Steve Bruce: Buck stops with me

Newcastle United boss Steve Bruce says he is not panicking just yet but admits he is under pressure to improve the club’s performances.

The Magpies, 2.00 to be relegated, are 18th in the Premier League table after losing their opening two games of the season. Defeats to Arsenal and Norwich have pushed them into the bottom three, and they will be up against it when they take on Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon.

Newcastle fans are already losing patience with Bruce, despite the fact he only arrived in the summer. Bruce has defended his decision to make the players train last Sunday and he claims the situation is being blown out of proportion.

He told reporters: “After two games there is a so-called mini-crisis. “Everything is over sensationalised. There’s always a storm in Newcastle. At the minute we’re in one. The only way I can shut a few people up is by getting results. The buck stops with me.

“It’s not for me to comment on what’s been said, but there’s often a storm in Newcastle. It’s two games and I just want it to be fair and responsible. I know the only way I can shut people up is by winning games and I know the quicker, the better.

“I don’t know where that nonsense comes from either – we had them in on Sunday, it’s something which I’ve done before. “A lot of clubs do it now, where they’re in on a Sunday and give them Monday off. That’s what we did, but of course, here it’s sensationalised, unfortunately.”