Steve Bruce admits Newcastle’s current form is “nothing mouth-watering” but believes it will be enough to keep them in the Premier League.
Newcastle have won only two of their last 20 games in all competitions and sit just two points above the relegation zone with nine games to play.
A humiliating 3-0 defeat at fellow strugglers Brighton last time out ramped up the pressure on Bruce, with 95% of respondents to a local newspaper poll this week urging him to leave.
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Those quit calls are sure to intensify should the Magpies’ winless run stretch to seven at home to Tottenham on Sunday.
However, the 60-year-old said the experience gained from close to 1,000 matches in charge, together with a rose-tinted view of their recent results, would be enough to turn around their fortunes.
He said: “You rely on your family, of course, your staff, who work with you tirelessly to try and put it right, and also you draw on the experience.
“If you do 980-odd games or whatever, there’s a fair amount of experience there – in some people’s eyes, you wouldn’t have thought I’d done half a dozen – so you draw on that experience.
“Look, there’s no doubt it’s been difficult, but let’s move forward, let’s get ready. We took nine points from our last eight or nine games, which is nothing mouth-watering, but usually that’s enough to keep you in the division, a point a game, usually.
“Yes, it hasn’t been anywhere good enough, but we’ve given ourselves a decent platform. Now, with the next eight or nine games, it’s about how many points can we accumulate to make sure we stay in this division.”
Owner Mike Ashley made it known in the immediate aftermath of the capitulation at the Amex Stadium that he would be sticking with his head coach despite mounting fury among the fanbase.
It may not have amounted to a rousing vote of confidence but Bruce said it was important the club remains united as they battle against the drop.
“He sent his support to rally the troops and to get behind everybody. But, as I’ve said from day one, nothing’s changed.”
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