Steve Bruce could quit football after Newcastle exit: ‘It was hard being called an inept cabbage-head’

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20 October 2021

Steve Bruce has revealed he is likely to retire from football due to the strain placed on him during his two years as Newcastle manager.

Bruce was sacked by Newcastle on Wednesday and has revealed the toll the job has taken on him and family.

“I think this might be my last job,” the 60-year-old told the Telegraph.

“It’s not just about me, it’s taken its toll on my whole family because they are all Geordies and I can’t ignore that.

“They have been worried about me… especially my wife Jan. What an amazing woman she is, incredible, she’s just a fantastic woman, wife and mother and grandmother.

“She dealt with the death of my parents, hers have not been very well. And then she had me to worry about and what I’ve been going through the last couple of years.”

Bruce was deeply unpopular among supporters during his two years at Newcastle and has received abuse.

“By the time I got to Newcastle, I thought I could handle everything thrown at me but it has been very, very tough,” said Bruce.

“To never really be wanted, to feel that people wanted me to fail, to read people constantly saying I would fail, that I was useless, a fat waste of space, a stupid, tactically inept cabbage head or whatever. And it was from day one.

“When we were doing ok results wise, it was ‘yeah but the style of football is rubbish’ or I was just ‘lucky’. It was ridiculous and persistent, even when the results were good.”

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