Bruce says he could quit football entirely at age 60 after suffering abuse by fans.
Steve Bruce has been sacked by Newcastle United and has revealed that he is now likely to retire due to the abuse he got during his two year spell on Tyneside.
"...I was useless, a fat waste of space, a stupid, tactically inept cabbage-head..." [Steve Bruce to The Telegraph]
Bruce's departure has been widely expected ever since the Saudi-led takeover at St James' Park. He was left in charge for his 1,000th game against Tottenham, in which the Magpies lost an early lead.
Bruce's assistant and first team coach, Graeme Jones will take charge of the team as interim manager, starting with a trip to Crystal Palace.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Bruce said "I’m 60 years old and I don’t know if I want to put her through it again. We’ve got a good life so, yeah, this will probably be me done as a manager - until I get a phone call from a chairman somewhere asking if I can give them a hand. Never say never, I’ve learnt that."
The ex-manager, who once said he "isn't really in to tactics", and who hasn't won a game at all this season, also addressed the fan abuse: "By the time I got to Newcastle, I thought I could handle everything thrown at me but it has been very, very tough. To never really be wanted, to feel that people wanted me to fail, to read people constantly saying I would fail, that I was useless, a fat waste of space, a stupid, tactically inept cabbage-head or whatever. And it was from day one."
No word yet on who will replace Bruce full time, but speculation has been swirling around the likes of Wayne Rooney, Eddie Howe, Frank Lampard and Paulo Fonseca as the next permanent manager at St. James' Park.
The Swift Kicks Podcast has often referred to Steve Bruce as the Cabbage Patch Kid, and even pegged him as a Premier League manager on the hot seat from day one of the new season.