Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce is set to be sacked once the takeover of the club is completed.
According to a report from the Mirror, Bruce will be removed by the new owners as part of wholesale changes at the club.
The 60-year-old has been in charge of The Magpies since July 2019, and while he has admittedly kept the club relatively stable, finishing 13th and 12th in his two full seasons at the club, many fans are disillusioned with the style of play and atmosphere around the club.
An annual survey from Newcastle United Supporter’s Trust indicated that almost 95% of fans wanted Bruce to be removed as the manager of the club.
The survey also revealed that 93.8% of fans supported the Saudi-backed takeover of Newcastle United.
Results from Newcastle United's supporters trust annual survey:
? Nearly 95% voted that Steve Bruce should leave the club
? 92.4% of members unhappy with the clubs preparations for the season
? 93.8% in favour of Saudi-backed takeover going through pic.twitter.com/eu1a3JrQjO
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) October 5, 2021
The Toon currently sit 19th in the Premier League and are winless from their opening seven games this season. However, this stat is not that remarkable when you consider that Newcastle have started four of the last seven campaigns without a victory in their opening seven games
The prospective takeover of the club could be completed by the end of the week if not as soon as today.
A ruling from Saudi Arabia decreed that there was no need to provide a separation between the Public Investment Fund (PIF) who were going to be providing 80% of the capital for the deal to pass through and the Saudi state, following piracy issues attributed to the illegal streaming of Premier League matches.
This means the Premier League have less ground on which to block any takeover, and may not dare to robustly challenge any potential human rights issues that may be affiliated with the new owners.
Whether Bruce does leave straight away is a decision for the new owners if the takeover completes with no additional roadblocks. And history may not look kindly on his time with Newcastle, but the stability he brought in a time of turbulence at the club should not be understated, even though it did come at the expense of style and fan atmosphere.