Steve Bruce ‘Shocked’ by Eddie Howe’s Departure from Newcastle

Steve Bruce has admitted he is “shocked” by Eddie Howe’s departure from Newcastle United and fears the club is drifting away from the ambitious project it promised supporters.

Bruce, who managed Newcastle from 2019 to 2021 and still calls himself a fan, did not hide his unease with the direction of travel at St James’ Park, particularly around the club’s transfer strategy.

“We’re all shocked at the timing of it. He's done a magnificent job,” Bruce told the Shields Gazette. “A lot of Newcastle fans, and I can still say I'm one of them, are going to be totally disappointed and a little bit disillusioned really with what's happening.”

The 63-year-old pointed to what he sees as a turning point 12 months ago.

“It started a year ago. The Isak situation wasn't great for the football club at all,” he said, referencing the uncertainty and noise that surrounded the club’s stance over one of its key assets.

Newcastle’s owners publicly set out a bold target of winning the Premier League by 2030. Bruce now questions whether that vision is being backed by the decisions made behind the scenes.

“Newcastle made this pledge that, by 2030, they're going to try and win the Premier League. Unfortunately, it looks as if they've got to go down a different route, it doesn't look as if it's the same club as it was maybe two, three years ago,” he said. “And the one thing you can't be doing is keep selling your best players.”

For a fanbase that has bought into talk of title challenges and Champions League nights, the suggestion that the club might become a seller rather than a buyer cuts deep. Bruce’s words tap into that anxiety: the fear that momentum, once hard-won under Howe, is being squandered.

Howe’s future, though, may still lie at the very top of the game.

Bruce believes the former Newcastle boss will inevitably be linked with the England job and made it clear where he stands on who should lead the Three Lions.

“As far as I'm concerned, to be managing our national team, I think you should be English. That's my personal opinion on it,” he said. “We've got some really, really talented managers around.”

Thomas Tuchel has been heavily discussed in the debate over the national team role, and Bruce was careful to acknowledge the German’s pedigree while still underlining the fine margins at international level.

“Listen, Tuchel is a fantastic manager as well, he made a big call (against Argentina), but let's not forget we were five minutes away from a World Cup final. Give him a bit of slack, but he did make a big call, didn't he?” Bruce said. “We're all scratching our heads with it and he has to live with that decision.”

The question now hangs over what comes next for both club and country. Howe’s stock remains high, his work at Newcastle still widely respected despite the manner of his exit. Bruce can see a scenario where those two paths cross.