Steve Bruce hit back at critics on Wednesday night after his Newcastle United side recorded another thumping win since football returned this summer.
The Magpies earned a seventh point from 12 since the restart with a 4-1 victory over Bournemouth.
“It makes you work harder and stay a bit more grounded,” he said in reference to criticism he has received.
“It gives you that bit of spirit and say: ‘I’ll show em’. I have the capability of managing so it just spurs me on.”
There is a sense that Bruce’s time at St James’ Park is nearing an inevitable conclusion, with the prospective new Saudi owners tipped to appoint a big-name manager once they take control of the club.
A string of names have been linked to the next Newcastle manager position, including Mauricio Pochettino, who was sacked by Tottenham late last year.
But even Bruce’s new-found optimism and upturn in fortunes may not be enough to save him from an exit this summer.
Indeed, over the past two decades English football has become accustomed to foreign owners taking over clubs, pledging to work with the incumbent manager, and then swiftly sacking them.
Here, i looks back at successful managers who were let go when new owners came in…
Claudio Ranieri, Chelsea
Claudio Ranieri was already transforming Chelsea into a competitive top-four outfit when Roman Abramovich bought the Blues in 2003 and football entered the age of oligarch ownership.
An estimated £151m worth of signings were made that summer, which lifted Chelsea to a runners-up finish in Abramovich’s first season. Good going, right? Well, despite only being beaten by Arsenal’s Invincibles, Ranieri was axed that summer.
Jose Mourinho swaggered into the manager’s hotseat and propelled Chelsea to two Premier League titles. Poor Claudio went off to manage in Spain and Italy… before getting the last laugh when winning the title with Leicester in 2016.
Chris Powell, Charlton
When Roland Duchatelet took over at Charlton in 2014, then-manager Chris Powell sat alongside the Belgian at his unveiling with a forced grin on his face.
There was real uncertainty in the air. Duchatelet was not a billionaire owner and appeared set on his plan to blend squads from other clubs he owned. He committed to keeping Powell in charge, business as usual.
The commitment on Powell who, like Bruce at Newcastle United was a man who loved his club dearly, lasted all but two months. So much for Duchatelet’s pledge.
Club loyalties can often mean little to new owners and Bruce is no doubt aware of it.
Brian McDermott, Leeds
Massimo Cellino began his controversial reign as Leeds United owner in April 2014 and assured fans he would keep popular manager Brian McDermott in charge. However, after finishing 15th at the end of the 2013-14 season, McDermott was ousted and Cellino installed the unknown Dave Hockaday in the Elland Road dug-out.
Hockaday lasted six games, as did the next permanent manager, Darko Milanic. By the time Cellino had sold the club Leeds had gone through four further bosses.
The Italian famously said “Sometimes I’m not happy with my wife and I don’t divorce her”, when talking up Steve Evans’ future in 2016. Evans was shortly ditched.
Leeds’ experience goes to show owners don’t always know what they’re doing. The Saudis may have billions in the bank but snap decisions can often lead to turmoil – and Bruce may simply be caught in the crossfire at Newcastle United.
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from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/2YQMCnB
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