Steve Bruce has been given a stay of execution - and is in line to boss his 1,000th game.
Newcastle United announced on Thursday afternoon that Bruce will hold his weekly press conference at lunchtime on Friday.
Barring a late change, he will kick off the new era still in charge of the winless Magpies, against the wishes of the majority of fans.
Director Amanda Staveley and 80pc shareholders the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia are set to keep Bruce until a replacement head coach is landed.
Bruce is unhappy that his position has been undermined this week, as he tried to organise the club’s first win of the season.
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Fans have been demanding for weeks that Bruce be axed to give the club an immediate fresh start, and he has had no public backing from his employers.
Staveley has only insisted that the squad is better than their current position of 19th.
However it is believed Bruce was thanked by Staveley for twice keeping the club in the Premier League, allowing the takeover to eventually go through, during an amicable meeting on Monday.
