NEWCASTLE V 4.30PM TOMORROW Bruce: I just want a little bit of respect
AMID the storm of managing Newcastle – winning only seven of the past 37 matches, fronting up for Mike Ashley, regime change and fan chants against him – there are times when Steve Bruce’s history has been forgotten.
“It is now 1,000 games,” said the Toon boss. “I played 950-odd as a player. I have been involved for 43 years on the trot, since I was a kid. I won every domestic medal there is... a few times over.” Short-term arguments, controversy and upheaval may blur what that means. But when Bruce’s career is concluded, it is a longevity that few, if any, can match. Even some of his terrace critics on Tyneside will not begrudge him a 1,000th game in the dugout.
Bruce is still fighting the fight.
He said: “What you cry out for is a bit of respect... and have some dignity about you. That’s what I have tried to put in place. “I will keep my dignity. It has been difficult but I have never given up. I was born and bred here. There is something in me. I wasn’t going down the shipyards [aged 17]. It is still in me.”
As a player, Wallsend lad Steve Roger Bruce won three Premier League titles, three FA Cups, two
League Cups and a European Cup Winners’ Cup.
He has managed 10 clubs over 23 years, all with their problems and never among the elite.
Has he ever thought about taking a break, walking away? Yes, this summer. Bruce said: “After finishing 12th and 13th and matching the previous manager [Rafa Benitez], I was asking, ‘Can I get any better than this? How do I take the club forward?’
“I thought, however difficult it is, it’s still a great job. I’m one of 20 in the Premier League. I decided to carry on.”
He denied he was simply hanging around to get a pay off reported to be in the region of £8million, saying it was an “awful question”.
“It’s not all about money,” he said. “I want to be the manager of Newcastle.
“That’s not going to change.Who wouldn’t want to, especially now? I am focusing on Sunday and seeing what happens after that.”
Bruce says concerns about Saudi human rights abuses that have soured the takeover were “for politicians” to deal with.
And he hopes the £305m Saudifunded deal will eventually put the club “in the elite”.
Bruce refused to criticise Ashley, who sold up after 14 years, saying: “I’ll let others judge.
“For me, I will always thank him for the opportunity to manage this club.”
Instead he is looking forward to a “ridiculous atmosphere” at St James’ Park tomorrow.
Bruce accepts criticism for his role in Newcastle’s winless start, saying: “If you’re in the bottom six or seven and you haven’t won all season, then very quickly you become under the pump.We all accept that.”
Callum Wilson, Jamal Lascelles and Jonjo Shelvey are fit again and leading a squad “who are as excited as the fans”. Bruce added: “There has been a monumental change and I’m sure they want to prove that they want to be part of it.”