Bruce tells Saudis he could be the Magpies’ Guardiola
STEVE BRUCE has backed himself ‘to get the best’ out of Newcastle’s squad and compete for major honours if he is retained as the Magpies manager under their proposed new regime.
Newcastle are in the process of being sold to new Saudi owners for around £300million and Bruce is widely expected to be replaced by Mauricio Pochettino or Rafael Benitez when the Premier League season finally ends.
Bruce, who had taken the Magpies to 13th in the table, admits to being ‘in the dark’ about the buyers’ plans but insists he can compete with the likes of Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp.
‘We all aspire in management, we all aspire to be Pep, Jurgen... these great managers who’ve been a breath of fresh air to football,’ he said.
‘Jurgen Klopp coming into this country, you just have to applaud him for his tactics and the way Liverpool play.
‘If it’s good for New
Managers all aspire to be like Pep and Jurgen
castle, and the club are going to try to compete with these teams, to be part of it would be great.
‘I hope it’s where it goes, but in the meantime I’ll just crack on, wait, roll my sleeves up and get on with trying to get some results to try and get the club going forward.’ Bruce, whose tenclub managerial career has included spells at Crystal Palace, Birmingham and Aston Villa, also told Sky Sports: ‘To be in a position where you’re actually challenging, and you have a good enough team as Newcastle did in 1995 and under Sir Bobby Robson as well, then it would be wonderful. I’d back myself, of course I would.
‘Management, whether you’re managing in the lower division or you’re right at the top, it’s about getting the best out of what you’ve got.
‘I would back myself to have a crack at it. I’d be confident that I’d be able to do it. Whether that’s ever going to be the case, who knows?’