Gold adamant Bruce will stay

Birmingham chairman David Gold has warned Newcastle they will face a fight if they want Steve Bruce as Bobby Robson’s successor.

Geordie Bruce has been mooted as a future Newcastle manager for some time due to his Tyneside roots.

And his orchestration of Birmingham’s rapid rise from mid-table Division One side to European contenders has done his reputation no harm.

“We will do everything in our power to keep Steve,” Gold told Sky Sports News.

“He has been successful here and if he hadn’t, they would not be linking him to other jobs. He has done a remarkable job getting Birmingham into the Premiership and keeping us there and he is a joy to work with.

“There has been no approach from Newcastle whatsoever, it is purely speculation.

“The gap between the mighty Newcastle and the Birmingham City Football Club of years ago, when it was in decline, is closing very, very rapidly. We are growing, we have an ambitious board and fantastic support.

“It could be argued – why would you want to leave?”

Gold admitted that any financial compensation the club would receive should Bruce leave would be scant consolation.

“The compensation would be minuscule compared to the loss we would suffer in our manager leaving.

“The most important person in any football club is the manager and even several million pounds is scant reward for the loss of a manager.”