Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta calls for change to way managers are treated following Steve Bruce abuse

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has expressed his sympathy for Steve Bruce after learning the level of abuse he received while in charge of Newcastle.

Bruce was sacked by Newcastle this week after the club’s new owners decided it was time for a change.

In an exit interview with the Daily Telegraph, Bruce opened up on the abuse he had received, saying that “people wanted me to fail” at Newcastle and called him “a fat waste of space, a stupid, tactically inept cabbage head”.

Arteta was saddened to learn of what Bruce had been through and expressed his sympathy towards him when quizzed on the matter.

“Well, I was really sad after reading that statement from Steve,” he said.

“First of all, because I know him personally, and secondly, because of what he transmitted in his words. You’re talking about somebody who has been in the game for over 40 years as a player and as a manager.

“He’s managed over 1,000 games and he’s telling you, with that experience, with that level of expertise that he has - because you have to to be able to sustain yourself at that level - that he struggles with that kind of situation, with that kind of abuse.

“I think we have to reflect. We can’t take for granted and accept certain things because they are how they are.

“No, we are here as well to improve them and change them, like we do with any rules, with any fixture list and we have with anything that we want to improve for our sport, fans, stadium, facilities and broadcasts.

“We’re going to spend more time and we have an open table to discuss how we’re going to do that because I think we have to think about the fact that one of the most experienced managers in England’s history is telling you that on a letter.

“You can’t just ignore that, so for me, it’s a very serious statement and it’s something that has to change and has to start to change.”

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