Steve Bruce reacts after being named Premier League manager of the month for April

Steve Bruce has been named the Premier League’s manager of the month for April - the first time he’s won the award in his 23-years in football management.

This comes after our sudden turnaround in form last month, with us beating Burnley in a relegation six-pointer at Turf Moor, taking all three points against Champions League chasing West Ham and coming from behind to earn vital draws with both Tottenham and Liverpool.

He may remain an unpopular figure amongst NUFC fans and is by no means the answer moving forward, but this is well deserved for me.

After all, I thought we were guaranteed to go down after that 3-0 battering at Brighton, yet we responded with some big performances and 8 precious points just when we were all fearing the worst.

Here’s the official announcement, featuring some words from Steve Bruce himself, via NUFC.co.uk:

Steve Bruce has won the Premier League's Barclays manager of the month award for April.

The Newcastle United head coach guided his team to eight points from their four matches as the Magpies went unbeaten and took a huge step towards securing top-flight safety, which was eventually achieved this month.

His side fought back from losing positions to earn draws with Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool and beat Burnley, as well as impressively overcoming Champions League-chasing West Ham at St. James' Park.

Bruce beat Marcelo Bielsa of Leeds United, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer of Manchester United and Sam Allardyce of West Bromwich Albion to the award.

He told nufc.co.uk: “For me to win is a reflection on the players and my staff. They work tirelessly, and without them there's no award to win.

"I'm delighted, and I want to thank them sincerely."