The inevitable has happened. 13 days after the Saudi Arabia-backed Public Investment Fund completed their takeover of Newcastle United, the Magpies’ manager Steve Bruce has left his position at the club by mutual consent on Wednesday. An unpopular figure amongst the Geordie faithful, Bruce’s only match in charge of Newcastle underneath their new owners ended in a 3-2 home defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.
Replacing the popular Rafael Benitez in 2019, Bruce was the final manager appointed by unpopular former owner Mike Ashley – and his appointment was an epitome about everything that was wrong about the Ashley era. Underneath the Sports Direct tycoon, Newcastle was often accused of being too unambitious, and replacing a Champions League-winning manager with one who had just guided Sheffield Wednesday to a mid-table finish in the 2018/19 EFL Championship season was seen as such a move.
Despite leading Newcastle to safety in his two full years – 13th in the 2019/20 season and 12th in the 2020/21 season – Bruce had never truly endeared himself with the Newcastle fans and with the PIF taking over the club from Ashley, the former Hull City manager’s exit from Tyneside was seen as a matter of when and not if.
Graeme Jones has been appointed as caretaker manager as Newcastle’s new owners began their hunt for a new manager, with the likes of Antonio Conte, Lucien Favre, Frank Lampard, Eddie Howe, and Zinedine Zidane being linked with the St James Park hot seat.
“I am grateful to everyone connected with Newcastle United for the opportunity to manage this unique football club,” said Bruce, as quoted from BBC Sport, “I would like to thank my coaching team, the players, and the support staff in particular for all their hard work. There have been highs and lows, but they have given everything even in difficult moments and should be proud of their efforts. This is a club with incredible support and I hope the new owners can take it forward to where we all want it to be. I wish everyone the very best of luck for the rest of this season and beyond.”
Newcastle legend Alan Shearer pays tribute to Bruce, saying in a tweet, “I know how tough it was for any manager at Newcastle for the last 14 years. I also know how badly Steve & his family wanted it to work. In difficult circumstances for everybody, he kept Newcastle up for two seasons. It’s a new era now, but thank you, Steve, for your effort & commitment.”
Allan Saint-Maximin, one of the shining lights of Bruce’s tenure, had this to say, “You are, without a doubt, one of the most gentle people that I have ever met in the world of football. You have been a man of your word, a caring man, and a fair man who never hesitated to protect us. I will never forget how you treated me, for that I will be forever grateful.”
Bruce has stated in an interview with the Daily Telegraph that the Newcastle job was probably “his last job,” hinting at possible retirement.
Naturally, the news of Bruce’s exit was met with enjoyment from the Newcastle fanbase. A few fans had been chanting for his exit in Newcastle’s defeat at the hands of Tottenham, while another was quoted to have felt “over the moon” by the 60-year old’s departure.
“It’s a new era for the football club and it was essential that Steve Bruce was moved on,” said Alex Hirst of The True Faith podcast, as quoted from BBC Sport, “No wins this season and, quite simply, if you look at Steve Bruce’s record this season but also over the last 38 games as a whole, I think they’ve won seven of those 38 games, very few football managers in any division in any country would be able to survive that sort of record. To put it simply, I think he was yesterday’s man. He might have been a good manager 20 years ago but he’s not anymore.”
Newcastle’s next match will be a trip away to Crystal Palace this weekend and Jones is expected to oversee proceedings before the PIF could appoint a new manager in due time.