can be proud of his 400 match milestone, as the Premier League is a cutthroat businesss, and his milestone is an achievement in itself.
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