Danny Murphy fires warning to Newcastle’s new mega-rich owners over sacking Steve Buce because there is ‘no-one better to steer the club away from their precarious position’
- Saudi owners want to make their mark on club they have purchased for £305m
- Amanda Staveley and her advisors have been tasked with finding a new boss
- Danny Murphy says the club already have the right man to avoid the drop
Danny Murphy has warned Newcastle United’s new owners against sacking under-fire manager Steve Bruce – ‘because no-one jumps out’ who’s better than him at dealing with a relegation battle.
The 60-year-old is set to be axed this week as Newcastle’s new Saudi owners make their mark on the club they have purchased for £305million.
The St James’ Park club are now under the control of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund with British businesswoman Amanda Staveley and her advisors tasked with finding a new manager.
Steve Bruce will be sacked as Newcastle manager this week by the club’s new owners
But Murphy says the North East club already have the right man to steer them in the right direction.
‘You’ve got to be careful not to run before you can walk,’ he said on talkSPORT. ‘The situation Newcastle is in now is precarious.
‘I think they’ve got a manager in charge who has been there, done it at the lower echelons of the Premier League and dealt with that scenario before, even at Newcastle.
‘So is there someone out there who is going to be more equipped to do the job than Steve Bruce?
Directors Amanda Staveley (left) and Mehrdad Ghodoussi are keen to appoint a new manager
‘That’s ultimately the question. Ok you can talk about the pleasing of the fans and the masses, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you get Bruce out and bring someone in who’s going to do it better.
‘I think they will get rid because that’s what the fans want and they’re trying to keep everybody happy.
‘There’s no obvious candidate to come in for a relegation battle. It is a different question if you’re asking me are there managers out there who are capable of working with new players, spending money, competing – of course there are.
‘But coming into the Premier League, if you haven’t been here before, who’s out there more equipped than Bruce? No one jumps out at me.’
Staveley (centre) and Ghodoussi (left) met the Newcastle players and staff on Monday
Bruce, 60, is far from popular with the fans and the new owners are very much aware his presence in the dug-out for Sunday’s home game against Tottenham will have a negative impact.
His pay-off will be around £8million, small change for the new owners, who have assets totalling £295billion, a figure increasing all the time.
Bruce’s assistant Graeme Jones is expected to be put in temporary charge for the Spurs game and potentially several more fixtures with the owners realistic that the search for Bruce’s replacement won’t be completed overnight.
Danny Murphy has warned Newcastle United’s new owners against sacking under-fire Bruce