Steve Bruce launches astonishing attack on Newcastle United fans

Steve Bruce launches quite frankly an astonishing attack on Newcastle United fans when reflecting on his time with the club.

He left Newcastle following a 3-2 defeat at home to Tottenham, a match that was his 1,000th game in charge as a professional manager in his career.

At the time of his Newcastle exit, the club sat 19th in the Premier League table after eight games of the 2021/22 season, having not won at the time. He was eventually replaced by Eddie Howe.

Steve Bruce said “It’s personal for me at West Brom”, as he looks to try and earn a fifth Championship ­promotion after an experience to forget at Newcastle, so it’s easy to see why this job at the Baggies means more to him.

Bruce didn’t need much persuasion to return to management, quickly signing a deal with the West Midlands outfit in February.

He said in an article by @Neil_Moxley: “I couldn’t finish my managerial career on what ­happened at Newcastle. I’d taken too much stick – I was being ridiculed. And there’s nothing worse. You can accept it if you have picked the wrong team. But I was being pulled to ­pieces because people were ­saying I couldn’t take a warm-up… that I had given the players too many days off.

“I knew what the team was ­doing on the pitch wasn’t what Newcastle United fans wanted. And I knew they were fed up. They wanted change. But I had a brief to keep the club in the Premier League. And we finished 12th and 13th in my two full seasons. I know we weren’t entertaining or attractive to watch, I’ll hold my hands up.

“We were pragmatic, defensive. I did what I had to do. Keeping Newcastle United in the Premier League was worth something. Would the sale to the new owners have gone ahead if the club was in the Championship? I’m not so sure.”

Bruce wants to prove critics wrong at a club who is still under pressure to excel. This is the second year of their parachute payments, and the 61-year-old knows he needs to give it all he has or face further embarrassment. 

Reaching the playoffs always looked a tough one to achieve when he came in, especially with results not going their way and then you go appoint Bruce. Five matches after his appointment, without a­ ­victory, fans continued to get frustrated. Form did pick up as the season came to an end, finishing in 10th place.

He said: “The problem was I couldn’t arrest the slide quickly enough. If we had been little more than average during the first month, it could have been different. Instead of losing four or five we might have had a squeak. I wanted to make a bigger impact. But the reality is that the club has been damaged.

“In the last 20 years it has ­either been in the Premier League or in the top four of the Championship. That’s a fantastic ­achievement. But we’ve been nowhere near that this year. So, we have a job on our hands. The squad here – a large part of it – has been together for a long time. It needs to be freshened up, changed.

“In a way, perhaps, like when I took Birmingham up… or Hull. We are not going to have a mountain of money to spend. We have to be shrewd. Wheel and deal and be ahead of the queue. There’s enough ­players out there to ­improve us and have a hungrier, fresher group than we have at the ­minute. Until now, we haven’t coped. Given a bit of time, we will.”

Speaking to FourFourTwo, Steve Bruce, who during his time at Newcastle was referred to as a ‘tactically inept cabbage head,’ felt the mocking “crossed a line.”

“I was under no illusions whatsoever when I arrived at Newcastle,” said Bruce. “I was becoming part of an unpopular regime and knew I’d be associated with Mike Ashley from day one. And I was replacing Rafael Benitez, who was loved by the fans.

“So I expected criticism and yes, some of it was justified. We weren’t pleasing on the eye a lot of the time and there were periods when we really struggled. But the ridicule and the mockery crossed a line. It did hurt me and it upset my family, too.

“After my first match, I was accused of throwing on a substitute and telling him to play where he wanted – then the next week, someone said I didn’t know how to properly warm up the team. I was even accused of giving the squad too much time off so I could go off on holiday! Criticism is one thing, but on occasions it got very personal and showed a basic lack of respect.”

Fans reacted as Steve Bruce launches astonishing attack on Newcastle United supporters…

@Fozzie94: We’ve moved on – it’s about time he focused on his current job. But here’s a prediction – Bruce will be picking up another compo payment before Xmas.

@Samtoon15: West Brom was 5th when he took over.

@NotSoLocalHero: Is he still talking?

@1CraigAllan: The biggest loser in football. Crying after stealing a multi million pay off from #nufc. Crying about ridicule despite not having crowds for the majority of his awful reign & online abuse despite not using any app. Bore off Bruce. Feel sorry for #WBA fans for having this fraud.

