Steve Bruce makes bizarre Eddie Howe claim in new interview on his time at Newcastle United

In an interview with FourFourTwo, Steve Bruce has claimed that Eddie Howe "has had a lot more money to spend than I ever did" - a blame deflecting line that seems typical of the former NUFC boss.

We all know Howe has been fortunate with the money that was given to him in January - about £90million to sort out the tragic mess that Bruce left in the first place.

However, during his two full seasons at the club, the 61-year-old had around £135million worth of new players at his disposal with the likes of Joelinton (£40m), Joe Willock (£26m), Callum Wilson (£20m), Allan Saint-Maximin (£20m) and Jamal Lewis (£15m) all signed under his period as manager - and that doesn't include 'free agents' Ryan Fraser and Jeff Hendrick who wouldn't have been as cheap as they appeared.

This just shows how ridiculous that statement was by the current West Brom boss, who seems to always be desperate to try and cover his own back and shift blame onto anyone but himself.

The biggest credit we can give to Eddie Howe is how he is actually making the players signed under Bruce look worth the money - Joelinton had been written off, but now you'd struggle to find a fan willing to take back that £40m we paid for him.

Read his full interview:

“I was under no illusions whatsoever when I arrived at Newcastle. I was becoming part of an unpopular regime and knew I’d be associated with Mike Ashley from day one. And I was replacing Rafael Benitez, who was loved by the fans.

“Eddie’s had a lot more money to spend than I ever did, but he’s brought in some good players and improved the team. I’m very happy to acknowledge that, because Newcastle, and the fans, deserve the success.

“I worked there when everyone was talking about a potential takeover. The club needed new owners to come in to re-energise it, and I always knew that, if it came during my watch, I probably wouldn’t be hanging around for too long.

“I just hope that, a few years down the line, some of those supporters who never wanted me will look back at my time in charge and say ‘under the circumstances, Brucey didn’t do too bad a job after all’.”