"Wasn’t up to standard" - Steve Bruce, West Brom selection decision pinpointed as significant blunder | OneFootball

The Baggies boss failed to see the obvious errors that were hampering his side during his time at the Hawthorns

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Steve Bruce was appointed as Blackpool boss earlier this month - over two years since he was sacked as West Bromwich Albion manager, with his time at The Hawthorns not fondly remembered.

There were numerous things that the supporters will have felt the ex-Birmingham City boss did wrong during ill-fated eight-month spell in charge of the club, that led to just seven wins in his 30 league matches at the helm.

But the decision to persist with David Button in between the sticks seemed to be one that wrangled Albion fans more than most, with the preferred glovesman barely covering himself in glory with numerous errors during his time as number one choice.

With Alex Palmer waiting in the wings, that decision looks even more ludicrous in the current climate, and Football League World’s West Brom fan pundit Callum Burgess is still staggered by the decision to this day.

West Brom must rue Steve Bruce’s David Button, Alex Palmer call

With Palmer coming off promising loan spells lower down the Football League with Plymouth Argyle and Lincoln City, everyone at West Brom knew they had one of the EFL’s most talented shot-stoppers on their hands.

Everyone apart from Bruce it seemed, who persisted with a goalkeeper who had just a 51.4% save ratio during his time in the first team, which would have contributed to the terrible start the side made to the 22/23 campaign.

With just one win from the opening 14 league fixtures of the 22/23 campaign, Bruce was defining insanity with his decisions, as he continued to pick Button in goal, despite all the telltale signs proving that he shouldn’t.

In the end, Bruce's decision to give Palmer the nod against Preston North End in October 2022 was too little, too late.

Albion were on the wrong end of a 1-0 result at Deepdale and the boss was given the axe, with Carlos Corberan giving Palmer the gloves on a permanent basis not long after his arrival, with Burgess believing that goalkeeping decision contributed towards Bruce’s departure from the club.

The Baggies fan said: “One of the decisions that would have shocked many West Bromwich Albion fans would have been over the duration of Steve Bruce’s tenure, something that ultimately I believe would have been a huge factor that cost him his job.

“Not only the performances on display during his time at West Brom, but also it would have been his decision to persist with starting David Button over Alex Palmer.

“As we have seen under Carlos Corberan, West Brom have kept a lot of clean sheets on a consistent basis with Palmer being a key part of that - he won the Golden Glove last year.

“Coming into the season where Bruce was manager, the choice was between Palmer and David Button who would be number one.

“At that point even though Button had been at the club for a few seasons, over the duration of his career he had been a backup, so he hadn’t played that many games while Alex Palmer was coming back from consistent loan spells with Plymouth Argyle and Lincoln City.

“But still Steve Bruce decided to persist with David Button in goal, who made several mistakes and cost us quite a few points whenever he played, and unfortunately he wasn’t up to standard.

“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 was axed, Palmer has cemented his status as the Baggies’ number one choice, with a league-high 18 clean sheets proving his prowess between the sticks when given the opportunity.

The goalkeeper has continued that good form into the current campaign, with his assured performances helping Albion sit head and shoulders above the rest in the early stages of the season.

As for Button, his departure from the Hawthorns last season saw him move on to cash-strapped Reading in League One, where he started 37 league games, keeping just eight clean sheets in the process.

The 35-year-old made his first start of the season against Bolton Wanderers last time out, and was left picking the ball out of his net five times against the Trotters.

With that in mind, the decision to keep one of the Football League’s most aspiring shot-stoppers on the bench is even more flummoxing to this day, with Albion fans unlikely to let Bruce live that one down anytime soon.