Former Newcastle United boss Steve Bruce has opened up on the criticism he received during his time at St James’ Park.
The ex-Aston Villa, Sunderland and Sheffield Wednesday boss spent just over two years at boyhood club Newcastle before being replaced by Eddie Howe in October 2021 following the Magpies £300million takeover by Saudi-led consortium PIF.
Despite keeping Newcastle in the Premier League for both of his full seasons with the Magpies, Bruce was heavily criticised for his time at the club, with the now West Bromwich Albion boss opening up on the criticism he received during his 97-game run at the club.
Speaking to FourFourTwo, Bruce, who during his time at Newcastle was referred to as a ‘tactically inept cabbage head,’ felt that the mockery he received while in the north east “crossed a line.”
“I was under no illusions whatsoever when I arrived at Newcastle,” said Bruce. “I was becoming part of an unpopular regime and knew I’d be associated with Mike Ashley from day one. And I was replacing Rafael Benitez, who was loved by the fans.
“So I expected criticism and yes, some of it was justified. We weren’t pleasing on the eye a lot of the time and there were periods when we really struggled. But the ridicule and the mockery crossed a line. It did hurt me and it upset my family, too.
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“After my first match, I was accused of throwing on a substitute and telling him to play where he wanted – then the next week, someone said I didn’t know how to properly warm up the team. I was even accused of giving the squad too much time off so I could go off on holiday! Criticism is one thing, but on occasions it got very personal and showed a basic lack of respect.”
Bruce left Newcastle following a 3-2 defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur, a match that was his 1,000th game in charge as a professional manager in his career.
At the time of Bruce’s Newcastle exit, the Magpies were 19 th in the Premier League table after eight games of the 2021/22 season, having not won at the time.
Newcastle ended the season in 11 th place on 49 points after a stellar 2022 under Eddie Howe. Since the turn of the year, Newcastle returned 38 points at a rate of two points per game, the third best points per game record of any team in England’s top-flight in that time. Only Liverpool (2.68) and Manchester City (2.39) averaged more points in the second half of the season.
A big part of that form was due to the five January signings made by the club, with Bruno Guimaraes, Chris Wood, Dan Burn, Kieran Trippier and Matt Targett (on loan) all arriving on Tyneside.
Newcastle have been linked with further signings this month, with Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Barcelona's Memphis Depay among the players linked.
