Steve Bruce's tenure as Managing of Newcastle United began on 17 July 2019, succeeding Rafael Benítez, ending 20 October 2021.
| Managing of Steve Bruce | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reports to | Mike Ashley and Lee Charnley | ||||||||
| Appointer | NUFC Owner and Lee Charnley | ||||||||
| Term length | 3 years | ||||||||
| Formation | July 2019 | ||||||||
| Abolished | 20 October 2021 | ||||||||
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BBC Sport reported in July 2019 that Bruce had resigned from his position, after he earlier admitted that he had held talks with Premier League Newcastle United over their managerial vacancy. His appointment at Newcastle was confirmed on 17 July. Sheffield, however, soon filed a report to the Premier League alleging misconduct in his appointment,stating that there were still outstanding legal issues with Bruce having resigned just 48 hours earlier, whilst also suspecting that confidential details of Bruce's contract were leaked making it impossible for him to remain at the club. Newcastle United denied any wrongdoing and stated that they were confident no case could be escalated. Reaction from the fans was mixed, with some feeling Bruce would not achieve the standard set by his predecessor Rafael Benítez, whilst his recent lack of Premier League football and management of rival club Sunderland proved controversial.
Clubs past edit
Bruce acknowledged Benítez's popularity, and stated he hoped the fans would not rush to judgement and give him time to prove himself. Bruce soon made six signings, notably securing Joelinton from 1899 Hoffenheim for £40 million, breaking the club's transfer fee record previously set by the purchase of Miguel Almirón for £21 million six months earlier.
In his first season in charge, Newcastle were tipped for relegation by some pundits but finished 13th, as the campaign was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The following season, almost entirely played behind closed doors due to the ongoing pandemic, saw Bruce guide the club to 12th. In October 2021, the club was bought for £300 million by a consortium led by the Saudi Arabian government's sovereign wealth fund. With the team close to the bottom of the Premier League, Bruce was widely expected to be dismissed from his job by the new owners, but remained in charge and was recognised by the League Managers Association as only the 34th manager in the modern era of English football to have taken charge for 1,000 competitive matches. Newcastle lost that match 3–2 to Tottenham Hotspur at St James' Park on 17 October 2021, and some Newcastle supporters called for Bruce to be removed from his post during and after the game. Bruce left Newcastle by mutual consent three days later on 20 October 2021, after receiving a reported £8 million payout for the remainder of his contract. He had a 27.4% win percentage from 84 league games at Newcastle, the 9th best compared to previous Newcastle managers who had been in charge of at least 20 matches in the Premier League era.