Newcastle United news: Steve Bruce reveals text from David Beckham over manager’s job

SHANGHAI, CHINA — Steve Bruce has had a lot of text messages over the past week, but one, in particular stood out. It was from David Beckham.

Bruce had already been warned off the “toxic” situation at Newcastle United by Alan Shearer by the time Beckham got in touch. And Beckham went against his former England team-mate – and urged him to take the head coach’s job at his boyhood club.

Asked if any friends had told him to take the job, Bruce said: “Tons of them. ‘You’ve got to do it’, people said. I don’t want to mention names, but David Beckham was one of them. I’ll have to show my daughter that text message.”

No hesitation

Shearer, a longstanding critic of Newcastle owner Mike Ashley, had a different view. However, Bruce – who is in Shanghai, China, with the club’s squad for Saturday’s Premier League Asia Trophy third-place game against West Ham – was undeterred.

“He said ‘no, no, no’,” said Bruce, who left Sheffield Wednesday to take the job. “I said ‘yes, yes, yes’. He’s a big friend, and he’s a big Newcastle fan, but I had no hesitation as soon as I got the phone call. When it became real, there was no hesitation. I had to have a crack.”

Bruce is acutely aware of the reaction of an underwhelmed Tyneside to his appointment, though, maybe fortunately, he’s not on social media.

“I’ve not been in Newcastle to monitor it,” said Bruce. “If you read and scrutinise everything thrown your way, you’d end up in a madhouse. Just judge me over the period of time, and I’m quietly confident, after nearly 400 games in the Premier League, that I’ll do OK. The most important thing is to keep the club moving forward.”

Nothing personal, no regrets

United fans had wanted Ashley to keep Benitez, a Champions League-winning manager, at St James’ Park.

“I can’t take that personally,” said Bruce. “The only thing that can improve it is results. The atmosphere in the city is a result of Rafa leaving.

“There’s naturally disappointment that the club have lost a very talented manager, but I can’t change that. We aren’t all Champions League winners, but I will do my utmost to keep the club going forward.

“I’ve got plenty of experience of dragging teams out of difficult circumstances.”

Northumberland-born Bruce – who had a stellar playing career with Manchester United after being rejected by Newcastle as a kid – turned down the manager’s job at the club 15 years ago when Sir Bobby Robson left. The 58-year-old has regretted that decision ever since. This time, he had no hesitation in taking it.

“My mum would have burst into tears – she would have been so proud – and my dad would have said ‘are you sure you know what you’re doing, son?’,” said Bruce, who lost both of his parents last year. “For all the family I’ve still got in the North East, I’m sure they will be as proud as punch.

“For any Geordie, if you can’t manage to play for them, then to get back and manage them it’s something special. If I had my time back, I would have gone in 2004 when Bobby Robson left.

“I never thought the opportunity would come again. Through all of this, I just thought I’ve got to go and have a crack, that was my overriding thought, no matter how difficult, no matter how much s**t I’m going to have to deal with, I had to have a crack at it.”

Very straightforward

Bruce believes he can work with Ashley after meeting the billionaire, who put the club up for sale in October 2017.

“I went to see him, and everybody was really honest about where we are, what we want to do, what he expects and what we’re going to try and achieve together,” said Bruce. “It was very straightforward. It was a very good meeting.”

Newcastle, the only club in the Premier League yet to make a signing this summer, must now play catch-up on and off the field. They hope to complete the signing of Hoffenheim’s Brazilian striker Joelinton in the coming days.

“Of course we have [a lot of work to do], but the whole club is geared up to do that in the next few weeks,” said Bruce. “You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see where we’re light, and we’re going to spend the next three weeks working on it.”