Steve Bruce’s job at Newcastle United is not under any immediate threat despite his side being beaten 3-1 by newly-promoted Norwich on Saturday, according to The Athletic journalist Chris Waugh.
The former Chronicle reporter claimed via a live Q&A session on The Athletic’s website that based on Mike Ashley’s record of keeping hold of managers, he does not see Bruce coming under any pressure from the board after just two matches of the new Premier League season.
“They do not hire and fire managers easily so I don’t see Bruce being under any immediate pressure, that’s for certain,” Waugh said.
According to a separate report on The Athletic website, #BruceOut was trending on Twitter after the Magpies’ loss at Carrow Road and BetVictor have the former Sunderland boss as the 5/1 third-favourite to be the next Premier League manager sacked.
OPINION
Mike Ashley could sack Bruce this season, but the chances of it happening before the turn of the year have to be next to zero. If it comes to February or March and the Magpies look in trouble then yes, there is a good chance that Ashley will pull the trigger. However in doing so he would be admitting that he and Lee Charnley were wrong to hire Bruce after failing to agree a new contract with Rafa Benitez at the end of last season. Ashley doesn’t do admitting he’s wrong. Bruce has been clueless in the first couple of matches and it is starting to look as though his forays into the transfer market over the summer could end up being some bad decisions. There’s still some time for everyone to gel and players need to reach their peak fitness levels, but a 3-1 defeat against a newly-promoted team is never a good impression. Newcastle have Tottenham next – another game which they will more than likely lose. After three defeats in a row, the hashtags about Bruce will no doubt surface again and Waugh may end up having to answer questions about Bruce’s job safety each week.
