Newcastle United boss Steve Bruce is confident his job is safe.

Bruce, who spoke to his old boss Sir Alex Ferguson on Monday night, says he has plenty of support among the Newcastle hierarchy, despite his side's bad start to the season.

Bruce said: “I think that is the key, the relationship anyone has with the people who employ you.

“Of course, I am not naive enough to think we can put in more performances like what we witnessed last weekend.

“But the club has been in a relegation battle for a long time, hasn't it? That's where we find ourselves.

“Sir Alex is always terrific. If there is ever a time you need a bit of advice, he is always there to help you.

“But the thing in management that you can't do is try and copy somebody, because if you copy somebody you get unstuck."