Steve Bruce exclusive: 'I know I may be sacked at Newcastle - but I won't be bitter'

Steve Bruce admits he fears the sack from Newcastle United's new Saudi Arabian owners.

In an exclusive interview with Telegraph Sport, Bruce revealed that he did not receive contact from anyone connected to the takeover until late on Thursday, and has no idea when, or if, he will be replaced.

Newcastle face Tottenham at St James' Park a week on Sunday, in what was due to be Bruce's 1,000th game as a manager, but he suspects he will be left on 999 as the new owners seek a clean break.

“I want to continue, I’d like the chance to show the new owners what I can do, but you have to be realistic and they may well want a new manager to launch things for them," Bruce said. "New owners normally want a new manager. I’ve been around long enough to understand that.

“That decision is not up to me. I accept that and I will accept what comes my way. I have to wait to have those conversations with people when the time is right.

“If I don’t make it to a 1,000 games against Spurs, you might say that could only happen to me, but I don’t think it would be cruel. It’s just football.

Bruce's position on Tyneside has been a source of febrile speculation for months, with fans long having turned on the 60-year-old, who is a Newcastle native and supported the club as a child.

Bruce appreciates his lack of popularity but there is no hint of bitterness in his reflections on his two-year reign - merely sadness and, privately, probably some relief, too.

“This is not about me, I cannot stress that enough,” said Bruce, sitting in the restaurant of a Northumberland golf course. “I have said from the first day news of this takeover came out in public, that if it is the best thing for the football club, if it takes this magnificent football club forward then I am all for it.

“I am not going to be bitter or angry about anything, whatever happens. Of course there will be sadness if I lose my job, it’s the job I’ve wanted my whole life, certainly since I became a manager and as hard as it’s been, I have been enormously proud to be manager of Newcastle United. That will never change.

“Do you know what? I’m not the most important talking point now. What happens to me, well, it’s not irrelevant, but this is about the football club and its future.

“I really hope this is the start of an exciting new era, it certainly sounds exciting when you read about how much money Saudi Arabians have."

Bruce has been left as shocked as the rest of the football world by the speed of the Saudis' takeover, which was publicly resurrected on Wednesday before being formally confirmed last night.

“I didn’t know anything about this until news of it broke yesterday," he revealed. “I took training on Thursday morning. It was a very strange atmosphere, it was very quiet, but we are all waiting now to see what happens. I’ll wait like everybody else.”

But what if he is left on 999 games as a manager? Only a handful of managers have reached the landmark of 1,000 games and is proof of his longevity, as well as his spirit and stubborn refusal to listen to those who deride him.

He has been told he was not good enough for Newcastle from the moment he got the job in July 2019 and the atmosphere around him now can be only described as toxic.

Despite finishing 12th last season, and matching the points tally of his predecessor Rafael Benitez over two years in the Premier League, pressure has steadily increased on Bruce. Newcastle are yet to win in the league this season, and languish in the bottom three.

“I think whoever took over from Rafa, it was going to be tough,” Bruce added. “I don’t think people wanted me from the start, in the local media and the fans. It has been incredibly draining emotionally at times, very hard. Not just for me but for my whole family, who are all Geordies and who are all Newcastle fans.

“Some of the things written and said about me, the abuse on social media, I’m just glad my parents were not still alive to see and hear it because it would have broken their hearts.

“This was their home and their people. This was their city, it is where I’m from and where I always wanted to return.

“But as tough as it has been, I’ve tried to enjoy it as much as I can. And you know, almost everyone I’ve met in person has had nothing but good wishes. They’ve all urged me to stick with it and said good luck.

Bruce has yet to decide what his long-term future holds, but insists he will depart Tyneside with a clear conscience, no regrets - and only good wishes for the club.

“As I’ve said, it’s not about me," he explained. "The takeover is a chance for this club to be what every supporter has wanted it to be for so long. If this is the real deal, I’ll be happy for the fans because, at the end of the day, that is what I am.

“Long before I played football, long before I became a manager, I was a Newcastle United fan. I’d love to see this club win something, to play in Europe and from everything I’ve heard about these new owners, that is what they want too and they have the money to make it happen.”