This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk’ series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Steve Bruce was named Blackpool manager earlier this month, more than two years after he was fired as West Bromwich Albion manager, and his stint at The Hawthorns was not particularly memorable.
There were countless things that supporters will have believed the ex-Birmingham City manager did wrong during his ill-fated eight-month tenure, which resulted in only seven wins in 30 league games.
However, the decision to keep David Button in goal seemed to irritate Albion fans more than most, with the favored glovesman barely covering himself in glory despite multiple errors throughout his time as first choice.
With Alex Palmer waiting in the wings, the choice appears even more absurd in the present context, and Football League World’s West Brom fan analyst Callum Burgess is still perplexed by it to this day.
West Brom must rue Steve Bruce’s David Button, Alex Palmer call
Palmer had recently returned from promising loan periods in the Football League with Plymouth Argyle and Lincoln City, and everyone at West Brom knew they possessed one of the EFL’s most outstanding shot-stoppers.
Everyone except Bruce, who continued to use a goalkeeper with a 51.4% save ratio during his stint in the first squad, which contributed to the team’s poor start to the 22/23 season.
With only one win in the first 14 league games of the 22/23 season, Bruce was defining lunacy with his actions, as he persisted to start Button in goal despite all the glaring signals that he shouldn’t.
In the end, Bruce’s decision to select Palmer against Preston North End in October 2022 was too little, too late.
Albion were defeated 1-0 at Deepdale, and the manager was fired. Carlos Corberan gave Palmer the gloves on a permanent basis not long after his arrival, and Burgess believes the goalkeeping decision contributed to Bruce’s departure from the club.
The Baggies fan stated: “One of the decisions that would have shocked many West Bromwich Albion fans would have been the length of Steve Bruce’s tenure, which I believe would have been a major factor in him losing his job.”
“Not only were his performances against West Brom outstanding, but he also made the choice to continue starting David Button over Alex Palmer.
“As we’ve seen under Carlos Corberan, West Brom have preserved a lot of clean sheets on a steady basis, with Palmer playing a major role – he won the Golden Glove last season.
Steve Bruce’s West Bromwich Albion Championship managerial record. (Transfermarkt)
Matches
30
Wins
7
Draws
12
Defeats
11
Points per game.
1.10
Win%
23.3%
“Coming into the season with Bruce as manager, the choice was between Palmer and David Button for number one.
“At that point, despite being at the club for a few seasons, Button had been a backup throughout his career, so he hadn’t played many games while Alex Palmer was returning from consistent loan periods with Plymouth Argyle and Lincoln City.
“But Steve Bruce decided to stick with David Button in goal, who made multiple mistakes and cost us a few points whenever he played, and he wasn’t up to the task.
“This was one of a number of factors which saw us falling down the table until Carlos Corberan was fortunately able to pick up the pieces.”
Recent history proves Steve Bruce decision to be amazingly incorrect
Since Bruce’s dismissal, Palmer has confirmed his reputation as the Baggies’ first choice, with a league-high 18 clean sheets demonstrating his ability between the posts when given the chance.
The goalkeeper has carried his fine form into the current season, with his confident performances helping Albion rise above the competition in the early stages.
Button left the Hawthorns last season to join cash-strapped Reading in League One, where he started 37 league games and kept only eight clean sheets.
The 35-year-old made his season debut against Bolton Wanderers last week and was forced to pick the ball out of his own net five times.
With that in mind, Bruce’s choice to keep one of the Football League’s most promising shot-stoppers on the bench remains perplexing to this day, with Albion fans unlikely to forget that one anytime soon.
Read more news on:https://sportupdates.co.uk/
Leave a Reply