Steve Bruce challenged on his future at Newcastle United after Arsenal defeat

Bruce's side were convincingly beaten 3-0 by Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium tonight. The result left the club in 15th place, and seven points above the relegation zone, ahead of Saturday’s game at Aston Villa.

“I think half the league is in a relegation battle,” said Bruce. “We’ve been stuck, unfortunately, on 19 points for a while. We always knew this was the most difficult part of the season for us in terms of fixtures. We’ll keep plugging away. I’m sure it’ll turn.”

Asked if he was the right man to lead the club, Bruce said: “I’ve been in it a long, long time. When you’re in the bottom half of the table, the reason why you’re there is some part of the season you’re going to have a difficult spell. It’s how you deal with it. I’m not going to shy away from it, so yes, 100%.”

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