Steve Bruce
Newcastle Chronicle has piled the pressure on Steve Bruce after dedicating both their front and back page to the ongoing crisis at St James’ Park.
In a damning editorial, the club’s local paper urged under-fire Bruce to “do the honourable thing and walk away,” after creating what they described as an “almighty mess.”
The Magpies are in serious danger of relegation from the top flight and the Chronicle, who has had a difficult relationship with the club down the years, has now stuck the boot in as Bruce clings on to his job.
Last time out, Newcastle were thrashed 3-0 by fellow relegation rivals, Brighton, meaning they sit just two points off the drop zone.
Despite that, much-maligned owner Mike Ashley is said to retain his support for Bruce and is not yet ready to pull the trigger and fire the manager.
The Chronicle’s front page details that story with the headline “Going Nowhere”, with a black and white photo of a downtrodden Bruce.
On the back, the paper urged Ashley to “sort out the mess on his own doorstep while there’s still time” as Newcastle continued to plummet towards the bottom three.
They have won just two of their last 20 matches in all competitions – against Everton and Southampton – while 13 of them have ended in defeat.
With Tottenham up next, the fixtures don’t get any easier and another loss can see them enter the relegation zone with just a handful of games remaining.
The Chronicle is also reporting that there was some confusion among the players after the most recent defeat at the Amex, with some believing Bruce had been sacked.
The paper reported that there was 15 minutes of speculation behind the scenes after the full-time whistle, before Bruce appeared for his post-match media duties, and it was confirmed that he was still the club’s manager.