@Bob_Helpful: Quick search of @Neil_Moxley twitter history finds him constantly defending Bruce’s record and singing his praises. Strangely silent when the team were 9 games without a win this season. Chalk him down as a fully paid up member of the media Friends of Steven Bruce (FoSB). #nufc

@Markaccus: Come on be fair. Bruce has gone in and lifted WBA from 5th to the heady heights of…. erm… (checks notes)….10th. 😬 Closer to 16th points wise than the last playoff place 6th. But no, apparently its #nufc fans obsessed with him, when he’s moaning in the paper. Again

@RealLeeAnderson: 🤣🤣🤣 what world does he live in

@duttsy69: Let him think what he wants we’ve seen what a good manager can do with the same players you’ve only got to look at the improvement in Shelvey, Willock, Joelinton etc to see cabbage heed was the problem! He’s gone we’re on the up forget him and let’s enjoy the ride!

@FranklinD114: Seriously @AlexBruce84 no wonder your father was hounded out of the club, he’s a narcissistic prick. We’d have been relegated if he was still in charge last season. He’s trying to make it personal which it wasn’t. He won’t last the full season at West Brom next season.

@BROWEA: When people are turning to food banks and the cost of living is sky high! We have a failed manager complaining after getting around 4 million in payoff!!!!! My heart bleeds for you Steve Bruce!! Oh and the fact you were also proven to be a slum landlord just sums you up!

@GianfrancoShoIa: Steve Bruce’s lack of self-awareness is utterly petrifying #nufc

@ASaunders87: If Steve Bruce had as many connections in world football as he apparently does in the English media, he’d probably be less shit of a manager.

@LiamNUFC98: Steve Bruce saying he takes credit for our takeover is like giving a plumber credit for making your toilet worse or something

@tomwestgarth: Steve Bruce taking credit for our takeover is perhaps the most Steve Bruce thing ever #NUFC

@StevJacks: Steve Bruce – a man who complained of fan abuse when grounds were empty and social media abuse on platforms he’s not on.

@SimonRudd26: How deluded is Steve Bruce? I never heard so much horse shit in all my life! 🤯🤬 #NUFC #Bruceisdeluded #havingalaugh #goodluckWBA

@Y2Craig: I have to be honest despite his faults (of which there were many) I never had the level of vitriol towards Bruce that many others did. He wasn’t good enough, that was all. The more I read from him now though, the more that changes. Bitter old pie faced git.

@will_bowden_: Genuine hire from this ‘The Geordies loss could be the Baggies gain’ at what point was sacking this useless turd ever a loss?? #NUFC

@cam3r0nNufc: “We were pragmatic, defensive. I did what I had to do. Keeping Newcastle United in the Premier League was worth something. Would the sale to the new owners have gone ahead if the club was in the Championship? I’m not so sure.” We were on our way to the championship

@ccman210: What a miserable sad man he must be. Focus on your club and lasting through Christmas. Everyone was wrong and you were right Stevie will that make you happy? You will get another payday before being sacked for failure again but 🤷🏼‍♂️ #Nufc

@JnathanN: Takes credit for Saudi takeover 😂😭 No shame whatsoever this bloke hahaha

@The_21st_Doctor: He’ll be taking credit for the moon landing next #nufc

@Magpie24_7: Bruce with dig number 1 million at #NUFCFans: “We were pragmatic, defensive I did what I had to do. Keeping #NUFC in the EPL was worth something. Would the sale to the new owners have gone ahead if the club was in the Championship? I’m not so sure” Hes not bitter at all 🤣🍋

@NUFCThreatLevel: We are going to get namechecked each time it looks shaky down at WBA, until he is sacked. I have absolutely no doubt. He has a very kind relationship with certain journalists who’ll gobble up anything he trots out because he’s a ‘top bloke’ that’ll always give them a story.

@CtheDoctor: Why’s this cabbage forever talking about our club it’s over Brucey you disgraced yourself & your family also shame on your @Neil_Moxley for publishing this as an exclusive #NUFC

@DomNUFC93: How about Steve you and your dickhead of a son forget about Newcastle and the absolute dogshit you took our club through for 18 months and forget about us and continue supporting your actual team Man Utd cos we have certainly forgot about you #NUFC

@LeafyDragon_FPL: Statistically one of the worse teams in the league under his reign. Seeing Newcastle finish where they did under him were met with gasps of “how the fuck have they ended up there?”. That dumb luck seemingly ran out this season.

Steve Bruce claiming he was responsible for the #NUFC takeover… 😂 The guy is delusional pic.twitter.com/xuuvUVSVf9

— Jon Gandy 💙 (@JuanGandini) June 6, 2022