STEVE BRUCE will be back in a North-East dugout this evening, being booed by the home fans. Four months on from his dismissal as Newcastle United manager, and the recently-appointed West Brom boss might well reflect that on that score at least, precious little has changed.

Yet while Newcastle supporters might regard Bruce’s two-and-a-half year spell in charge of his hometown club as an unmitigated disaster, the man he will share a touchline with at the Riverside this evening feels that would be a grossly unfair assessment.

Yes, Bruce was unable to guide Newcastle into the top half of the Premier League table. Yes, he left in October having failed to win any of his nine games in charge in the current campaign. Yes, his replacement, Eddie Howe, has transformed the Magpies’ fortunes, guiding them out of the bottom three.

But assessing one manager’s performance against the other, Wilder does not feel you are comparing like for like. In fact, the Boro boss believes anyone would have struggled in Bruce’s position at St James’ Park prior to last year’s Saudi Arabia-backed takeover.

“He went into a job at Newcastle that he could never turn down,” said Wilder. “But it was such a difficult job. You look at that football club now, and it’s completely changed from what it was like when Steve went in.

“I’m not wanting to get into a fight with Newcastle fans, but I don’t think I’m being controversial when I say that Eddie Howe has gone into a completely different situation to the one Steve was part of.

“I’m sure Eddie will do a fantastic job, and he’s already got them winning games of football, but the supporters are right behind him. The supporters were never behind Steve. He had to take the job when he did, but it’s a different club entirely now.

“You ask any of the players there that played under Steve and are playing as part of this new era now, and they’ll tell you how much easier to play at St James’ Park now than it was then. It’s what we’re all trying to create – an environment at a home game which allows the players to express themselves, play their game and give themselves an opportunity to win.

“What you don’t want is a situation where there’s booing and heckling and criticism. It’s a lot of stuff that’s happened, and Newcastle fans will know their club better than I do, but from a manager’s point of view, I think that would have been a difficult place to play football, and it was always going to be difficult for Steve being a part of that because he was an appointment made by somebody that the supporters weren’t having.”

Wilder’s admiration for Bruce’s wider managerial career comes despite the fact that their relationship hardly got off to the best of starts at Bramall Lane.

Having been handed his first managerial position as boss of Sheffield United, one of Bruce’s first acts was to release Wilder, a then 32-year-old right-back in his second spell with the Blades.

“I keep reminding Steve that he gave me a free transfer, although I possibly deserved it at the time,” said the Boro boss. “That was Steve’s first job, so for me to have a really good relationship with him even after all that just shows what he’s all about.

“I still remember that little period of my time, but I think his record speaks for itself, especially in terms of how many promotions he’s had out of the Championship. He’s just a really good guy, a proper football man who’s had a fabulous career and been very successful.”

Bruce has been tasked with getting West Brom’s promotion push back on track after the Baggies experienced a difficult first half of the season under Valerien Ismael, and while the North-Easterner has managed to pick up just one point from his first three games, Wilder does not think it will be long before he gets his new club back on track.

“I think Steve’s trying to change their style back to more like what it was when Slav (Bilic) and Sam Allardyce were manager,” he said. “There was obviously a change at the start of the season, but I’m sure Steve will get them back playing in the way I would imagine West Brom fans want them to play.

“If you look at the group, they’ve got talented players all over the pitch, the majority of whom were playing in the Premier League last year. This is still a really tough game.

“Steve, being the winner he is, he’ll want to come back up north and get his stint at West Brom off and running with that first win.”