Steve Bruce sacked - Official statement, first words & 'interim' manager confirmed
Steve Bruce has been sacked.
As revealed in the last few moments, the 60-year-old has left the club by 'mutual consent', with the club statement confirming that Graeme Jones will take over on an 'interim basis' for this Saturday's trip to Crystal Palace.
Newcastle have also revealed that they will be making an announcement on Steve Bruce's replacement 'in due course', stating that process to appoint a new manager is under way.
This follows the Saudi-backed takeover which finally went through almost two weeks ago, with the new owners deciding to pull the trigger after Sunday's 3-2 defeat to Tottenham left us stuck in 19th and without a win all season.
Here's the club's statement below, along with Steve Bruce's parting message to the club and supporters:
Newcastle United official statement (via NUFC.co.uk):
Newcastle United can confirm that Steve Bruce has left his position as head coach by mutual consent.
He leaves the Magpies after more than two years in charge, having steered the club to 13th and 12th-place finishes in the Premier League and reaching the quarter-final stage in both the Emirates FA Cup and Carabao Cup during his tenure.
Newcastle United would like to place on record its gratitude to Steve for his contribution and wishes him well for the future.
Steve Bruce said: "I am grateful to everyone connected with Newcastle United for the opportunity to manage this unique football club.
"I would like to thank my coaching team, the players and the support staff in particular for all their hard work. There have been highs and lows, but they have given everything even in difficult moments and should be proud of their efforts.
"This is a club with incredible support, and I hope the new owners can take it forward to where we all want it to be. I wish everyone the very best of luck for the rest of this season and beyond."
Graeme Jones will lead the team on an interim basis, starting with Saturday's trip to Crystal Palace, and will be supported by the coaching team of Steve Agnew, Stephen Clemence, Ben Dawson and Simon Smith.
The process of recruiting a new head coach is under way and an appointment will be announced in due course.
The club will not be making further comment at this time.
Bruce is hailed by some for keeping us up in his two full seasons in charge, however there are many - myself included - who were critical of his style of play, his baffling comments and poor game management.
He recently stated he was here to keep the club 'ticking over', but that is nowhere near enough for an ambitious new regime planning to transform Newcastle United from relegation candidates to European powerhouses.
