How Macclesfield Town became a ‘mini Manchester United’
On Alex Bruce’s desk sits a Manchester United headed notepad. When asked about it, the recently installed Macclesfield manager laughs. “Darren Fletcher kindly gave me a tour of the training ground last night,” Bruce begins. “What a facility – it’s fabulous,” he continues, his left arm reaching to open a cupboard brimming with stationery gifted by United’s technical director. “He’s looked after me – I’ve got some books in here. He’s been a big help, Fletch. These are the contacts I’ll need to try and help me.”
Bruce’s maiden managerial posting is footballing light years from Old Trafford. His office has just about enough space to hang the Northern Premier League club’s kit for the weekend. Luxuries? They extend to a small sofa, a kettle, and a toaster.
And yet the United theme is prevalent. Bruce was appointed by director of football Robbie Savage, while he brought with him Phil Bardsley as assistant and Paul McGuiness – who spent 23 years at Carrington - as head of coaching. “Phil and I were in the same youth team as kids, and Paul was our coach,” Bruce explains. “We go back a long way.”
Bruce, who’s playing career peaked with spells at Ipswich Town and Hull City, was exploring academy coaching opportunities when Savage called. He quickly realised his passion would burn brighter “where people are relying on results and doing well.”
He describes himself as an “inexperienced, experienced coach” who has had “ringside seats” to management via dad Steve. “I’ve seen it, I’ve been around it a long time. Hopefully that little bit of knowledge will put me in good stead.”
Bruce senior is an unavoidable topic. “Newcastle,” Bruce junior sighs when asked about his dad’s spell in charge. A spell that ended abruptly following the club’s 2021 takeover. “Where do you start with that? He got brought up just around the corner from the shipyards in Wallsend. And if he was ever going to get the opportunity to have a crack at it, he always was going to. It was his club. The abuse and the stick that he got…I just thought it’s harsh for someone who gave their life to the sport.
“It’s a fabulous club and they’re passionate, but when you take all the bulls--- away, he was more delighted than anyone genuinely about the ownership. He still supports them now. He wants Eddie to do well. He’s not bitter about it because he knew that’s what needed to happen. And if he was sitting here now, he would say ‘I did my bit. It was tough. But I kept them in the Premier League, and I’d like to think I played a part in keeping the club stable for the new ownership’. A new brush sweeps clean in any walk of life.”
Given his dad’s experience of over 1,000 games in management, what advice was offered to Alex? “He just said ‘get ready for it – it’s like nothing you’ll ever experience in your life.’ From the day I took the job it’s full on. You do your coaching badges, but there’s no education like throwing yourself into the deep end.”
“The nerves go,” Bruce admits when recalling the first time he stood up in front of the players. “I was driving in, practicing, and looking at myself in the mirror thinking ‘what am I doing!”
Suddenly, Bruce’s mobile vibrates. He apologises and takes the call. “Roons…you ok pal?” he begins. “It’s half and half. Ok – so the lads will drive.” The caller is Wayne Rooney’s brother John. A few seconds later the conversation is done. “Saves the club a few quid not to put on a bus!”
Rooney, though, is far from Macclesfield’s biggest name. Danny Simpson – another who began life at United before winning the Premier League with Leicester – has signed playing forms. Likewise, Oumar Niasse, a £13.5 million signing for Everton back in 2016.
And yet with his squad part-time, Bruce must contend with non-footballing commitments too. “Laurent Mendy, my centre-half, works in a kitchen in Manchester,” Bruce says. “He knocked on the door on Friday saying ‘boss, we’ve got a big game tomorrow I want to do well…but I’m on a night shift so I’m working from four till midnight. Can you ring and try and get me a couple of hours off so I can get a good night’s sleep?’ We managed to get him a couple of hours off!”
It would be easy to glance cursorily at Macclesfield’s position just outside the play-offs in Step 3 of the non-league pyramid and assume Bruce’s job lacks pressure. Quite the opposite is true, though.
The club was formed following Macclesfield Town’s September 2020 dissolution and earned back-to-back promotions in its first two seasons. A Football League return is the ultimate aim.
Bruce wants his players to enjoy themselves, but also realises that “people raise their game” against them. “My job is to build a team and get the lads equipped to deal with that. But I need to balance that with not putting too much on the lads – otherwise they will feel they are walking on eggshells with the weight of the world on the shoulders.”
Macclesfield is clearly thriving again. Their artificial pitch means the ground is rarely empty, whether that be the first team, the women’s team, the international academy or external bookings. And - aided by bars that run the pitch’s length and a pizza oven – men’s home league crowds nudge 3,000. “On a match day it’s a bit different,” Bruce explains “Watch Gillette Soccer Saturday and be on the half-turn to watch a bit of football as well.” Only a footballer would use such a phrase. Bruce smiles. “I just need to get my players playing on the half-turn and I’ll have cracked it!”
