Newcastle manager Steve Bruce said he will “carry on as best I can” after the club’s new era under its Saudi Arabian owners got off to a losing start at home to Tottenham.
Watched by new non-executive chair Yasir Al-Rumayyan and part-owner Amanda Staveley, Newcastle led after two minutes as Callum Wilson returned from injury to head in.
The home fans went wild with delight, a continuation of carnival-esque scenes before the match.
Bruce, marking his 1,000th game in management, might have felt a sense of optimism while clinging to hope he may continue in the job.
But then reality struck for a team yet to win in eight Premier League games this season as Spurs scored twice in five minutes.
First, Tanguy Ndombele fired in a right-footed drive, before Harry Kane scored his first league goal of the season when he beat the Newcastle offside trap to dink in, the goal awarded by the video assistant referee after initially being ruled out.
The game was then halted when a fan suffered a medical emergency in the stands.
Supporters and players – including Eric Dier – played their part in alerting medics to the seriousness of the situation before the game was suspended.
Play resumed with seven minutes of the first half remaining, and Tottenham extended their lead when Son Heung-min slid in at the back post for his fourth of the season.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, who moved up to fifth in the table, looked comfortable in the second half as the mood turned sour towards Bruce, with home fans calling for him to be sacked.
A poor audition to stay in the job was made worse when substitute Jonjo Shelvey received a second yellow card for a rash challenge on Sergio Reguilon after 83 minutes.
And despite a brief response when Dier’s own goal made it 3-2, the result left Newcastle next-to-bottom of the table with a huge transformation needed to turn the club into the superpower that the new owners want them to be.
Asked if he will remain in the job, Bruce said: “That is for other people to decide. Ever since I have walked into this club, it is difficult. I knew how difficult it was going to be with the frustrations.
“I will carry on as best I can until I hear otherwise. The owners have conducted themselves respectfully since they came in. As long as I don’t hear otherwise, I will go into work tomorrow.”
(BBC Sport)
