Bruce vows to make Magpies change their tune

Steve Bruce has taken a swipe at Newcastle United’s “etiquette” after a derby day wind-up left Sunderland insulted as well as humiliated.

The Sunderland boss and his players were serenaded off the St James’s Park pitch by the Monkees hit Daydream Believer.

In a mass outbreak of community singing, Newcastle fans change the lyrics to: Cheer up Steve Bruce, oh what can it mean to a Sad Mackem B****** and S** football team.”

The cheeky choice, made by United’s stadium DJ, went down a treat with the Geordies, but left Bruce and his players fuming, and yesterday he hit back with a warning to Newcastle.

“It is 71 days until the next derby at our place, not that we are counting. I hope we can repeat the same dosage when they come to our place. It was typical of that club’s etiquette.”

The insult follows a high-level Sunderland delegation who once had to endure seeing Mike Ashley lead a legendary boardroom Conga as a victory celebration.

Bruce has been picking up the pieces of the 5-1 defeat, and did not speak to anyone for 48 hours.

He fears Sunderland fans’ trust in his rebuilding job has been “blown away” by the crushing loss and openly admits he “might never recover” if there is a backlash against him.

But Bruce is fronting up with fighting talk and hopes to “repairing” the damage against Stoke tomorrow, urging worried supporters to see the bigger picture.

Bruce, chairman Niall Quinn and Sunderland players including Darren Bent, have all issued emotional apologies for the club’s worst result in years, but the manager’s candid words yesterday were the strongest recognition yet over the hurt the derby inflicted.

“For all the good work I’ve done it’s just evaporated within days,” said Bruce. “I understand that. That is what the area is all about.

“I know there will be people wanting me out of the door and I can understand that. They are probably as humiliated as I am and make no mistake, there’s nobody more hurt than I am.

“We’ll all be reminded of it. We’ve got to live with it forever. I know I have some repairing to do. The trust that some people had in me has probably been blown away, which I can understand.

“The mark of everything is how you respond. I try to get up off the floor and come out fighting. I didn’t speak to anyone for two days. You batten down the hatches, you take it, you try to be dignified and you try to respond, that is all you can do.

“There is no hiding place for us. It has happened and we must not let it derail our season. We are making some sort of progress. We have played good stuff against some big teams. How do we respond? Get a result against Stoke, then we play two of the best teams in Europe, Spurs and Chelsea.

“It is 70-odd days to the next derby. That is a motivating force. Some will see through it and see we have the nucleus of a decent young side that got their backsides kicked from naivety and inexperience. But they will learn from it.”

Bruce is ready to make big changes to his starting line up. Asamoah Gyan has been told he starts. Craig Gordon wants a recall, although Bruce doesn’t blame deputy Simon Mignolet for any of the goals last weekend. John Mensah will come in for suspended Titus Bramble if he recovers from flu.

Also Bruce could freshen up his midfield with Bolo Zenden in line to return, and Kieron Richardson is fit again and likely to start.

Bruce added: “We have lost three times in 18 months at home. Yes we were badly beaten and we are desperately hurt but we have to put it into perspective. It was my worst defeat ever. It is gone, done and dusted.”