West Bromwich Albion: We just need 'a win' against Swansea - Steve Bruce
- Published
Steve Bruce has never previously gone more than his first three games without winning in his previous 11 managerial postings
West Bromwich Albion manager Steve Bruce says any sort of win, however ugly, will do against Swansea City on Monday night - just to get the Baggies' promotion campaign rolling again.
After being top of the Championship in early October, and fourth on New Year's Day, Albion have not won in six games - and have now slid into the bottom half.
But the experienced Bruce knows it can all change with one 'dirty victory'.
"It's a football cliche. But you just need one win," Bruce told BBC Radio WM
"You just need a 1-0, in off the referee, off someone's backside, whatever."
Bruce is surprised that he has so far been unable to get a more positive response from an already misfiring Albion side, whose fans and players had fallen out of love with previous boss Valerien Ismael and his perceived negative tactics long before he was sacked on 2 February.
Andy Carroll has hit seven goals against Swansea in 11 league appearances, more than against any other side in his career. including his first Reading goal earlier this season
He is certainly not helped by the fact that Albion's board took the decision two days after the latest transfer window had closed, and in the wake of their one expensive January signing Daryl Dike having been ruled out for two months with a hamstring injury.
They did at least have time to bring in a replacement target man in Andy Carroll, who has so far been one of the few sources of Albion positivity in Bruce's brief time in charge,
But, despite Carroll's aerial threat, the Baggies have scored just one goal and picked up just one point in six games, the last four of them under Bruce, whose last managerial victory was on the final day of last season with Newcastle United.
"Usually when a new manager goes in, there's a bit of a bounce, which we haven't been able to create," Bruce admitted.
"We haven't been able to sustain it over a full 90 minutes, which is a bit of a concern but it's my job to try and turn it round and get that win, because a win changes a lot, very quickly, in this league or any other."
Reasons to be cheerful
The one common denominator for Bruce's first four games was that they were all against fellow promotion candidates - Sheffield United, his first managerial home, Blackburn Rovers, Luton Town and Middlesbrough, three of them away. A tough start.
But Russell Martin's Swansea, are 17th, eight points below the Baggies, and have lost their last three away games, in which they have not scored and shipped nine goals.
And although Swansea came back from being a Karlan Grant goal down inside a minute to beat Albion 2-1 earlier in the season, the west Wales side have not won at The Hawthorns in six attempts since a 2-0 victory in their Premier League days in September 2013.
Also, in Carroll, they face a man who has scored more league goals against Swansea than any other side in his career - seven, including five goals in his last six appearances, the most recent of which was in late November when the former Newcastle United, Liverpool and England striker scored his first goal for Reading against the Swans at the Liberty Stadium.
Albion missing Phillips and Dike
Daryl Dike was expected to be sidelined for two months when he got injured in Albion's 3-0 win over Peterborough on 2 January, Albion's last victory
Having failed to score in both their previous two home night games, a defeat by Preston under Ismael, then the draw with Blackburn under Bruce, if Albion draw a blank against Swansea it would be the first time they have gone three successive home games at this level without scoring since Gary Megson was in charge in November 2003.
Bruce, who also has a concern over goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, who has missed training with illness, admits that they are missing Dike, who was injured in only his second game, as well as Matt Phillips, who has now missed the last four.
"They are the main concerns," he said. "Also, are you going to see them effectively before the end of the season? It's one thing to get fit, then you've got to get them match sharp too.
"Then you have Grady Diangana. What a good player he can be. We all knew what he was a couple of years ago when he was in the Championship. He was arguably as good as player as there was at the time and one of the main reasons why Albion got promoted. We have to try and ignite him.
"But it's very difficult when you get into this rut where you don't win. Confidence ebbs away. They've been playing a certain way for seven months I come in and I'm not going to try and rip it up in a week.
"The bottom line is that we can't score a goal and to win a football match for West Brom, we have to score a goal."