SLAM Job hangs by thread but as Bruce reaches 1,000 games he blasts: Show me respect
AMID the storm of managing Newcastle – winning only seven of the last 37 games, 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,” he said. “I played 950-odd as a player. I’ve been involved for 43 years on the trot, since I was a kid. I won every domestic medal there is... a few times over.”
The short-term arguments, controversy and upheaval may blur what that means. It may warp memories and change reputations.
But when Bruce’s career is concluded, it is a record – a longevity – that few, if any, can match in the game.
Even some of his terrace critics on Tyneside will not begrudge him a 1,000th game in the dug-out. Bruce is still fighting the fight.
He said: “What you cry out for is a bit of respect. Just a little 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.”
As a player, Wallsend lad Steve Roger Bruce won three Premier League titles, three FA Cups, a league cup and a UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup.
He has gone on to manage 10 clubs over 22 years, all with their problems and never among the elite.
Has he ever thought about taking a break, walking away? Yes, this summer. He 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 round to get a pay-off reported to be in the region of £8m, saying it was an “awful question”.
“It is not all about money with me,” he said. “I want to be the manager of Newcastle. That is not going to change. Who wouldn’t want to, especially now?
“I am focusing on Sunday, try to get a result and see what happens after that.”
Bruce says concerns about Saudi human rights abuses that have soured the takeover and the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi were “for politicians” to deal with.
And he is hoping the £305m deal will eventually put the club “in the elite”. Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said yesterday the Geordies would become a “superpower”.
And Bruce refused to criticise former owner 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, “the likes of which we’ve not witnessed in a long time”.
Bruce accepts criticism for his role in Newcastle’s winless start, adding: “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.
“Results haven’t been good enough. But when it becomes personal, you just cry out for a bit of respect.
“I understand it at the minute, results haven’t been good enough, so I take that on the chin. We all know the job. If you don’t get results, then you will be criticised. That’s the nature of the beast.”