Steve Bruce will be in the Newcastle United dugout for Sunday’s Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur, minority owner Amanda Staveley has confirmed.
In the aftermath of last week’s takeover of the club by a Saudi Arabian-led consortium Newcastle have begun the search for a successor to Bruce, under whom the Magpies have struggled for results early in the season with fans having long since turned against the 60-year-old. It had been expected that either a new manager or caretaker would be in place for the first game of the post-Mike Ashley era but talks between Staveley and the coaching staff ended with the decision to stick with the incumbent for now.
The stay of professional execution means Bruce will be able to take charge of his 1,000th game as a manager, still searching for a first win of the season with Newcastle. Whether he will reach 1,001 remains a matter of considerable doubt; the simple act of the club hierarchy stating that Bruce will be in charge this weekend emphasizes that it is a matter of when, not if, a new manager is appointed.
“We have had an extremely busy week reviewing the business and getting to know people and it is imperative that we continue to be patient and considered in our approach,” Staveley said in a statement. “Change does not always happen overnight, it demands time and that we follow a carefully considered plan and strategy.
“We met Steve and the players on Monday and have given them the time and space this week to focus on preparing for what is a very important game on Sunday.
“Steve has been very professional in our dealings with him and he and his coaching team will take the team on Sunday. If we make any changes going forward, Steve will be the first to know but, in the meantime, we wish him the best of luck in his 1,000th match as a manager and will be joining you in getting right behind the team. Thank you for the warm welcome you have given us. We can’t wait to be at St. James’ Park with you.”
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Bruce said that his “informal” conversations with Staveley had not involved any discussion over his future as he insisted that he would be attempting to prove to the new ownership that he was the man for the job beyond Sunday’s game. He said: “I’ll have a crack and try my utmost, who wouldn’t want this opportunity? Any manager would love to sit in my chair, so I will make a fist of it and try my utmost. I will try my best for the club.”
The veteran manager acknowledged the intrigue around his future but says the only message he was relayed by his new bosses was to continue as normal, though he will need a significant and dramatic upswing in form if he is to have any chance whatsoever of shepherding Newcastle into the new era.
“I was told last week to carry on as normal last Monday,” Bruce said. “So, until I heard anything different. That’s been the case. So no matter what you guys have been writing and saying, I was told to carry on.
“I said, ‘No problem, I will carry on to the best of my ability.'”
With the wealth of majority owners Public Investment Fund — the $350 billion sovereign wealth fund of the Saudi Arabian state — backing them Newcastle have been linked with some of the biggest available managers in football as they plot an ambitious path to the highest level of European football. Former Borussia Dortmund manager Lucien Favre is among the candidates being considered at St. James’ Park but Rafael Benitez, a hugely popular figure on Tyneside after his tenure between 2016 and 2019, has followed Brendan Rodgers in distancing himself from the job.
Now in charge of Everton, Benitez said: “I have a great relationship with the fans at Newcastle and with the city, so I don’t think it is fair to talk too much about it. I decided to stay here; I’m really happy, and I’m focused. I wish [Newcastle] all the best.”
Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has also been linked with the likely vacancy at Newcastle and did not entirely distance himself from a possible move south of the border.
“I think it’s interesting, what’s happening at Newcastle,” he said. “I think if anyone deserves a break it’s the Geordie fans. So I’m sure that excitement levels are very high down on the Toon. And obviously everyone connected with the game is looking in with interest, to see how that develops.
“But from a personal point of view, I don’t really get involved in speculation. And I wish Steve Bruce all the best. I don’t really react or get involved in any kind of speculation, especially when there’s someone who I have the utmost respect for sitting in that job. I wouldn’t like people to be speculating about my job. For me, I am in a very big job and a very big role here which I am very much fully focused on.”
Bruce, a boyhood Newcastle fan, will address the media in his pre-match press conference. His side have drawn three and lost four of their league matches this season and were eliminated from the EFL Cup by Burnley.
