STEVE BRUCE will be ‘very worried’ over his future as Newcastle manager.
That is the view of ex-Toon boss Sam Allardyce, who fears Bruce could be a casualty of the imminent £300million takeover by a Saudi Arabia-backed consortium.
Sam Allardyce believes Steve Bruce should be fearful over his Newcastle jobCredit: PA:Press Association
Bruce was appointed by Mike Ashley at the start of the season but his arrival at St James’ Park was seen as an underwhelming choice to replace Rafa Benitez.
The 59-year-old has guided the Magpies to 13th in the table but Big Sam believes it might not be enough to keep his job.
Allardyce told talkSPORT: “It’s going to be very difficult for Steve. I’ve experienced new takeovers twice — once at Blackburn and once under Mike.
“I wasn’t his man and I can understand that. Steve must be very worried from that point of view.
“At the moment they are going to be a Premier League side next season. I think Steve has done a very good job in his first season, considering he came in two weeks before the season started.
“There was a lot of hoo-ha about whether Steve was good enough or not but I still don’t understand why Rafa Benitez was deemed to be so good.
“I just don’t understand it because Newcastle played such negative football then, it was unbelievable.
“But there you go — Rafa did a great PR job on himself and how he managed that club at that time.”
Someone else being tipped to do a great job is Jamie Reuben.
Mega-rich Reuben — a friend of Jamie Reknapp — will join the Toon board with a 10 per cent stake when the takeover is complete. And former England midfielder Redknapp, 46, said: “Jamie is a football fanatic, he loves his football.
“Every time you speak with him he wants to know about players. His knowledge is very good and they are going to be looking at trying to get different players.”
Allardyce believes Newcastle’s new owners may want a different managerCredit: Getty Images – Getty
And Redknapp reckons the Geordies’ new billionaire owners are ready to take advantage of the coronavirus crunch and expected dip in players’ wages and transfer fees to take the Toon back to the top.
Redknapp added: “I know they are trying to find out what the market will be like because the landscape is going to change.
“Players and wages are now going to be a little bit cheaper. There is a bit of fear in the market.
“So with Newcastle having new owners — it feels wrong to say it — but in these situations people will always exploit an opportunity.
“They have got huge backers and they are financially well-off.
“So this might be the perfect situation for Newcastle. It could be a really nice time for the fans because they have had a lot of pain these past few years.”
The takeover papers are already believed to have been lodged with the Premier League with many fans hoping it will spell the end of hated current owner Ashley.
Redknapp, speaking on Sky Sports’ The Football Show, said: “I will be surprised if it doesn’t get done. It’s just the sensitivity of what is happening in the world right now why it hasn’t got across the line. This has been ongoing for about a year but it is as close as ever.
“They are not going to all of a sudden jump into the top four. That’s not going to happen. It’s not feasible. But it will be a lot more of a positive place and the Reuben family is very close to getting this done.”
Trevor Sinclair is excited about the Newcastle Utd take over from Saudi consortium involving Mohammed bin Salman
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
