Steve Bruce yesterday said that his stint at Newcastle United could be his last managerial role after the 60-year-old left the club following a poor start to their English Premier League campaign and the takeover of the side by a Saudi Arabian-backed consortium.
Bruce, who has been the target of fans’ ire since replacing the popular Rafa Benitez in 2019, left by mutual consent with the team in 19th place and winless after eight games.
“I think this might be my last job. It’s not just about me; it’s taken its toll on my family because they are all Geordies and I can’t ignore that,” Bruce told the Telegraph. “This will probably be me done as a manager until I get a phone call from a chairman somewhere asking if I can give them a hand. Never say never, I’ve learned that.”
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Bruce, a boyhood Newcastle fan, said the abuse directed at him by supporters was difficult to take.
“To never really be wanted, to feel that people wanted me to fail, to read people constantly saying I would fail, that I was useless, a fat waste of space, a stupid, tactically inept cabbage head ... and it was from day one,” Bruce said.
“I tried to enjoy it and ... I did. I’ve always enjoyed the fight, proving people wrong, but that’s all it ever seemed to be. A fight, a battle. It does take its toll because even when you win a game, you don’t feel like you’re winning over supporters,” he added.
Bruce had appeared to be on borrowed time after the Premier League announced earlier this month that Newcastle had been sold to a consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
The 60-year-old had said following the change of ownership that he would understand if he was replaced, but he was allowed to take charge of the 1,000th match in his managerial career when Newcastle hosted Tottenham Hotspur in the league, losing 3-2 on Sunday.
However, the signs were ominous, with Newcastle’s new director Amanda Staveley saying “change does not always happen overnight.”
“I would like to thank my coaching team, the players and the support staff in particular for all their hard work,” Bruce said in a club statement. “There have been highs and lows, but they have given everything even in difficult moments and should be proud of their efforts.”
Newcastle said Bruce’s assistant Graeme Jones would lead the team on an interim basis, starting with Saturday’s trip to Crystal Palace, and would be supported by the coaching team of Steve Agnew, Stephen Clemence, Ben Dawson and Simon Smith.
Sky Sports reported that former AS Roma manager Paulo Fonseca, who was on the radar of Tottenham Hotspur earlier this year, was among a number of contenders for the job.
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