Bruce orders West Brom's long commuters to buy new homes- "They get paid enough"

Steve Bruce, the West Bromwich Albion boss, has told his players to move nearer to the club or risk being left out in the cold.

Veteran boss Bruce made the admission after he revealed 'eight or nine' members of his squad live over an hour away from the club's training ground.

One of those players is goalkeeper David Button. The 33-year-old's family are based down in Brighton, meaning a lengthy commute to the Midlands for the stopper.

It is thought a clutch of other players also live outside the catchment area, meaning a three-hour round-trip most days for them to attend training.

That has not impressed Bruce, whose arrival in February has not brought an improvement in results. The Baggies are 12th in the Championship table and their play-off hopes are effectively over.

Button is set to keep goal for the side's remaining five matches this season, with number one Sam Johnstone poised to depart in the summer having let his contract run down.

Bruce said: "He (Button) won't live in Brighton anymore if he wants new (contract) talks. It's something we have to address.

"I don't think travelling more than an hour can be good for you. We have got eight or nine who travel and I don't think that's healthy so we'll try and address it. If they have to find an apartment locally and have two homes so be it. They get paid enough."

Bruce's side face Blackpool at the Hawthorns on Good Friday sitting eight points adrift of the play-offs. Even victories in all five of their remaining games is unlikely to be enough to force them into the top six. If that is the case, it would represent a hugely disappointing return for a side that was expected to challenge following Premier League relegation last term.

Bruce admits he will sit down with the club's owners in the next few weeks to try and build the foundations for a more successful campaign next year.

He added: "It's got to be in the next few weeks that we have that conversation. We have put things in order so far. I think it will be towards the end of the season and (depend) on where we finish and where we are. I've said it before, the club isn't going to accept being halfway in the division, so my future, David Button's future, anybody's future, must come under the hammer. 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 it, but we'll have to wait and see. That's for other people to decide, not me."