Devil of game for former Man U favourite

STEVE Bruce does not need to be told about the tradition and rivalry attached to tomorrow’s fixture against Manchester United.

The former Red Devils skipper was the target of the boo boys in the 1990s as he was deemed a traitor by some even though Newcastle let him slip through the net as a youngster.

Newcastle’s loss was Manchester United’s gain as he helped guide the Old Trafford side to multiple trophies.

However, even though Geordie fans would relish heaping more misery on Bruce’s old club, he feels the name of this weekend’s opponents are almost irrelevant given the fact it is his own side which is under pressure to deliver following last weekend’s pummelling at Leicester.

Bruce said: “No matter who we played, 100% I would be expecting a reaction after that.

“We were disappointing the way we played against Norwich and we reacted the right way.

“So we will have to do exactly the same now.”

Bruce knows the fixture has been regarded as a classic for a reason over the decades.

He was not in the Old Trafford hammered 5-0 by Kevin Keegan’s Entertainers but said: “It is always a special time when Manchester United come to town.

“I know from my own personal experience of how big an impact that crowd can be. It is a wonderful opportunity to erase memories of what was a horror show last week.

“There is no better way than doing it against somebody like Manchester United at home.”

The atmosphere has been flat in recent times at St James’ Park.

Bruce feels there is only one way to reignite it, adding: “We have to give the crowd something to shout about first.

“We know that. I am determined we will do that.

“I hope that we will go and put in a really good performance and show that resilience.

“You need that against anybody, let alone the big teams.”