Newcastle United boss Steve Bruce knows some fans are upset with him replacing predecessor Rafa Benitez.

Some fans have threatened to boycott the club after ex-Sunderland manager Bruce succeeded Benitez.

Benitez left last month saying the club "did not share his vision".

"I know in some people's eyes I'm not Rafa. I understand there are big shoes to fill. But I'll give it everything I possibly can," Bruce told nufcTV.

"I knew it was going to be difficult - the easy thing would have been to say no. I just hope that people will show the respect, which obviously you only gain by getting a few results and doing the job, but hopefully that will go hand in hand."

Bruce, who was born near Newcastle and was a boyhood Magpies fan, said he could not say no to the job a second time having turned down the chance to succeed Sir Bobby Robson while Birmingham manager in 2004.

"Back a few years ago, I regretted it. I regretted it and it lingered around me for years, when Sir Bobby left," he said. "To be given the opportunity again, it was simply something I had to take, I had to grasp it."