Bruno knows, from bitter experience, there is no time like the present for Albion to launch their Championship recovery.
The veteran Spanish right-back already has one relegation on his CV.
He does not want another to blemish his love affair with England.
He says the fightback now that Albion have dropped into the bottom three must begin immediately, not next week at home to fellow strugglers Millwall, or the following week at out-of-form Wolves, but right now, today at table-topping Derby County.
Bruno, 34, is still scarred by the memory of relegation from the second tier of Spanish football with Lleida earlier in his career.
The classy right-back, who went on to play for Valencia before joining Albion, told The Argus: “I had one experience in the Championship, quite similar to now. For that reason I am talking about us needing to change as soon as possible.
“Now it is much easier to play than a few months later. Now you can feel the pressure but in the last two months, when you are there, you feel it more.
“Now we have time enough to change the situation. At the end of the season it’s more difficult.
“At Lleida the season before we had a good season and after we changed a lot of players as well and we had big problems. In the end we were relegated. It was a big thing for everyone, especially for me.
“We need to change now, it’s not about tomorrow. We cannot be waiting for the next game, it’s today.”
Although Bruno draws parallels with his experience at Lleida, he also remains optimistic Albion can extricate themselves from the mess they currently find themselves in if everybody pulls together.
He said: “I think it’s really different, because you cannot compare the clubs, the team-mates, everything. It’s really, really different. I think there are a lot of things for us to be positive about.
“Now it’s about feeling. We need to know what it means to be here. It’s not just for ourselves as players, it’s for the club and we need to change it.
“It’s not time to be selfish, it’s time to be thinking about the team, thinking about the club. We need to work hard and give 100%.”
For Bruno, in footballing terms, it is all about living in the present, not the past two seasons as part of a squad that finished in the top six, or a future secured this week by another one-year contract extension keeping him on the South Coast until the end of next season.
The relegation worry hovers but, off the pitch, he could not be happier with the decision he made to switch clubs and countries three summers ago. It has far exceeded his expectations.
He said: “I couldn’t have expected the life I am living now. When you are looking for a new experience you are a little bit scared.
“It’s a new country, a lot of new people, different culture, new language – it’s quite tough.
“But I have been really happy for the last two years and I’m really happy now. It’s one of the nicest experiences I’ve ever had.
“The injuries have been the worst time but it felt like home here from the first day, when Steve Gibbon (player liaison manager) picked me up at the airport and my English was so bad! I felt so good and I am grateful to everyone.”
Original article
The veteran Spanish right-back already has one relegation on his CV.
He does not want another to blemish his love affair with England.
He says the fightback now that Albion have dropped into the bottom three must begin immediately, not next week at home to fellow strugglers Millwall, or the following week at out-of-form Wolves, but right now, today at table-topping Derby County.
Bruno, 34, is still scarred by the memory of relegation from the second tier of Spanish football with Lleida earlier in his career.
The classy right-back, who went on to play for Valencia before joining Albion, told The Argus: “I had one experience in the Championship, quite similar to now. For that reason I am talking about us needing to change as soon as possible.
“Now it is much easier to play than a few months later. Now you can feel the pressure but in the last two months, when you are there, you feel it more.
“Now we have time enough to change the situation. At the end of the season it’s more difficult.
“At Lleida the season before we had a good season and after we changed a lot of players as well and we had big problems. In the end we were relegated. It was a big thing for everyone, especially for me.
“We need to change now, it’s not about tomorrow. We cannot be waiting for the next game, it’s today.”
Although Bruno draws parallels with his experience at Lleida, he also remains optimistic Albion can extricate themselves from the mess they currently find themselves in if everybody pulls together.
He said: “I think it’s really different, because you cannot compare the clubs, the team-mates, everything. It’s really, really different. I think there are a lot of things for us to be positive about.
“Now it’s about feeling. We need to know what it means to be here. It’s not just for ourselves as players, it’s for the club and we need to change it.
“It’s not time to be selfish, it’s time to be thinking about the team, thinking about the club. We need to work hard and give 100%.”
For Bruno, in footballing terms, it is all about living in the present, not the past two seasons as part of a squad that finished in the top six, or a future secured this week by another one-year contract extension keeping him on the South Coast until the end of next season.
The relegation worry hovers but, off the pitch, he could not be happier with the decision he made to switch clubs and countries three summers ago. It has far exceeded his expectations.
He said: “I couldn’t have expected the life I am living now. When you are looking for a new experience you are a little bit scared.
“It’s a new country, a lot of new people, different culture, new language – it’s quite tough.
“But I have been really happy for the last two years and I’m really happy now. It’s one of the nicest experiences I’ve ever had.
“The injuries have been the worst time but it felt like home here from the first day, when Steve Gibbon (player liaison manager) picked me up at the airport and my English was so bad! I felt so good and I am grateful to everyone.”
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Original article