Milestone game for Newcastle manager could be a farewell

The welcome party for the new regime in control of Newcastle could double as a farewell for the club's coach.

Steve Bruce will take charge of his 1,000th match as a manager when Tottenham visits St. James' Park in the Premier League on Sunday, marking Newcastle's first game since being bought by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund.

Bruce's future has been shrouded in uncertainty since the 300-million-pound ($409 million) takeover that is likely to shake up not just the Premier League but European soccer also, given the vast resources available to the Public Investment Fund which is now the majority owner of Newcastle.

The PIF, along with the Britishbased Reuben brothers and financier Amanda Staveley's PCP Capital Partners, who own the remaining 20% of the club, have spent the week planning a strategy for Newcastle. Bruce is unlikely to be part of Newcastle's plans going forward but has been given his milestone match this weekend.

Bruce, a former Manchester United defender, has been Newcastle manager since July 2019. He wasn't a popular appointment because he had previously coached local rival Sunderland, and Newcastle fans also saw him as a downgrade to predecessor Rafa Benitez.

Making Bruce's position harder has been Newcastle's poor start to the season. The team has not won any of its first seven games in the Premier League and is in next-to-last place.

Less than an hour after Newcastle confirmed Bruce would still be in charge this weekend, he spoke for the first time since the buyout was finalized and said the last few days "hadn't been easy" because of the many reports saying he'd be losing his job.

Bruce, though, hasn't given up hope of being kept on.

The buyout has left many feeling uneasy, including Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp, who called on the Premier League to explain the reasons behind letting the PIF take control of a club amid human rights concerns in the kingdom.

The league approved the protracted takeover after saying it was satisfied that the PIF produced "legally binding assurances that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will not control Newcastle." That fund, which has bought 80% of the club, is chaired by Saudi Arabia's crown prince, Mohammad bin Salman, while there are six Saudi ministers and an advisor to the royal court on the PIF's board.