WE’RE EXPECTED TO STRUGGLE

BUT BOSS BRUCE INSISTS TOON ARE IMPROVING

STEVE BRUCE has told his critics Newcastle United are a club who expect to be in the bottom half of the Premier League and insisted that the team have progressed under his management.

The Magpies boss has been forced to answer questions about his future this week after a dispiriting 1-0 defeat at Brentford in the quarter-final of the Carabao Cup.

But Bruce, whose side are 12th in the table with 18 points, says expectations should not be forgotten when it comes to analysing Newcastle’s season.

‘If you’re a club like ours that expects to be in the bottom half of the Premier League, it’s always tough,’ he said ahead of this evening’s trip to Manchester City, with top two Liverpool and Leicester to follow in the next eight days.

‘Arsenal on 14 points, that shows you how tough it is. That’s what the Premier League is, that will never change. There will be periods when you’re up and down.

‘We’ve had a bad week. Only a few weeks ago we were delighted with the performance and win at Crystal Palace and followed it up against West Brom. Unfortunately, we’ve had a poor week. We have to accept it and get on with it.’

Bruce has now been in the job for 17 months and supporters have complained about little evidence of progress in that time.

The manager disagrees. ‘Since I have walked through the door, the first thing I have tried to do is take the club forward,’ he said. ‘That is my job. I am a Newcastle fan like everyone knows.

‘But it is slow. After losing to Brentford, I have to accept there are people who will say there has been no progress. I would beg to differ, but I am never going to shy away from people who have opinions.

‘And now, when you are up against it a bit, you have to batten down the hatches and firmly believe in what you are doing. I’ve been up against it before. It’s my turn (now), because we lost to Brentford.

‘If you manage Newcastle, you have to deal with the consequences. Thankfully, I’ve been around the block a bit and been in difficult situations before. The one thing I’d never do is shy away from it.’

Meanwhile, Bruce has confirmed that winger Allan Saint-Maximin has returned home to France to recover from the after-effects of Covid- 19. Captain Jamaal Lascelles will also be missing until the new year, having been hit hard by the virus this month. Under fire: Toon boss Bruce