No Sir Alex but something special awaits Bruce in Premier League

For all 21 seasons of the Premier League, Sir Alex Ferguson ruled the roost in a manner that we are unlikely to ever see again. So, when the new campaign gets under way this weekend, there is likely to be an unmistakable sense of something missing in the top-flight.

Bruce, a player under Ferguson at Old Trafford for nine unforgettable years, will feel his mentor’s retirement as keenly as anyone. Even if, as the Hull City manager admits, Ferguson’s determination to “put his little boys in their place” when facing teams managed by his former players will make a visit to Old Trafford less daunting.

“It definitely won’t be the same without Sir Alex,” Bruce told the Yorkshire Post while sitting in his office at the Tigers’ Cottingham training base. “He is a one-off and we are unlikely to see a manager like him again.

“Going to Old Trafford definitely won’t be the same without him lurking around every corner. He was probably even more competitive with those of us who had played for him. His competitive nature meant he wanted to put his little boys in their place. That was normal to him.

“That was what he brought to football. That competitive instinct was never going to diminish. Not for someone like Sir Alex, who had something in him that made him want to win.

“That is what good leaders are all about. Their appetite is insatiable and just carries on. They want more and they demand more from those around them.

“People in the game call him the Godfather, well we called him the Ayatollah. He was that big. They are big, big boots to fill.”

Ferguson’s retirement after 26 years at Old Trafford and a host of trophies does, indeed, leave a big hole in the Premier League. It is one likely to be filled by the manager who will be in the opposite dugout to Bruce on Sunday.

Jose Mourinho is back in England after almost six years away and that can only make Hull’s opening assignment tougher.

“Of course, it is a difficult one,” said Bruce. “But this is what the Premier League is all about. That is why we put all that hard work in a year ago. This is the reward.

“I don’t want the players to forget just what they achieved last season. It is why I arranged over the summer for a giant photo to be put up in the canteen (of the team celebrating after promotion had been clinched against Cardiff).

“It is to remind them of the success that they achieved last season. No-one should underestimate the size of what they did.

“We were total outsiders with the bookies.

“I looked at the odds for the Championship a few weeks ago and, specifically, at the teams ranked 66-1 this season. Can they do what we did? We will see.

“I don’t want the lads to forget that. We all know there will be difficult times.

“This is a league where you can lose a few on the bounce. So, if that happens, I want the players to look at that (photo) and remember everything that went into our success.”

Hull’s promotion means top-flight football is back in Yorkshire after a three-year absence.

It also means a further restoration of the manager’s reputation, which took a knock following his dismissal by Sunderland.

Bruce was particularly upset by the slurs that followed his dismissal in November, 2011, with the Black Cats sitting 16th in the table. He insists he was portrayed as a dinosaur. Old school, and not in a good way.

Now, though, all that is forgiven, if not forgotten, with Bruce’s focus this summer having been strengthening his squad.

Eight new faces have arrived for a transfer outlay of £9m with Bruce planning more new arrivals, particularly in midfield after Corry Evans and Tom Cairney were allowed to leave, before the window closes.

It is a small sum by Premier League standards but one that will ensure there can be no repeat of the financial collapse that befell City the last time they dined at English football’s top table.

Back then, only the intervention of the Allam family saved the Tigers from ruin. Bruce has always maintained there can be no repeat of the gamble that almost cost Hull its professional football club, even if he admits the spending of others does make his own job harder.

He said: “I look at Swansea paying £12m for a player, Cardiff paying £10m and Norwich buying two centre forwards for £8m each or whatever it was.

“That shows you how difficult it is. But we can’t put this club at risk. I have said that all along. My job is to make us competitive, of course it is. And that is what I am trying to do.

“A manager’s job is to knock on the door and ask for more. But I am mindful of the fact that we can’t send the club into the freefall of last time and become like Portsmouth. That is why I will make sure what money we do have is spent wisely.

“I will make us competitive, but without sending the club into trouble.”

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