by On Alex Bruce’s desk is a notebook with the head of Manchester United. When asked, the recently installed Macclesfield manager laughs. “Darren Fletcher gave me a tour of the training ground last night,” Bruce begins. “It’s a great facility – it’s amazing,” he continues, his left hand reaching to open a chest containing stationery gifted to him by United’s technical director. “He took care of me – I have some books here. It was a great help, Fleet. These are the contacts I will need to help me.”
Bruce’s first managerial job is heading towards football light years from Old Trafford. His office has just enough room to hang the Northern Premier League club’s kit for the weekend. Sona? They extend to a small sofa, a kettle, and a toaster.
And yet the United theme prevails. Director of football Robbie Savage appointed Bruce, bringing in Phil Bardsley as assistant and Paul McGuiness – who spent 23 years at Carrington – as head coach. “Phil and I were on the same youth team as kids, and Paul was our coach,” Bruce explains. “We go back a long way.”
Bruce, whose playing career peaked with spells at Ipswich Town and Hull City, was exploring academy coaching opportunities when Savage called him. He quickly realized that his passion would be brighter “where people are relying on results and doing well.”
He describes himself as an “inexperienced coach” who had “ringside seats” to management through Steve’s father. “I’ve seen it, I’ve been around it for a long time. Hopefully that bit of information will put me in a good place.”
Bruce senior is an inescapable subject. “Newcastle,” sighs Bruce Junior when asked about his father’s spell at the helm. A period that came to an abrupt end after the takeover of the club in 2021. “Where do you start with that? It was built just around the corner from the shipyards in Wallsend. And if he was ever going to get the chance to crack it, he was always going to. It was his club. The abuse and the stick he got … I thought it’s tough for someone who gave his life to the sport.
“It’s a great club and they’re passionate, but when you take all the bulls—, he was more happy than anybody really about the ownership. He still supports them now. He wants Eddie to do well. He’s not bitter about it because he knew that was what needed to happen. And if he was sitting here now, he would say ‘I did my bit. It was tough. But I kept them in the Premier League, and I’d like to think I played a part in keeping the club stable for the new ownership’. A new brush sweeps clean in any life.”
Given his father’s experience of more than 1,000 games in management, what advice was given to Alex? “He just said ‘get ready for it – it’s like nothing you’ll ever experience in your life.’ Since the day I took the job it has been full. You do your training badges, but there’s no education like throwing yourself out into the world.”
“You’re nervous,” admits Bruce, recalling the first time he stood in front of the players. “I was driving in, practicing, and looking at myself in the mirror thinking ‘what am I doing!’
Suddenly, Bruce’s cell phone vibrated. He apologizes and takes the call. “Roons…are you ok my friend?” he begins. “It’s half and half. OK – so the lads will drive.” The caller is Wayne Rooney’s brother John. A few seconds later the conversation is done. “The club saves a few quid not being bused!”
Rooney, however, is far from the biggest name on Macclesfield. Danny Simpson – another who started life at United before winning the Premier League with Leicester – has signed playing forms. Likewise, Oumar Niasse, a £13.5 million signing for Everton back in 2016.
And even with his squad part-time, Bruce has to juggle non-football commitments as well. “Laurent Mendy, my idiot, works in a kitchen in Manchester,” says Bruce. “He knocked on the door on Friday saying ‘Boss, we have a big game tomorrow I want to do well… but I’m on night shift so I’m working from four to midnight. Can you call and try to spare a few hours to get a good night’s sleep?’ We managed to free up a few hours!”
It would be easy to look cursorily at Macclesfield’s position just outside of the circumstances in Step 3 of the non-league pyramid and assume that Bruce’s job is not under pressure. However, the opposite is true.
The club was formed following the dissolution of Macclesfield Town in September 2020 and achieved back-to-back promotions in its first two seasons. A return to the Football League is the ultimate aim.
Bruce wants his players to enjoy themselves, but also understands that “people will raise their game” against them. “My job is to build a team and enable the lads to deal with that. But I have to balance that and not put too much on the lads – otherwise they’ll feel like they’re walking on eggshells with the weight of the world on their shoulders.”
Macclesfield is clearly thriving again. Their artificial pitch means the ground is rarely empty, whether it’s the first team, the women’s team, the international academy or external reserves. And – aided by bars that run the length of the field and a pizza oven – the men’s home league crowds turn out 3,000. “On game day it’s a little different,” Bruce explains “Watch Gillette Soccer on Saturday and be at half-time to watch a bit of football too.” Only a footballer would use such a phrase. Bruce smiled. “I just need to get my players to play on the half turn and I’ll be crazy!”
