Stuart Pearce hopes Newcastle fans get behind Steve Bruce

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Stuart Pearce has backed the appointment of Steve Bruce at Newcastle United and believes the fans should get behind him.

Bruce, 58, has arrived at St James’ Park as the successor to Rafael Benitez and left his position at Championship outfit Sheffield Wednesday to do so.

The English coach is back in the top-flight and is now taking charge of his 11th different club.

He’s had a long managerial career so far, with four promotions from the Championships to his name, but he’s also suffered relegation twice from the Premier League.

The Englishman is now in charge of the Magpies and will be looking to lift spirits in the North East, as there is a lot of frustration surrounding their owner Mike Ashley.

Pearce, who previously played for Newcastle, is convinced that Bruce deserves his shot in charge.

He’s noted that the expectations aren’t high around the club right now and that Bruce may be a good fit.

“He’s been around and done a lot of clubs and done fantastic jobs at all the clubs he’s been at,” Pearce told talkSPORT.

“I think you go into Newcastle with your eyes wide open. Everyone knows the situation with their fans, with the owners. I think it’s a good appointment for Bruce to take personally.

“If you ask anyone about expectations at Newcastle you’d say finishing fourth from bottom at the moment, so the bar isn’t particularly high at Newcastle. The fans aren’t expecting a top-10 finish are they. I just hope the fans get behind him because he’s a good man and a good manager.”

TBR’s View:

Pearce’s comments about low expectations around Newcastle is exactly the type of assessment that drives their fans crazy.

After back-to-back seasons in the Premier League, the Magpies supporters are desperate now to kick on and push up the top-flight table.

Benitez’s successor looks destined to fail whatever the outcome and Bruce is going to have to perform a minor miracle to please the entire fanbase.

Avoiding relegation will be a good season for Bruce if he can mastermind that, but fans are understandably fed up and are hungry for more ambition.