It’s now been six years since Newcastle United made the deeply unpopular decision to hire Steve Bruce as manager.
The Newcastle United of 2019 was a very different beast than it is today. Mike Ashley still loomed large and the team had only completed their second season back in the Premier League.
The adored Rafa Benitez was at the helm, though, and Newcastle had enjoyed two campaigns of mid-table comfort.
However, that equilibrium would soon explode in fury when it was announced that Benitez would leave the club after the expiration of his contract, after being unable to reach an agreement on a new one with Ashley.
Renewed hostility was directed at the owner and that exploded even further on July 17, 2019, when Steve Bruce was hired as his successor.
Fans were left shocked and dismayed by the appointment, which sparked protests in the streets and a vicious backlash that Bruce never managed to get past during his more than two years in charge.
It’s fair to say that those reactions six years ago were proven right by the time Bruce was sacked, with Newcastle in the relegation zone, in 2021.
Newcastle United fans were absolutely fuming when Steve Bruce was appointed
The reaction from Newcastle fans was instant and volatile. After the appointment was announced at 9:30am, #BruceOut was a top ten trend on Twitter, now X, by 10am.
Sky Sports News interviewed fans in the city centre on the day of the announcement, and they did not hold back.
One fan said: “Don’t want him anywhere near the club. He’s supposed to be a Geordie, right? He’s not a Geordie.
“He’s proved his point. What he’s done, what he’s said as time goes by. I mean, he’s from Wallsend, I’m from Wallsend, right, he’s an absolute disgrace, to be honest.
“I don’t want him.”
Another fan was then filmed saying: “You can’t go from Rafa Benitez to a mid-table Championship manager and expect to be happy. Howay. We’re Newcastle United, man. One club one city.
A friend then interjected and added: “His record is resigned, resigned, resigned, sacked, sacked, resigned, sacked. Right, nothing.”
The reaction was just as emotional on social media, with thousands of fans bemoaning the move and nine supporter groups issuing a joint statement which labelled the appointment as ‘unambitious’ and ‘beyond disappointing.’
The reaction was so negative that Newcastle defender Federico Fernandez even admitted he understood the fans’ frustration.
Speaking during their pre-season tour, Fernandez said: “I understand the fans and the situation, but, for us, we want to work and be better as a team, try to work hard, to be ready for the new season.
“We want to show the fans and everyone we can compete. Of course, fans maybe want a different manager or players, but we need to work hard to show we are ready for the Premier League.”
Alan Shearer begged Steve Bruce not to take Newcastle United job
As well as fans and even players, Alan Shearer voiced his concerns over the appointment.
Shearer revealed in a column in The Sun that he had had a meal with Bruce a few weeks before the announcement and implored him not to accept the job if he was offered it.
“No, no, no, don’t take it,” he quoted himself as saying.
“This is without a doubt the toughest and most toxic situation Steve has ever walked into,” he continued.
“No job is impossible but this one is very, very difficult for so many different reasons.
“I like him a lot and I actually admire him for having the balls to take the job on. But I just really hope that he doesn’t live to regret it like I fear he will.”
Though things never went right for Bruce at St. James’ Park, the hefty payout he received after being sacked after getting the chance to manage his boyhood club probably ensured there were few regrets.
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