Bruce breaks silence on Mike Ashley statement, deadline day disaster & Choudhury interest

If you were hoping to see Steve Bruce hit back at Mike Ashley for what turned out to be a disastrous end to the transfer window for Newcastle United, you’ll be disappointed by his comments today.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference this morning, the NUFC boss has admitted he wanted to bring a ‘couple’ more players in, also confirming that he did try and sign Leicester midfielder Hamza Choudhury.

That said, he’s defended the club’s transfer policy and the laughable transfer statement Mike Ashley put out last week to defend our lack of activity over the summer – a move that did little to suggest he’s not the ‘yes man’ many believe him to be!

Here’s what he’s had to say when asked about all of the above, along with his thoughts on facing Cristiano Ronaldo on Saturday:

Bruce on the lack of signings:

“You can only pick 25, and to enable us to strengthen, we had to do a bit of trading. We were unable to do that.

My aim is never to have a huge squad, in terms of numbers – but would have liked it to be strengthened.”

“I would have liked to have brought another couple in. For one reason or another, that didn’t materialise.

“I was aware from the outset – we know the policy of the club – how difficult it was going to be.”

Bruce on the club’s transfer statement:

“It is what it is. It doesn’t make any difference about being comfortable [with it] or disappointed.

“The statement came out and the policy is what it is.”

“I made it pretty clear I’d have liked to have brought a couple in.

“I have to get on with & that’s the top and bottom of it.

“I have to keep trying to improve us and never be satisfied.”

Bruce on Choudhury:

“Whether I was in for him?

He was one of the few we were looking at yes.”

Bruce on Ronaldo:

About Olly Hawkins

As a Junior Magpie since birth and season ticket holder, I eat, sleep and breathe all things NUFC! Here at the blog, I aim to bring you news, views, match reports and transfer exclusives as and when I get them.

7 thoughts on “Bruce breaks silence on Mike Ashley statement, deadline day disaster & Choudhury interest

  1. The bloke is a mug. He’s been thrown under the bus by a greed, cowardly owner who will not be seen at SJP again imo.

    Bruce will face the music on his own & get what he deserves as well, because by staying he is supporting the actions. If he thought they were wrong he’d have walked.

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  2. ” I was disappointed we didn’t get another couple in, which is why I went on holiday to Portugal for 10 days”

    ” I did ask mike for more but he said no, and I understand that ”

    ” they could have sold this out 10 times its always nice to play a big club”– – oh this bit is true

    The bloke is absolute joke and hopefully he hears from us tomorrow how much we want him to resign or be sacked, however him and ?ashley are to greedy men together and i fear we may be stuck with both for a while.

    A point or slight defeat and it will be a case of how unlucky we were

    a hammering and it will be , most teams coming up against Ronaldo here at this place will get the same were not alone

    Its boring now more than anything else.

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  3. Is this the place I come to when I want to read balanced and informative comments on NUFC as well as some positive comments about some of the best things about our squad and club? 😆

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  4. ToonDarnSarf:
    Is this the place I come to when I want to read balanced and informative comments on NUFC as well as some positive comments about some of the best things about our squad and club?

    no this is the place you to hear comments and whinges from me 😆 and others who travel to every game and are sick to death of the people in charge of our club, according to Bruceless tomorrow is like a lower league team going to old trafford in the cup hoping to spoil the party , its truly embarrassing, Ashley is the bigger problem but in bruceless he has a willing partner who has to go.

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  5. cc: no this is the place you to hear comments and whinges from me and others who travel to every game and are sick to death of the people in charge of our club,according to Bruceless tomorrow is like a lower league team going to old trafford in the cup hoping to spoil the party , its truly embarrassing, Ashley is the bigger problem but in bruceless he has a willing partner who has to go.

    Thought it might be! 🙂 To be honest, that’s all there seems to be these days…thing is, I don’t know what alternative people want. Unless someone actually stumps up the money to buy for our club, it seems most of the people writing or commenting on blogs are going to stay miserable…

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  6. ToonDarnSarf: Thought it might be! To be honest, that’s all there seems to be these days…thing is, I don’t know what alternative people want. Unless someone actually stumps up the money to buy for our club, it seems most of the people writing or commenting on blogs are going to stay miserable…

    The thing is most of us have grown up when the football and prospects of the team and club werent much better than today, the mckeag years, but prior to that the westwwod years when again during both periods we were never going to do anything but one thing we didnt do was keep apologising for wanting something better or a progressive style.
    i also think back to the likes of willie Mcfaul who was hampered much more in the transfer market than Bruceless, yet still tried to play with a bit of style, jim smith with quin and mcghee the same , bruceless matches ashley lack of ambition and an unwillingness to even try anything different and thats what needs to change,

    go out and have a go regardless of the owner that’s always been our way

    and I think if we could see that then things would be different between the manager and the fans there’s nothing we can do about Ashley hell sell when he wants but the manager can stop being defeated from the second he walks in the club in the morning. likewise can you imagine all the media mates of Bruceless if he came and out and spoke the truth about the situation at the club, but no he’s complicit in everything it does or should I say doesn’t do.

    lets have someone who doesn’t apologise for how bad we are every day that would be a good start, and someone who will try and put an identity on the team, you don’t need money for that just the commitment from the mgr, coaches and players and communicate it to the fans to say this is who we are and this is what we are going to try and do, I think wed all get behind that better as long as we could see they were trying it, but bruceless lives week to week on plans.

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