'Put a couple of things straight' - Steve Bruce reflects on phone-in with Newcastle United fans

The 60-year-old took questions from Newcastle United fans on Thursday night during a live show with BBC Radio Newcastle.

It was the first time Bruce had communicated one-on-one with supporters since being appointed head coach in July 2019.

Bruce was quizzed on a number of topics – including expectations, transfers, the Longstaff brothers, Graeme Jones and Mike Ashley.

“Therapeutic? That’s one way of putting it,” Bruce said when asked about the hour-long broadcast.

"I felt it was vitally important that I go on and try to be as honest as I can.

“Really why I went on there was a big thank you to the supporters who’ve made me realise what a great, unique club we are.

“The support we get - there is nobody else who gets 50-odd thousand the way we get it. There is, of course, the Man Uniteds of the world but not many.

“When we scored the first goal last week, the jubilation, the noise, the atmosphere - the whole thing is what we’ve been missing for the past 18 months or whatever it is.

“I went on to put a couple of things straight, which you can do when you’re talking to a radio or a phone-in when your words aren’t changed, diluted or whatever you want to call it.

“Whether it was a worthwhile exercise, you’ll have to ask other people whether they thought that or not.”

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