“It’s taken its toll” – Steve Bruce gives first interview after ‘mutually consenting’ to leave Newcastle

Bruce was sacked by Newcastle on Wednesday morning

Steve Bruce has admitted that the difficulty he faced as Newcastle United manager may lead to him leaving football management, in an interview published following his sacking as the club's manager. Speaking to Luke Edwards of the Telegraph, Bruce cited his family and the toll the job has taken on them for potentially moving on from management He said: “I think this might be my last job. It’s not just about me; it’s taken its toll on my whole family because they are all Geordies and I can’t ignore that." Bruce also acknowledged the criticism he received personally during his time at the club, where last weekend he oversaw his 1,000th game in football management, stating that personal abuse he received "from day one" was "very, very tough".

"I thought I could handle everything thrown at me but it has been very, very tough. To never really be wanted, to feel that people wanted me to fail, to read people constantly saying I would fail, that I was useless, a fat waste of space, a stupid, tactically inept cabbage head or whatever. And it was from day one. “When we were doing ok results wise, it was ‘yeah but the style of football is rubbish’ or I was just ‘lucky.’ It was ridiculous and persistent, even when the results were good."

In a statement on Newcastle's website, Bruce wished the fans and club the best for the future, saying: "I am grateful to everyone connected with Newcastle United for the opportunity to manage this unique football club. "I would like to thank my coaching team, the players and the support staff in particular for all their hard work. There have been highs and lows, but they have given everything even in difficult moments and should be proud of their efforts." He leaves the Magpies second bottom of the Premier League, without a league win so far this season. In total he managed Newcastle United for 97 games, and departs with a win percentage of just 28.9 percent. Attention will now turn to who the club's new owners hire to keep the club up, with Lucien Favre, Eddie Howe and Paolo Fonseca believed to be the favourites.

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