Bruce left Hull City before the start of the season and is the new manager of Aston Villa.
Former Hull City manager Steve Bruce
Former Hull City boss Steve Bruce has admitted to Talksport he had a poor summer transfer window.
Bruce left his post ahead of the new season, having returned the Tigers to the Premier League at the very first attempt.
The 56-year-old failed to add to his squad before leaving, with his replacement Mike Phelan – who had worked under Bruce at the KCOM Stadium – also struggling to find new additions until late in the summer transfer window.
Hull City manager Mike Phelan
In the space of two days – 30 and 31 August – Hull added six new players to their ranks, but have taken just one point from a possible 18 since then.
And Bruce, who took the reins at Aston Villa earlier this month, says his old side haven’t really improved since last season, when they finished fourth in the Championship.
“It was never going to be easy [for Phelan],” the North East native told Talksport. “To be perfectly honest, I had a poor transfer window.
“When you come up from the Championship you need to go and improve the team, you need an injection of three or four or five who can go and affect the team. And with what they’ve brought in they haven’t really improved.”
Hull City’s Will Keane was one of six late-window additions
Bruce has won two of his three games in charge of Aston Villa – drawing the other one – to give Villans hope of securing an unlikely promotion this season.
The former Birmingham City boss has been promoted four times in as many attempts with the Blues and Hull, and has taken Villa from two points off the relegation places to six points off the play-offs.
Aston Villa’s Jonathan Kodjia celebrates Saturday’s winner with his teammates
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