Speaking to Sports Mole, Steve Bruce claims that he worked alongside the new owners at Newcastle United to identify his replacement, before he parted company with the club.
Steve Bruce has revealed that he worked alongside Newcastle United‘s owners to help identify his replacement shortly before his sacking back in November 2021.
A boyhood Newcaslte fan, Bruce took charge of the Magpies following Rafael Benitez‘s departure during the summer of 2019.
After guiding the club to back-to-back mid-table finishes, safely away from relegation, Bruce’s position instantly came under threat when the Saudi Public Investment Fund completed their takeover of the club.
After some brief speculation, Bruce departed the club after managing the 1,000th game of his career, in Newcastle’s 3-2 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at St James’ Park.
Now, speaking to Sports Mole, Bruce has revealed that he worked closely with the new owners and board at Newcastle in selecting his own successor.
“Well I’m always a believer that a new broom sweeps clean, I came forward when I first met the new owners and I put a couple of names [forward] for them to succeed me which is quite rare!” Bruce admitted.
“The one thing you have to give credit to the owners [for is] they have put people in high places like Dan Ashworth and Darren Eales, and their recruitment over the last couple of years has been absolutely terrific.
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“Every one of them has contributed and I think that has been key, what they have done at the top end of the club, and you have to say in a couple of years, they have done fantastically well.”
Eddie Howe, who ended up replacing Bruce, led the Magpies into the Champions League after finishing fourth in the Premier League last season, and the former defender was keen to stress how important maintaining that level of performance is, especially given the challenge of juggling multiple competitions.
Newcastle have found it tough in a very difficult Champions League group, alongside Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund, as they will enter the final matchday in third, two points adrift of the top two.
“The difficulty they are going to find of course is maintaining it and staying there and they have been racked with injuries of late, and playing in Europe and getting used to that, but they have had a successful couple of years, it has been an unbelievable rise,” Bruce added.
After back-to-back defeats to Dortmund, an injury-hit Newcastle came within seconds of a win at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday, before a controversial late penalty earned the hosts a draw.
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Howe’s side look likely to challenge the European spots again this season too though, despite the additional distraction of Champions League football, with them currently lying seventh, five points adrift of the top four.
Additionally, Bruce was rather dismissive of concerns around the ethical implications of Newcastle’s recent takeover, claiming that other clubs are in the same boat as the Magpies.
“Of course there is going to be that debate about where the money comes from and this, that, and the other, but isn’t that debate raging in most clubs?” Bruce queried.
“The supporters now, if you ask every single one of them what they have witnessed over the last couple of years, I am sure they will be delighted at what is happening on the pitch, which is the most important thing.”
Newcastle return to Premier League action with an encounter against Manchester United at St James’ on Saturday, having beaten the Red Devils 3-0 in the EFL Cup at the start of November.
Steve Bruce was talking to Sports Mole on behalf of Gambling Zone.