Newcastle United boss Steve Bruce has hit out at his media critics.

Bruce insists that, in the eyes of some critics, it will never be possible for him to get it right.

"Look, when I took the job, from day one, it's been personal as far as I'm concerned," he told reporters.

"There are certain people out there who don't think I should be in the job to start with so all I can do is accept it, try not to be too down with it because I know how quickly it changes."

Reflecting on defeat to Sheffield United in midweek, he added: "I understand & accept the criticism - if I was a fan I would feel the same. We have thrown in a hand grenade [bad performance] too many times. We were absolutely hopeless on Tuesday but the gloves are off now."