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Chris Sutton has voiced his support of Steve Bruce and believes that he is beginning to prove his doubters wrong.

What did he say?

Bruce was not the manager many Magpies supporters wanted even before he was appointed, and in the months since he has faced an uphill struggle to win them over.

Initial results didn't help, and after the 5-0 defeat to Leicester things began to look bleak, with some fans likely wishing for a return to the Rafa Benitez days.

Since then, however, there has been progress under Bruce, and back-to-back wins suggest that what he is implementing could lead to success, and therefore fans should have afforded him more time.

That is certainly the view of Chris Sutton, who told BBC 5 Live's Monday Night Club [11/11]:

"What managers don't get now is time & Steve Bruce always needed time to implement his own style of play & I think there must be Newcastle fans out there who will be embarrassed with the way that they have treated Steve Bruce & the fact he is from the area."

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Signs of progress?

The recent weeks have shown that the appointment of Bruce may not have been a bad decision after all, but it is too early to assess his time at the club since he has managed just 12 league games so far.

He seems to be getting the best out of Allan Saint-Maximin and made a great call to hand Matty Longstaff his debut against Manchester United, but equally the Magpies have often looked toothless in attack and he is yet to get Joelinton firing.

The Brazilian has just one of Newcastle's 11 league goals, and the team's lack of cutting edge in attack that was evident under Rafa Benitez has continued, which doesn't reflect well on Bruce.

Sutton is correct that he deserves time to implement his ideas as there have been positives to take, which means that fan opposition to him was unwarranted.

If Bruce can continue to bring the best out of players, with the likes of Jonjo Shelvey and Isaac Hayden also playing well, then Newcastle could continue to move up the table and, with a bit more investment, start becoming more ambitious on and off the pitch.