Steve Bruce says the fact that he didn’t hear his name chanted for six months by Newcastle United fans “didn’t bother him”.

Supporters chanted “Brucey, give us a wave” during Tuesday night’s 4-1 FA Cup win over Rochdale. However, Bruce is yet to hear such a chant during a Premier League game.

Asked if it bothered him that he had had to wait so long to hear his name chanted by fans, Bruce said: “Not really. It was my mates – I went down and bought a couple of hundred tickets! It doesn’t really bother me. I’d rather that than them booing, though.”

Bruce’s appointment last summer as Rafa Benitez’s successor at St James’s Park got a lukewarm reception on Tyneside.

The club is 13th in the Premier League – and five points above the relegation zone – ahead of this evening’s televised home game against fourth-placed Chelsea.

Steve Bruce has his say on latest chant from Newcastle United fans