LONDON: Steve Steve described managing Newcastle as his “dream job” two years ago. It has ended as a nightmare.

The 60-year-old has been sacked by Newcastle in the wake of Sunday’s 3-2 home defeat by Tottenham which was also his 1,000th game as a manager. The decision was not a surprise.

Bruce said: “This is a club with incredible support and I hope the new owners can take it forward to where we all want it to be. I wish everyone the very best of luck for the rest of this season and beyond.”

Previously the former Manchester United captain had managed Sheffield United, Huddersfield, Wigan (twice), Crystal Palace, Birmingham City, Sunderland, Hull, Aston Villa and Sheffield Wednesday.

Assistant manager Graeme Jones has taken over as caretaker while the new owners look for a permanent replacement for Bruce. Speculation has ranged from Antonio Conte to former Roma and Shakhtar coach Paulo Fonseca. The club’s problem is that a high-profile manager will not be interested in leading a relegation fight.

The fixtures schedule is not encouraging. Newcastle are away to improving Crystal Palace on Saturday then home to Chelsea and away to in-form Brighton.

Concern among other clubs about the sudden wealth of Newcastle has been reflected in a Premier League vote to prevent clubs striking sponsorship deals with companies related to their owners.

Manchester City, who abstained from the vote, financed their rise to Premier League champions partly through a series of sponsorship deals with companies tied to the United Arab Emirates.

Newcastle will still be able to do deals with Saudi companies, under rules that could be made permanent next month, but they will have to match market values.

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