Is Steve Bruce really such a bad choice for England manager?

Fans reacted with derision to Tuesday’s reports that the Football Association are in talks with Hull City over appointing Steve Bruce as the new England manager.

Bruce is a man who says himself that he “doesn’t like tactics”, which (if true) is hardly in keeping with the progressive approach that England fans are yearning for after the debacle of Euro 2016.

And the reaction has been predictably negative:

But is ‘Brucie’ really such a bad option?

Bruce may not have won major silverware, but then it would have been remarkable if he had done with some of the club’s he’s been in charge of.

His real talent has been moulding together technically-limited and overwhelmingly home-grown squads to step up to a higher level, achieving promotion four times in his career with Birmingham City and Hull City (twice each).

Hull’s run to the 2014 FA Cup final also showed Bruce’s ability to launch a cup run, another quality that shouldn’t be ignored.

If there’s one thing that Bruce relies on more than any other it’s his man-management ability. He’s an arm-round-the-shoulder, father-figure sort of ‘gaffer’… exactly the opposite of his possible predecessor, Roy Hodgson.

England squads historically struggle to gel and suffer ‘boredom’ during the months (or weeks) spent at major tournaments. But that is unlikely to be a problem with Bruce in charge. Creating team spirit and making players feel at home is what he does best.

Bruce may like to play the “I don’t like tactics” card, but it’s not true. The Hull manager was playing a 3-5-2 years before it came back into fashion and he has a reputation for nice passing football in a simple but organised shape – again, exactly what England need.

Euro 2016 may have been a disaster, but the talk of a complete overhaul of the system is wide of the mark on this occasion. The FA have already had that overhaul and the youth teams are starting to suggest it’s working, playing a consistent style of football and impressing on the international stage.

Bruce’s style would seem to fit that system better than the other potential candidates and, while he will no doubt play down the technical side of his job, he has aligned his first-team with academy plans in the past and would be willing to do so again.

So that’s it then, Steve Bruce to lead England to World Cup glory. You heard it here first…