Steve Bruce’s skills as a man-manager are one of his biggest strengths as a boss, according to ex-Scotland international Shaun Maloney.
The former winger played under Bruce at Hull City, and has identified his day-to-day dealings with players as one of his main positives.
The news was revealed by The Athletic journalist Chris Waugh, who spoke to Maloney about Bruce earlier this week.
When asked about the Magpies’ manager’s man-management skills during a Q&A, Waugh said: “Players who have played under him do praise that side of him.
“I spoke to Shaun Maloney this week, who played under Bruce at Hull, and he cited that as one of the head coach’s greatest strengths.”
OPINION
It’s a good thing that Bruce is renowned for his man-management skills, because you can’t help feeling that he’s going to have a whole lot of motivating to do on Tyneside this season. In many respects, the new Toon boss is unfortunate in the sense the he has to follow a manager as meticulous as Rafa Benitez. There aren’t many bosses who could match Benitez tactically, and for somebody like Bruce, who wasn’t the most popular appointment and who tends to fly by the seat of his pants a bit, he is always going to look somewhat inept by comparison. That doesn’t mean that he can’t get a tune out of this Toon squad, but based on his first two games in charge, he could have a very tall task ahead of him. Newcastle have to be a lot better than they have been so far if they are to avoid relegation. If they are not, all the motivational speeches in the world won’t save Bruce’s hide.
