This is my 1000th game as a boss... I played over 950 and won every domestic medal there is. All I’m asking for is a bit of... RESPECT
STEVE BRUCE reeled off his remarkable achievements as a player and manager.
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 Bruce’s history has been forgotten.
The 60-year-old said: “It’s now 1000 games. 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’s a record, a longevity, that few, if any, can match.
Even some of his terrace critics on Tyneside won’t begrudge him a 1000th game in the dugout. Bruce is still fighting the fight.
The veteran manager 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’ve tried to put in place. I will keep my dignity. It has been difficult. But I’ve never given up.
“I was born and bred here. There is something in me. I wasn’t going down the shipyards when I was 17. It’s still in me.”
Wallsend lad Steve Roger Bruce played for Gillingham, Norwich, Manchester United, Birmingham and Sheffield United.
He won the League Cup and old Second Division title with Norwich then with Manchester United he won three Premier League titles, three FA Cups, a League Cup and a UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup.
He has managed 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 explained: “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?’
“Then I thought of my staff and this and that and I thought however difficult it is, it’s a great job. I’m one of 20 in the Premier League. I decided to carry on.”
Bruce blasted reporters, saying they had incorrectly reported he would be sacked this week, despite them being legitimately sourced.
He said: “I hope you’re feeling the heat because it hasn’t happened. Let’s hope you’re getting stick from your bosses. You have not done your job properly.”
He denied he was simply hanging round to get a pay off reported to be in the region of £8million saying it was an “awful question.”
He added: “It’s not all about money with me. 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, including the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, were “for politicians” to deal with.
And he is hoping the £305m Saudi-funded deal will eventually put the club “in the elite”. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said yesterday the Geordies would become a “superpower”.
And Bruce refused to criticise Mike Ashley who sold up after 14 years at Newcastle, 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 to this Premier League season 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. Newcastle will be able to call upon the fit-again Callum Wilson, Jamal Lascelles and Jonjo Shelvey for the clash with Tottenham and the manager reckons he is leading a squad “who are as excited as the fans”. Bruce explained: “There has been a monumental change and I’m sure they want to prove that they want to be part of it, to take the club to a better place.
“There has been a determination and bristle in training all week.”
While Bruce’s boys are feeling good, two unnamed Spurs stars have tested positive for coronavirus. Both men, who trained with their squad on Thursday, must now isolate for 10 days, keeping them out of the showdown at St James’ Park.