The Athletic’s Newcastle United correspondent, Chris Waugh, featured on this week’s Ask Ornstein podcast where he spoke about all things Newcastle United.
Newcastle are sitting precariously close to the relegation zone in 16th place, with 18th-placed Fulham just one point behind them after their stunning 1-0 victory away at Anfield on Sunday.
A lot of fans have called for Steve Bruce to be sacked from his managerial role, however, the 60-year-old remains in charge of the Magpies with only two wins in their last 16 league games.
Speaking on the subject of Bruce, Waugh had this to say on the veteran’s position with the club.
He said: “A lot of Newcastle fans will contest that Steve Bruce, they believe wasn’t the right man for the job to begin with. But Newcastle appointed him, he still has at least another year left in his contract, and there is quite a sizeable clause if he is sacked, that they will have to pay him off.
“So I think that is part of the reasoning for Newcastle. They want to avoid all costs, if possible, to have to pay him off. That is where the concern is from supporters, that Newcastle didn’t learn in 2008/09, they didn’t learn in 2015/16 and make a change soon enough, and that’s why supporters fear that the same is happening again and that relegation is becoming increasingly more likely.”
Can NUFC survive the drop this season?
Yes
No
The Magpies host Aston Villa on Friday and reports coming from the Villa camp suggests Jack Grealish is in contention to play a part in the game at St. James’ Park.
TIF Thoughts on Waugh’s comments on Bruce…
What Waugh had to say regarding the clause in Bruce’s contract which would see the 60-year-old receive a healthy payday if he was to be sacked now may explain why he is still in charge at St. James’ Park.
The results have been horrific for Newcastle. They may have been missing their three star players in recent games, however, the poor run of form tracks further back than just a month ago. If they do go down, a mass clearout could be seen on Tyneside with a lot of their players not having relegation clauses in their contracts.