Steve Bruce pictured for the first time since his Newcastle sacking as son Alex posts picture of former boss enjoying England’s thrashing of Australia at T20 World Cup in Dubai
- Steve Bruce left role as Newcastle boss by ‘mutual consent’ earlier this month
- The 60-year-old headed for a break with his family, including son Alex, to Dubai
- The pair saw England’s eight-wicket thrashing of Australia at the T20 World Cup
- The Magpies’ Saudi owners are yet to name a permanent successor to Bruce
Steve Bruce was seen enjoying a holiday in Dubai as he was pictured for the first time since his Newcastle sacking earlier this month.
The 60-year-old left the Magpies ‘by mutual consent’ with a full £8million payoff on 20 October following the club’s £305m takeover by a Saudi-led consortium.
It brought a protracted saga surrounding Bruce’s future to an end, and he soon after revealed he could quit football after suffering vile abuse by fans.
Steve Bruce (R) was seen for the first time since his Newcastle sacking watching England’s thrashing of Australia in the T20 World Cup in Dubai with son Alex (L)
The 60-year-old (R) was also seen enjoying time on a boat with family during his UAE break
Bruce however has made an attempt to relieve him of the stress he faced in particular at the end of his tenure at St James’ Park by heading out with his family to Dubai.
Son Alex – who plays for fifth-step National League side Macclesfield – snapped a picture of him and his smiling father enjoying England’s hammering of Australia at the T20 World Cup in the city in the UAE, with the former claiming the tickets had come courtesy of wicketkeeper batsman Bairstow.
The caption from Alex read: ‘What a great day, dad and lad’s day out. Well done England and thanks for the tickets Jonny Bairstow.’
The duo saw Eoin Morgan’s men make it three wins out of three at the World Cup, with Jos Buttler’s 71 not out ensuring they got home with 50 balls to spare.
They are the first pictures of the former Newcastle boss (centre) since he left by mutual consent
Steve Bruce is pictured from left to right with son Alex, daughter-in-law Lucy, his wife Janet and daughter Amy, along with Alex’s two daughters Ava and Betsy
‘He’s certainly one of our players – and there are a few of them – that are at the forefront of changing the game,’ said England captain Morgan about Buttler. ‘He’s one of the best players in the world, but he’s still trying to improve his game.’
The Macclesfield defender however then posted a series of other photos from their time in the UAE, including Steve and his family enjoying time out on a boat in glorious sunshine.
The family – including Alex’s wife Lucy, their children Ava and Besty, and Steve’s wife Janet – then all dressed up nicely for an evening together.
However, back in the north east of England, Newcastle have yet to appoint a permanent successor to Bruce, with Graeme Jones having taken temporary charge for the first time in the 3-0 defeat by Chelsea on Saturday.
Bruce saw Jos Buttler’s spectacular 71 not out as England made it three wins from three
Graeme Jones (R) has taken temporary charge of Newcastle as they search for Bruce’s permanent replacement
Former AC Milan and Napoli coach Gennaro Gattuso is the latest name to have been linked to the vacancy, following the likes of Ajax boss Erik ten Hag, Rangers counterpart Steven Gerrard as well as former Blues boss Frank Lampard.
But caretaker boss Jones urged the new Saudi ownership to appoint a fresh face soon after seeing their side extend their winless run to 10 matches at St James’ Park.
‘We are in a relegation battle. There’s no question about that,’ Jones said following the defeat by Thomas Tuchel’s men.
‘We need to face it like men, stick together and believe we’ll come through. The truth is, it maybe needs a fresh face in order to get that.’
The Saudi ownership saw their team extend their winless run to 10 games on Saturday