STEVE BRUCE is preparing to take charge of Newcastle United as usual this weekend, with the club’s new owners seemingly reluctant to move him aside ahead of Sunday’s home game with Tottenham.

Despite intense speculation suggesting he would be dismissed in the immediate aftermath of last week’s takeover by a consortium involving Amanda Staveley, Jamie Reuben and the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF), Bruce remains in charge of the Magpies.

He is set to preside over this morning’s training session at Newcastle’s Little Benton base, and is due to speak to the media at around 1.30pm to preview Sunday’s televised meeting with Spurs.

There is still a chance he could be dismissed ahead of the Tottenham game, with Graeme Jones available to step up if required, but the fact Newcastle issued an update announcing Bruce’s intended presence at today’s media briefing is instructive.

Staveley and Reuben are understood to have concluded that Bruce is not the man they want leading Newcastle in the long term, and hence his exit remains imminent.

However, the process of removing the current boss from his position has been complicated by the temporary executive-level structure that Newcastle’s owners have put in place following last week’s successful takeover.

In the absence of a new sporting director or chief executive, Newcastle’s new owners are adopting a collegiate decision-making process, with Staveley and Reuben’s key decisions having to be signed off by the PIF, who own 80 per cent of the club.

That is complicating matters, with Newcastle’s new non-executive chairman, Yasir al-Rumayyan, effectively having to rubber-stamp Bruce’s departure, but also being responsible for a myriad of other investments and business interests in his role as the governor of the PIF.

Newcastle’s ownership team are also having to work through the financial and contractual practicalities of removing Bruce from his current position. The Magpies manager will be due compensation of around £8m if he is dismissed, and there are also questions over which members of his backroom staff would remain.

Leicester City’s Brendan Rodgers has ruled himself out of the running to replace Bruce, with sources close to the Foxes boss claiming he would not be willing to leave the King Power Stadium in order to take over at St James’ Park.

Meanwhile, Brian Marwood, managing director of the City Football Group, which consists of eight clubs including Manchester City, is set to be offered a key role as part of Newcastle’s new football board.