Rotherham United boss Alex Bruce's warm words for ex-Hull City and Middlesbrough FC coach and Barnsley FC favourite
ALEX Bruce's first ‘signing’ as Rotherham United head coach could well prove to be his most important one.
For someone handed their first 'number one' gig in the EFL, bringing in a seasoned assistant alongside them should not just be viewed as a good thing, but an essential one.
And the CV of Shipley-born Steve Agnew speaks for itself in that regard.
The 60-year-old had been the right-hand man of Alex's father Steve at a number of clubs and what he doesn't know about the football league isn't worth knowing.
Millers chief Bruce said: "One thing in coaching that you must have is someone alongside you that you can trust.
"I trust Steve with my life, he's someone I've known for a long, long time and he's a good coach.
"I first came across him when I was a player at Hull and I always thought back then what a good coach he was.
"Then he went on to Middlesbrough and he's been at Aston Villa and Newcastle.
"He's got vast experience, he's been in all kinds of different scenarios and situations, so he'll help me enormously."
The presence of recently-appointed Millers head of football - and another vastly-experienced Yorkshireman - in Steve McClaren will provide Bruce with a further senior figure to call upon during a 2026-27 season which is unlikely to be straightforward given the club's travails since dropping out of the Championship.
Again, the presence of the former England and Boro head coach is something that Bruce – ahead of the League Two campaign - remains grateful for.
He continued: "I think when I've spoken to older managers—it's probably the same in any industry—they always say when you get your first opportunity and your first taste of management, take someone in with grey hair.
"And I said to Steve when I first met him that he was ginger once upon a time, but he's a little bit grey now! But he's got a wealth of experience.
"He's managed in England and in the Premier League, he's been around the block.
"And with him and Steve Agnew alongside me, it gives me that little bit of a soundboard to go: 'What do you think of this, what do you think of that?'
"I think that's a huge thing and it was a big pull for me coming here.
"And I just think the blend's right and hopefully we can get it right and move forward in the right direction."