OLD PALS’ AXE
Smith fears Bruce will be gunning for former club
DEAN SMITH says Steve Bruce will be busting a gut to put one over Aston Villa tonight.
Former Villa boss Bruce knows victory over the side that sacked him will virtually rubberstamp Newcastle’s safety.
And Smith believes the Toon boss would derive extra pleasure if that came against his old club.
Bruce’s two-year reign there ended in the sack after a 3-3 draw against the Championship’s bottom club, Preston in October 2018. One fan threw a cabbage onto the pitchside track in protest.
Smith took over, staged a last-gasp 10-match winning run to grab a play-off spot and seal promotion. But now Villa are floundering in the Premier League drop zone, needing three points to jump out of it.
Newcastle’s 3-0 victory over Sheffield United on Sunday took them to 38 points, and Smith said: “It was a really good win. It will give them a lot of confidence.
“It won’t be a good time to play them because I’ve known Steve for a long time and he’ll want to beat Aston Villa.
“Whenever you play against one of your former teams, there’s always that extra edge. No1, he wants to win because he’s manager of Newcastle. But No2, because he used to be manager at Aston Villa.
“He’s done really well. He has great know-how and experience. I have a great deal of respect for him and Stephen Clemence and the jobs they’ve done wherever they’ve been. This will be a tough game for us.”
Bruce “touted” Villa captain Jack Grealish around the Premier League in a bid to save his former club before new owners came in. Now he insists Grealish is good enough to go to the Euros with England.
Bruce said: “Aston Villa was arguably the most difficult job. After we lost the play-off final the club was within hours [of going bust].
“I’m trying to tout Jack Grealish around everywhere to try to raise money. But the new owners came in and made the decision they made.”