Some breaking news in the last few moments, with the club confirming that Steve Bruce has now been appointed as the new ‘head coach’ of Newcastle United.
Bruce has signed an ‘initial three-year contract’ and will be joined by Steve Agnew and Stephen Clemence – the two coaches who had been working alongside him during his time at Sheffield Wednesday.
Here’s the club’s official statement following Bruce’s appointment:
Newcastle United can now announce that Steve Bruce has been appointed as the club’s new head coach.
The 58-year-old, who was born in Corbridge, Northumberland and raised in Wallsend, returns to Tyneside after signing an initial three-year contract and will be joined at St. James’ Park by coaches Steve Agnew and Stephen Clemence.
Bruce and his staff are scheduled to travel to China and will meet the squad following Wednesday’s Premier League Asia Trophy clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Ben Dawson and Neil Redfearn will continue to prepare the players for Wednesday’s game.
A former Wallsend Boys Club player, Bruce began a decorated professional career at Gillingham, where he carved out a reputation as a solid and determined centre-half with a favourable goalscoring record.
After a three-year spell at Norwich City, which included winning the League Cup, he moved to Manchester United, where he would go on to lift three Premier League titles, three FA Cups and the European Cup Winners’ Cup, as well as a further League Cup.
Bruce made 84 appearances for Birmingham City between 1996 and 1998, before a career in the dugout got underway with a player-manager role at Sheffield United.
In a 21-year coaching career since, Bruce has taken charge of a further eight clubs and has clocked up more than 900 competitive matches.
The line ‘head coach’ is quite telling, with him not given the term ‘manager’ as Rafa Benitez was.
A clear hint that he will NOT have the same influence the Spaniard did in the transfer market?
