‘Human shield’ Steve Bruce was out of his depth in dream job at Newcastle

Ashley’s ownership made life hard and manager avoided relegation but often incoherent style showed his flaws

BLACK AND WHITE: Steve Bruce who has left Newcastle 'by mutual consent', the Premier League club announced Wednesday. 

Steve Bruce’s unveiling as Newcastle’s manager took place on the same day in July 2019 that Britain’s new prime minister stood outside No 10 Downing Street and introduced a bold prescription for change.

Things have not exactly proceeded to plan for either Bruce or Boris Johnson but where the latter’s manifesto was, if nothing else, full of big ideas, the blueprint outlined by Bruce seemed distinctly conservative with a small c.