West Bromwich Albion manager Steve Bruce will have the opportunity to escape the club as part of a clause in his contract in the summer if he wants to pursue that route as well as the Baggies having the option to sever ties, as per a report from journalist Alan Nixon.

The 61-year-old has endured a bumpy start to life at The Hawthorns, being appointed in the early stages of February and winning just one point from 15 in his opening five league games at the helm.

Last month looked set to be a turning point for the former Birmingham City boss as he saw his side go unbeaten in all four of their matches in March, securing a vital win at Hull City before recording their most impressive victory of his time there thus far as they beat title favourites Fulham in the West Midlands.

 

 

However, they are currently enduring another low moment following their 3-1 home loss against Stoke City yesterday afternoon, failing to capitalise on their midweek victory against AFC Bournemouth.

This latest defeat has left them in 11th place and eight points adrift of the play-offs, a hugely disappointing predicament for them to be in considering they went unbeaten in their opening 10 league games of 2021/22 and established themselves as early promotion favourites.

After a turbulent spell at Newcastle, he could be set for more fan anger with Albion set to miss out on the play-offs despite still finding themselves in the top six after predecessor Valerien Ismael's last game in charge.

The Verdict:

This is a wise decision to have a get-out clause for the 61-year-old - because he was the subject of intense criticism during his time at Aston Villa and Newcastle and he won't want to go through the same mental stress at The Hawthorns.

His tactical decisions can be questioned at times - but what cannot be denied is the fact he received a lot of abuse online - especially during his time at St James' Park.

Bruce could resign if he found the West Brom job too difficult - but having that clause should provide another exit route and this may even reduce the pressure on the 61-year-old's shoulders, potentially enabling him to make better decisions in his quest to get the club back to the top flight.

He has a potentially exciting project on his hands with the second-tier side needing quite radical changes in the summer if they want to be competing for promotion again, with his first-team squad quite clearly going stale.

However, if he doesn't receive the funds needed to make these radical changes, something that could happen with the club already forking out £7m for Daryl Dike in January, he may be best served leaving the club.