Steve Bruce expecting decision on his West Brom future soon

The former Newcastle chief signed an 18-month deal at The Hawthorns when he replaced Valerien Ismael in February.

But Bruce’s position will be reviewed by chief executive Ron Gourlay at the end of the season.

The 61-year-old wants to stay and has begun identifying transfer targets for next year. But he admits he hasn’t had the impact he expected when he arrived at The Hawthorns – with the boss having won only three of his 12 games so far.

“I’ve said it before, the club isn’t going to accept being halfway in the division so my future must come under the hammer,” Bruce said.

“It hasn’t been good enough – and that includes me too.

“Rightly so, the club won’t accept it. We have to accept that we haven’t been good enough, and when you’re not good enough, you have to implement change.

“I hope I’m here to make those changes but we’ll have to wait and see. That’s for other people to decide, not me.”

Bruce says adding more flair to Albion’s squad will be a priority if he stays – with the Baggies having struggled for creativity all season.

“Defensively we are sound enough,” the boss said.

“I think it’s fair to say we have to be a bit more creative.

“We have to score more. That’s no disrespect to what we’ve got, but we have to add a bit of balance and flair to the squad because we need it.

“We need to find a couple of midfielders who can be a bit more creative.”

While adding creativity is the big priority, Bruce believes Albion’s entire squad needs a ‘substantial’ overhaul.

“I think we all agree that’s what we need,” he continued.

“There are a lot of players who have served the club well and have been here a long time.

“But I think the whole place needs a freshen up and an injection into the squad is something the supporters can get excited about.

“I think it needs freshening up. How big? I would think it would be substantial. I hope.”