6 Managers You Didn't Know Were Almost Newcastle Boss
5. Steve Bruce
Turning down the club he passionately supported as boy - he confessed to crawling under the turnstiles at St James' to save money - must still rank as the biggest regrets of Bruce's managerial career. In charge of Birmingham at the time, the sacking of Sir Bobby Robson in 2004 opened the door for the Geordie boss to fulfil a lifelong dream and take charge of his beloved black and whites. And it seemed like a match made in heaven. Bruce had worked wonders at St Andrews after taking the Blues into the Premier League in 2002, sustaining their position in the top-flight on a limited budget and the Magpies were seeking a manager with a close connection to the club in the hopes of currying favour with Toon supporters after brutally hanging Sir Bobby out to dry following a slow start to the season. It wasn't to be, however, as Bruce opted to honour an agreement to stay at Birmingham having recently signed a new contract, rebuffing the strong overtures of Freddy Shepherd. It forced the Newcastle chairman into a massive change of direction that eventually saw him land in the arms of antiquated disciplinarian Graeme Souness.
I maybe have some regrets not taking it - what might have been. Youll always think what could have been. A lot of us in football have what ifs..." Bruce later admitted to the Mirror.
