Premier League champion, Championship play-off winner, FA Cup runner-up, crime novelist.
There's one entry on Steve Bruce's CV of which many fans might be unaware given his career as an author came some time before he first coached in England's top flight. And it was during his days at Huddersfield in 1999 that the Manchester United icon wrote 'Sweeper', 'Striker' and 'Defender', the series centred around manager-cum-mystery solver Steve Barnes.
The books are an often forgotten piece of cult history in English football, much to the loss of those millions of potential readers missing out on the material. Almost a quarter-of-a-century on from their publication, Bruce described the books as "hideous" but appeared proud of the fact they've become something of a collector's item in recent times.
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Former Newcastle, Aston Villa and Birmingham boss Steve Bruce exclusively told Ladbrokes Fanzone: "I do have form for writing, yes. You know, I did these books a long, long time ago. It was a bit of fun back in the 90s. At the time, I thought they were hideous. And then, during lockdown, would you believe, I think talkSPORT did a serialisation of one of them, as a bit of a p***take, really!
"I didn't come from a creative background at all. The only thing I was ever any good at in school was English. I lived in a tough council estate in the east end of Newcastle, so I wasn't especially creative at all! This p***take, though, has become pretty lucrative for anyone who's got one of those books now. . .I hear they're worth a lot of money! I wouldn't even know if I've got a copy myself, to be honest!"
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A search for the trilogy will turn up eBay results costing in the hundreds of pounds, such is the rarity of the novels. An autobiography about Bruce's life, 'Heading for Victory', was published in 1994 and is far more attainable.
But that release was some five years prior to his retirement from playing, and much has happened in the almost 30 years since. That's led the tactician – whose last post at West Brom ended in October 2022 – to consider another autobiography detailing his career in management.
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"I've been asked the question a few times now, about an autobiography. And I think that what you really need is time; you know," he continued. "Whether it's something I do now – who knows, maybe now is a good time to write one," Bruce continued. "I certainly think I've got an exciting story to tell."
Legions of fans would likely agree, eager to read tidbits from Bruce's days in football, such as when he was interviewed to become England manager but lost out to Sam Allardyce. However, a return to the crime genre might just yield even more interest in the veteran's literary prowess.
As for whether he would pick up his former series to keep telling the story of investigator extraordinaire Barnes, Bruce disappointed: "I don't think I've got the bottle anymore, I'm afraid!"
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