Bruce: I’m no puppet for Ashley

FROM BACK PAGE big one is whether I am going to sit here and be a puppet.

“That won’t happen – I am in charge of transfers.”

Bruce arrived in China on Thursday but must take up a watching brief because the terms of his 72-hour visa prevent him from working.

But the 58-year-old quickly got on the front foot by declaring that he will have the final say on transfers at St James’ Park.

He said: “To say I won’t be in charge of recruitment has insulted me.

“Let me tell you, if I thought I couldn’t have control of transfers, then I wouldn’t be doing the job. We’ve talked about budgets and it was pretty straightforward.

“Mike has always been pretty straight about that – whatever the club brings in and whatever we generate by