Newcastle United boss Steve Bruce is set to take charge of a competitive match at St. James’ Park for the first time against Arsenal in two weekends’ time.
Bruce claimed that he didn’t believe that Newcastle fans would boycott their first match of the season.
Magpies supporters have been threatening not to attend the opening day contest with Arsenal, with many cancelling season tickets after Rafael Benitez’s departure.
But Bruce is convinced that St. James’ Park will be full in two weekends’ time.
“One thing I do know is that the Newcastle fans will be there cheering their team like no other set of supporters can do when the season starts,” he told TalkSPORT.
“There’s been talk of a boycott but I firmly believe they will stand by their team.”
The comments have not gone down at all well with Newcastle supporters, who feel that Bruce has stepped out of line.
Bruce has actually handled the media well since arriving at Newcastle up until now, and many Magpies supporters had complimented on him on the way he has come across in an awkward situation.
However, this seems to have been a misstep from Bruce, as he looks to win over the Newcastle followers.
Bruce was not a popular appointment on Tyneside at all, and he should quickly be learning that he needs to be very careful with his comments, otherwise he could face a backlash.
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