Newcastle: Simon Jordan would think about SACKING Steve Bruce if he was owner

Former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan claims he would be thinking about sacking Steve Bruce if he was overseeing things at Newcastle with the club in turmoil both on and off the pitch.

There are plenty of calls from Newcastle fans for Mike Ashley to dismiss Bruce with the Magpies languishing 17th in the Premier League, just two points above the relegation zone.

Bruce has always had it tough at St James’ Park, with his appointment in July 2019 met by severe backlash, and the side’s toothless brand of football has come under immense criticism ever since.

But despite their woeful form and a lack of identity, much-maligned owner Ashley is said to retain his support for Bruce and is not yet ready to pull the trigger and fire the manager.

But Jordan claimed Bruce – who oversaw a dismal 3-0 defeat against relegation rivals Brighton on the weekend – is nearing the point of no return at St James’ Park, before questioning his recent public stance in the light of his furious training ground bust-up with Matt Ritchie, which was exclusively revealed by Sportsmail.

‘Steve is moving to the territory of red line,’ Jordan told talkSPORT. ‘Your at the point as an owner where you’re looking very very carefully whether you’re better off without him or with him. 

‘Four or five weeks ago, to certain groups of Newcastle fans, the reasons why they beat Everton were because of Graeme Jones. The reasons why they beat Southampton was because of Jones’ inclusion, and they will have a closed mind. 

‘I look from a Newcastle perspective, and you are in a territory where Steve hasn’t done enough. The players aren’t good enough to my view, but he as a manager has made choices and said things in the media that I would be uncomfortable for him to have said, uncomfortable for him to have felt the necessity to say I am doing it my way, the gloves are off because that leads you to one conclusion, it leads you to ridicule and parody. 

‘You can say that to players, and in private, you don’t need to say it to the media, that is a reaction.’

The pressure has seriously ramped up on Bruce following the harrowing loss at the Amex Stadium as Leandro Trossard, Danny Welbeck and Neal Maupay got on the scoresheet for Brighton.

Victory for Brighton has moved them four points clear of Newcastle, who are now the most likely side to get relegated if Fulham claw their way out of the danger zone.

And Jordan, who was Palace owner when Bruce managed the club in 2001, has slammed the ‘dreadful’ display before questioning why the former centre back wanted to take the challenging St James’ Park job in the first place.  

‘Newcastle were dreadful in that game and they have been dreadful in other games,’ Jordan added. ‘And at what point does professional pride kick in for these players. And at what point does it become all about the manager, there is a balance to be had. 

‘My view is that I don’t know why he wants to be there, they didn’t want him there in the first place, they wanted (Rafa) Benitez or anybody that flies in the face of Mike Ashley. They don’t want Ashley there, he is the central theme. Anybody that Ashley appoints that doesn’t go against Ashley, Newcastle fans are going to dislike. 

‘So I don’t know why he wanted to go there in the first place, besides he couldn’t resist the temptation of managing his home club.’ 

While the fans are calling for Bruce’s head, local media on Monday also turned on Bruce – with the Newcastle Chronicle dedicating both their front and back page to the ongoing crisis at St James’ Park.

In a damning editorial, the club’s local paper urged under-fire Bruce to ‘do the honourable thing and walk away’, after creating what they describe as an ‘almighty mess’. 

And the front page detailed that story with the headline ‘Going Nowhere’, with a black-and-white photo of a downtrodden Bruce.