Bruce: To be told I was useless, a stupid cabbage head, has been tough

➤ Sacked manager reveals that Newcastle ‘might be my last job’ ➤ The 60-year-old adds that his one task was to keep the club up

Steve Bruce has revealed that he is now likely to retire due to the strain he has endured during his two-year spell at Newcastle United, which ended yesterday.

Bruce’s sacking had been widely expected since the Saudi Arabianled takeover at St James’ Park a fortnight ago and was confirmed yesterday morning, after taking charge of the team for last Sunday’s match against Tottenham Hotspur – his 1,000th as a manager.

His previous 999 games included spells at Sheffield United, Huddersfield Town, Wigan Athletic, Crystal Palace, Birmingham City, Sunderland, Hull City, Aston Villa and Sheffield Wednesday, in addition to his time at Newcastle, which began in 2019.

His tenure has been overshadowed by hostility from supporters who were always opposed to his appointment and criticised his style of football. But he leaves having accomplished his mission of keeping the club in the top flight.

In an exclusive interview with The Daily Telegraph, Bruce revealed that a desire not to expose his family to more strain was behind his reluctance to seek a new managerial post.

“I think this might be my last job,” said Bruce. “By the time I got to Newcastle, I thought I could handle everything thrown at me, but it has been very, very tough.

“To never really be wanted, to feel that people wanted me to fail, to read people constantly saying I would fail, that I was useless, a fat waste of space, a stupid, tacticallyinept cabbage head or whatever. And it was from day one.

“It’s not just about me; it’s taken its toll on my whole family because they are all Geordies and I can’t ignore that.

“They have been worried about me, especially my wife Jan. What an amazing woman she is. She dealt with the death of my parents, hers have not been very well. And then she has had me to worry about and what I’ve been going through the last couple of years.

“I can’t take her for granted, she has spent her whole life following me around from club to club and if I was to say to her tomorrow, I’ve been offered a job in China, she would say, ‘Steve, do you want to do it?’ And she’d back me again.

“I’m 60 and I don’t know if I want to put her through it again. We’ve got a good life so, yeah, this will probably be me done as a manager – until I get a phone call from a chairman somewhere asking if I can give them a hand. Never say never, I’ve learnt that!”

That last sentence was followed by a laugh and a wry smile – or, possibly, a grimace. Bruce feels like he is done. He has, like many others before him, been chewed up and spat out by Newcastle United.

“I really have to thank all the people who have worked alongside me, because I can be hard work.

“When we get beat, I get very low, but when you are managing in the Premier League with Birmingham, Wigan, Hull, Sunderland you do get better at dealing with it.

“When we were doing OK, results-wise, it was ‘yeah but the style of football is rubbish’, or I was just ‘lucky.’ It was ridiculous and persistent, even when the results were good,” he added.

“The best one was to be told we were a relegation team in all but points – this was all in the first season. We finished 13th.

“It [the criticism and abuse] got even worse in the second year. We finished 12th, 17 points clear of the bottom three.

“I tried to enjoy it and, you know, I did. But it does take its toll because even when you win a game, you don’t feel like you are winning over the supporters.”

Bruce insisted he harboured no resentment towards the fans who wanted him out, and said that the club deserved a bright future under their new owners.

“The only task I was given was to keep the club up,” he said. “There wasn’t the money to overhaul the squad. Covid drained the club of money, there was virtually nothing to spend this summer, but I wouldn’t walk away from it.

“The takeover rumours were rumbling on in the background, but they would not have bought the club if it had been relegated. Everyone knew that.

“I’m really happy for the fans, the city, everyone associated with this great club. This takeover had to happen for the club to improve. It had to happen for Newcastle to have a chance to be the club we all think it should be.

“I did my best, I will leave it to other people to judge whether I did OK or not. I wish the new owners, the players and fans nothing but the best. I’m excited about the club’s future. That is the most important thing.”

And as for Bruce himself – what does his future hold?

“Why have I kept coming back?” he added. “It’s me. It’s who I am. Football has been my life. Someone reminded me the other day of the two headers I scored against Sheffield Wednesday that helped Manchester United win the first Premier League title in 1993.

“To still be involved 30 years later, well, I’ve been very lucky. I must have done OK.”