"I think they look a bit short" Ex-Sheffield Wednesday boss Steve Bruce on survival battle

The 62-year-old left Wednesday at the back end of the 2018/19 season having overseen only 18 matches, taking on his boyhood club Newcastle United just a few weeks out from the start of the following campaign.

Bruce has touched on his Wednesday departure a handful of times in recent years. He is out of work since leaving West Brom in October last year - with mixed messages over whether he has retired from management.

Wednesday have suffered a stop-start time since his Hillsborough exit, suffering points deductions and relegation to League One before the excitement of promotion last season. They sit bottom of the Championship this time out, with their former manager expressing surprise at a tally of only one win so far this campaign.

"I am surprised with Sheffield Wednesday, especially after getting back up," he told GamblingZone. I let the supporters down as I had an offer to go to Newcastle, but I really enjoyed my time at Sheffield Wednesday due to the unbelievable support they've got. I took them on in the Play-Off final when I was at Hull, and they took over Wembley that day. 

"They have a unique fanbase. For them to go up and not win any of their first 12 games is a disaster area for them. I wish the new manager, and the club as a whole, well. They've had an awful start, and I hope it gets better. The fans deserve it. I hope they give themselves a fighting chance to stay in the league.

German coach Danny Röhl has recently become the fifth permanent Owls boss since Bruce. Though there has been no major upturn in the points column since his arrival, there have been seeds of promise in terms of their performance in seeking to stay in the division this season.

"I'm sure they would expect to be better than where they are," Bruce said. "They've changed the manager, and he might blow a bit of magic into them. I don't know if they've done enough to strengthen the squad - you'd have to ask other people as I haven't looked at it in depth. For me, I think they look a bit short."