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Newcastle boss Steve Bruce says he will do “everything he can” to find “the culprit” who leaked a training ground fight with Matt Ritchie to the media.
Bruce said he was “disappointed” that the story leaked and “caused a frenzy, which we were able to do without.”
“The row with [Ritchie] He’s right, but the rest is silly, ”he added.
Bruce said training camp lines “happen all over the country, every two weeks in clubs, but they don’t come out.”
He added: “Unfortunately, the journalist has a source in and around the club that feeds him. It is disappointing and we are looking to try to find the culprit.”
On the dispute with Ritchie, he said: “You are dealing with 25 men, the emotions are high, it is very competitive and these things happen, but unfortunately when it is Newcastle, it shoots out of all proportion.”
Bruce has come under fire from fans this season for perceiving negative tactics and performances that put them one spot and three points above the relegation zone ahead of a trip to the second-floor West Brom on Sunday.
After dealing with outbreaks of coronavirus in the workforce and losing top scorer Callum Wilson through injury, forward Miguel Almiron and Allan-Saint Maximin are out until April after both were injured in a 1-1 draw with the Wolves.
That game was also the source of the dispute with Ritchie, who Bruce said had not relayed a message about a change of positions to Jacob Murphy, leading to the Wolves’ tie.
Bruce said: “They asked me about it after the game and I tried to be honest. In hindsight, maybe it could have been better in the post-game interview.”
Bruce also said that it was “totally disgusting” to be considered a source for a newspaper that said goalkeeper Karl Darlow was going to be eliminated.
“I would resign tomorrow,” he said. “It is not true or fair to Karl. It is the most difficult decision I have made in the last 18 months.”
When asked if he felt like leaving given recent events, he added: “Oh, definitely not. Not at all.
“More than ever, 100%, I will try to get us out of the problem we are in. And what is more important, I think the players will too. I have 100% faith in them.”
Magpies lose Superior Court case
Newcastle lost a High Court offer to remove the chairman of an arbitration panel related to the club’s proposed takeover.
The club is seeking arbitration to resolve its dispute with the Premier League, as it seeks to push through an agreement that collapsed last summer.
That had asked that the president was removed for apparent partiality, but this was rejected.
It is understood that owner Mike Ashley still intends to sell to a Saudi-backed consortium.
The club also lost a lawsuit to make the arbitration hearing public, but the High Court said the details of the arbitration award would be made available to the public.
Newcastle saying she was “disappointed” with the Superior Court’s decision and was considering appealing.
In a statement, he added: “The club will continue to actively pursue its claim in arbitration and calls on the Premier League to resolve the matter in a swift and transparent manner that does not impede substantial investment in English football, and the North East Region, that would bring the acquisition proposal “.
The Premier League declined to comment.
