Former Arsenal midfielder Ray Parlour claimed that Steve Bruce ‘wants the best for the club’ amid growing concerns regarding his position as Newcastle United manager.
Magpies supporters have grown tired of Mike Ashley’s ownership of the club which includes his reluctance to make a managerial alteration.
A large proportion of Newcastle fans believe Bruce should be relieved of his duties but are aware of the lack of alternative options.
Parlour argued that the 60-year-old is doing everything he can and stated that training ground reports should not be widely circulated in the media.
“I think he [Bruce] is a Newcastle fan, isn’t he?” he asked
. “So he wants the best for the club and he’s trying to the best he can.
“Reports like this morning’s don’t help saying about bust ups. That shouldn’t be in the papers if I’m being honest.
“You’re on the back foot straight the way as the manager if you’re getting reports that players are falling out with coaches.”
Parlour also claimed that a win against Leeds would buy Bruce some time and change the supporters’ thoughts concerning his position as manager.
“It’s all about the results,” he said. “If they beat Leeds tonight then suddenly he’s back in the good books.
“That’s what every manager is feeling at the moment. Most managers are exactly the same.
“If you look across the board, you have a couple of bad results every manager is under pressure.”
The 48-year-old footballer turned pundit made reference to the fact that the Magpies would be hard pushed to find a manager who would do a better job than Bruce in the circumstances provided by the owner.
“I don’t think Mike Ashley is going to get a better man than Steve Bruce with the resources he’s got,” claimed Parlour.
“That’s probably why, at the moment, he won’t get sacked and he won’t be relieved of his job because he’s doing the best he can. It’s as simple as that.”
