Sheffield Wednesday: Pre-season will be used to build Steve Bruce's philosophy at Hillsborough

Pre-season will be a vital time for Sheffield Wednesday if Steve Bruce is going to implement his philosophy at Hillsborough.
Steve BruceSteve Bruce
Steve Bruce

That’s according to Owls coach Lee Bullen, who says the side will be strengthened by a full off-season schedule under Bruce after his impressive impact on the side since joining in February.

Wednesday enjoyed an upturn in results following Bruce’s arrival mid way through the 2018/19 campaign following a tricky start to the season under former manager Jos Luhukay.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

But former interim chief Bullen says Bruce’s influence on the side produced instant results in S6: "The gaffer came in and we had to primarily make sure we were heading up the right way.

“It is always difficult for any coach to take over in the middle of the season.

"It is about building a team spirit and creating a mentality of being hard to beat and then the next step is winning games and he was able to do that more often than not.

"If not, we got draws out of it.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

And Wednesday’s pre-season schedule, which so far includes trips to Northampton and Lincoln, looks set to be a defining period for the Owls to refine the philisophy that will give them a winning edge.

Bruce’s arrival brought a more intense style of football and results followed over a stellar few months that only saw league defeats against Hull City, Aston Villa, Leeds United and Queen’s Park Rangers since the turn of the year.

"I think more of his philosophy and message will come in pre-season and I think that it is the most crucial period for any new coach,” Bullen said.

"I think he believes that the club have the building blocks to be very successful and that starts with the fan-base it has.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“He clearly stated how impressed he was with that, having played against Wednesday and also seen it first hand in the play-off final.

"He knows that the nucleus of the squad is high quality for this level. That was proved that over the final few months of the season.”