Steve Bruce appointed as Head Coach of Newcastle United

It was confirmed on Wednesday morning that Steve Bruce has been appointed as Head Coach of Newcastle United and will take charge of the squad going into the 2019/2020 season following the departure of Rafa Benitez at the end of June due to his contract expiring and stating that the club ‘did not share his vision’.

It is believed that Bruce, who was born 18 miles west of Newcastle in Corbridge, has signed a three-year contract with the Magpies and will bring with him his coaches from former club Sheffield Wednesday Steve Agner and Stephen Clemence.

Speaking of his appointment, Bruce said:

“I’m delighted and incredibly proud to be appointed as head coach of Newcastle United. This is my boyhood club and it was my dad’s club, so this is a very special moment for me and my family. There is a huge challenge ahead of us, but it’s one that my staff and I are ready for.”

“This is my boyhood club and it was my dad’s club, so this is a very special moment for me and my family.”

Managing Director at Newcastle United, Lee Charnley said:

“Steve has a deep affection for Newcastle United and we are very pleased that a coach with his vast experience and connections to the club and city has joined us. Steve knows what this club means to supporters and to the region and he will put his heart and soul into leading our talented group of players with the full support of our staff.”

Previous to his role at Sheffield Wednesday, where he joined in February of 2019 and guided the Owls to a 12th place finish, Bruce has had spells at 9 other clubs including Hull, Birmingham City, Aston Villa and Newcastle’s north east rivals Sunderland.

Many UK bookmakers had Bruce as the heavy favourite to take over from Benitez for the past week despite Bruce claiming no contact had been made and some bookmakers such as Paddy Power were offering odds of just evens. Other potential candidates included Manchester City assistant Mikel Arteta, ex-Manchester United managers Jose Mourinho and David Moyes and current Aston Villa manager John Terry.

Bruce’s appointment has been greeted with a mix of responses from Newcastle fans although the real frustration for them lies with the clubs owner Mike Ashley who continues to seem unwilling to invest any significant amount in building the club and the squad. Ashley’s lack of spending was one of the reasons Benitez was unable to come to an agreement with the club to extend his contract and made the decision to move to China where he has been appointed as the manager of Chinese Super Club Dalian Yifang.