Alex Bruce opens up on medical problems that delayed Steve Bruce's Sheffield Wednesday start

Steve Bruce’s son Alex has opened up on the medical problems that forced his dad to delay his Sheffield Wednesday managerial career.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The 58-year-old was named as the new Sheffield Wednesday manager on January 2 but only took charge at the club from February 1.

Assistants Steve Agnew and Stephen Clemence took control in his absence while Bruce took a pre-arranged family holiday to the Caribbean.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Bruce said that he had booked the holiday to take a break from the pressures of football following the death of his parents.

Owls Manager Steve BruceOwls Manager Steve Bruce
Owls Manager Steve Bruce

However, he also revealed in March that he had battled cancer in the past.

Speaking to Manchester United’s official website, Alex Bruce said that his father needed some procedures to remove lesions from his skin.

One of the lesions was under his eye and Bruce said that his dad was in no state ‘physically or mentally’ to make an immediate return to work.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He said: “On top of it all, he had a couple of health issues himself towards the end of his time at Villa. Things which men of his age get and need sorting out, just a couple of lesions on his skin which were dangerous and needed cutting out. One under his eye which was quite nasty.

“So when he took the Sheffield Wednesday job earlier this year, he’d just had these procedures and didn’t want to be going into the training ground at his new club looking like he did. He was in no fit state physically or emotionally, and he needed a few extra weeks of holiday to get himself right and ready for work again.

“Not many people knew the full story, and not everybody understood why he didn’t join up with Wednesday straight away after taking the job. It got under my skin when he was criticised on Match of the Day for being on holiday while Wednesday were facing Chelsea in the FA Cup.

“I went straight on social media and set the record straight as to why Dad needed a break. In fairness to him, Danny Murphy came out and apologised, which was big of him.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Dad’s quite a private person and probably wouldn’t have told people the real reasons, but when he was getting so much stick for not going straight into another job, I thought it was important for people to know the real reasons.

“Once they were out there, people took a step back and eased off a bit, which I was pleased about. It was uplifting to see the reaction and the goodwill for him.”

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.