Staveley watches Newcastle training amid claims chief is 'waiting to sack Bruce'

Staveley has been keen to show she will not be an absent chief, following her purchase of a 10 per stake in the club, and has been seen watching the players and speaking to staff at the Magpies' Darsley Park training ground.

Staveley facilitated the £305million purchase of the club by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) which reportedly makes Newcastle the wealthiest football team in the world.

The British businesswoman, now on the club's board of directors, has since been seen at the club's training ground for the first time, with under-pressure manager Steve Bruce holding onto his job, for now, following a crunch meeting.

Reports earlier in the week claimed Bruce would be the first casualty of the new regime, with the manager hugely unpopular amongst supporters who are yet to see their side win a Premier League game this season.

But now it is understood Bruce could be in the dugout for what would be 1000th game as a manager against Tottenham this weekend, with PIF delaying any decision over his future.

The Times report the delay is because Staveley has been made to wait for the green light from the club's new Saudi owners to sack the under-pressure boss.

Staveley was seen with her husband and co-owner Mehrdad Ghodoussi meeting the playing staff before watching a training session as the Magpies prepare for the visit of Spurs at the weekend.

The new Magpies chief has insisted she will be a regular sight around the club following the takeover, saying after the deal was made official: "I'll be very hands-on, very hands-on.

"I won't be picking football players, but I will be very hands-on on the commercial side, on running the club, on making sure that we deliver a business plan and a strategy that helps drive the commercial revenues that allow us to invest in players.

"My team will be based at St James' and I will be here a lot."

Bruce is far and away the favourite to be the next Premier League manager to get the sack, with Newcastle currently in a relegation battle and looking for instant improvements ahead of the January transfer window.

Middlesbrough manager Neil Warnock has expressed his sympathy for Bruce, telling talkSPORT he feels the much-maligned coach deserves far more respect from supporters.

"He's a good manager, a good man," Warnock told the talkSPORT Breakfast.

"I think he deserves a little bit better than the respect after the way he's played in his career.

"When I see fans knocking on and smashing his car as he's going out of the training ground, surely they can afford some security at a place like that."

Warnock is certain that the 60-year-old won't be out of work for long when he does eventually leave Newcastle.

The Boro boss explained: "It does disappoint me but he'll get another job, you don't realise what it's like, the restrictions that he's been managing under for so many years.

"He's been very unlucky in the fact that he's had to take the full brunt, the people in the background have gone about what they've done without really giving him that much help.

"I do feel for him, but he'll come again now, he'll go away, and he'll come back and somebody else will get a good manager."

Meanwhile, talkSPORT host Gabby Agbonlahor has questioned how Bruce even has the motivation to continue at Newcastle.

The Aston Villa legend worked with Bruce at his lifelong club and revealed his surprise to see how his former manager was undeterred by the stick he received during his spell in charge at Villa Park.

Bruce is now experiencing similar circumstances at Newcastle, and Agbonlahor wonders why the manager put himself through it.

"I saw Steve Bruce in his last few games at Aston Villa," said the ex-Villa captain.

"It got a bit bitter with the support, and I always thought to myself looking at him then, why are you even doing this?

"He's earned great money and I was thinking why are you doing this? But then I'm speaking to people who know him better and they're saying that he'll get another job.

"Then he got the Sheffield Wednesday job, then he went to Newcastle."

Should Bruce survive until Sunday, he will manage his 1000th game having managed a multitude of English clubs that includes Wigan, Crystal Palace, Birmingham, Sunderland and Hull.

Bruce has achieved four promotions during his management career, as well as an FA Cup final, when his Hull side lost 3-2 to Arsenal at Wembley in 2014.