Sunday 21 July 2019 18:22, UK
Jonjo Shelvey has urged Newcastle supporters to give Steve Bruce a chance after their mixed reaction to his appointment as manager.
Bruce succeeded Rafa Benitez after the popular Spaniard failed to agree a new deal with Newcastle before his contract expired at the end of the season.
However, the fact Bruce has not managed in the Premier League since 2015, as well as his two-year spell as Sunderland manager, have left some Newcastle fans unimpressed at his arrival.
Shelvey wants Magpies fans to get behind Bruce, though, saying: "Rafa isn't here anymore - we need to get on with it. Steve has come in and it's been like a breath of fresh air.
"The fans need to give him a chance because I think, if they do that, we will do well week-in, week-out and they won't have any reason for complaint.
"I think Steve is more straight with you. As soon as he came in, all he expects is that you work hard. If you work hard, you will be fine. That's what we need to do."
Bruce's first game in charge saw Newcastle beat West Ham 1-0 to secure third place in the Premier League Asia Trophy on Saturday, and Shelvey said the aim needs to be to remain in the top flight.
"We've constantly been told we are not good enough. People have kept telling us we were going to go down, but we've proven them wrong and we stayed up both times.
"The main motivation is to stay up, that's the first target. We need to stay in the Premier League. We don't want to drop down into the Championship, it's getting harder and harder to get out of it.
"We don't want to keep going down and coming back up again. We are too good for that. We need stability and we need to stay in the Premier League for a long time."
Shelvey also revealed he met Bruce earlier this summer while both were on holiday in Portugal, explaining: "Obviously I didn't know he was going to end up being my manager, so it's a good thing I did stop and say hello.
"He deserves a bit more credit than he gets. Even within two days, look at the difference from the other day. You won't find many people who don't speak highly of Steve."
