Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher gave their opinions on Newcastle's new owners. Neville called their treatment of Steve Bruce "totally incorrect".
As Newcastle fans welcomed their new owners into St James' Park's directors' box, there was a lively atmosphere before kick-off.
Steve Bruce's team lost to Tottenham 3-2, and remain without a Premier League victory. Yasir Al Rumayyan, the non-executive chairman, was watching.
Bruce was expected to leave the club in the lead-up to the match. However, Amanda Staveley, the new part-owner of Newcastle, stated that they wanted to be "patient" and "considerate" in their approach. She also said that change doesn't always happen overnight.
Use Chrome browser to access a better video player. FREE TO WATCH: Highlights of Tottenham's victory over Newcastle in the Premier League
A recent poll by Newcastle United Supporters Trust revealed that nearly 95% of supporters wanted Bruce's resignation, despite the positive vibes around the club after the takeover. There is no clear indication of how the new owners plan to manage the managerial structure. As it stands, Bruce will be in charge of Saturday's match against Crystal Palace.
Neville believes that Bruce's treatment by the Newcastle board has been disappointing.
He said Monday Night Football, "I think this is completely wrong with Steve Bruce."
Image: Gary Neville claims that Newcastle's treatment of Bruce is "totally wrong."
"If this were any other industry, it would be classified as employment abuse and the employer would be in serious danger. You must show decency. This applies to not only the Newcastle owners, but also to those who used him as a lamb to slaughter or as an umbrella to keep the rain from coming on their heads.
Think about how you feel about this in your own life. It is unfair to a brilliant man for all the events that took place in the past few weeks. Brilliant football player. He is a great football player. He is a great manager, who has played over 1,000 games.
"Steve Bruce will have the craic. If you're going to sack his, give him the full amount. Don't resist, do the right things and move on. Tell Bruce that you won't sack him. This will allow the fans to have a good go at you. Bruce is no longer a shield against criticism of your football club.
Carra: Stop leaking your stories!
For a better video player, please use Chrome browser Jamie Carragher believes Newcastle are one the worst Premier League teams and that they need to be improved upon.
Bruce criticized the media for reporting on Bruce's future at Friday's press conference. The information from the club suggesting that Bruce would not be in charge of the Tottenham game suggested that Bruce was wrong.
Carragher believes that journalists who reported the story had to have been briefed at the club by someone in order to get positive publicity in the future about the Saudi-backed ownership. This is not the way to do business at an elite soccer club.
He said, "I believe the ownership have had an extremely poor week."
"Newcastle fans are happy, but the club have messed with the managerial situation. You can sack Steve Bruce. It was a disaster.
"They've also been criticised in the media for human rights issues, so they tried to curry favor with local journalists who are familiar with the area. They are giving them information about their plans to fire Steve Bruce. It's not common to tell people a story about a man such as Steve Bruce, who has been playing the game for 25 years.
"If he is getting abuse from the Newcastle crowd, that's fine, but an owner shouldn't be coming into and feeding stories. It's a bumpy road. The journalists will ask them questions about Steve Bruce's departure, such as who will be coming in next and what happens to a manager when he is having a rough time. They will want to be fed that information. As a professional organisation, you should take over the management of the company.
"If it means getting rid Steve Bruce, then do it. Do it now or tomorrow. It's not a good start, I think.
Neville speaks out on Saudi Arabia's human right issues
Use Chrome browser to access a better video player Gary Neville believes it took the takeover at Newcastle to shine a spotlight on Saudi Arabias human right record. The MNF pundit said that the UK must now work with the Saudi government to bring about change.
Gary Neville discusses the issue of Saudi Arabia being allowed to own a Premier League team due to their human rights record.
It's complex. There is no right or wrong answer.
"Anyone saying they shouldn't be allowed into Saudi Arabia is wrong. There's no question that Saudi Arabia has a terrible record in human rights. Although there has been some improvement in the way women are allowed to participate in economic life, it is still far from what it should be. They do things that aren't acceptable in a normal world. This is something we need to change.
"Abu Dhabi has Manchester City, and their record in human rights is not great. Qatar have a World Cup and Russia have a World Cup. We've also seen major problems in South Africa over the past 30-40 years. Sport should be a tool for political change and goodwill. To improve Saudi Arabia's record, the UK government must work with them. As sport can help with social change, I think we should let them in on our side. It's better to sit around the table and try to create change through sport than to say, "no, you're not coming in."
"Sport has brought more attention to Saudi Arabia's human rights problems in the past 10 or 15 years. Saudi Arabia can't ignore it. Through the ownership, it's all around us every week. It's almost like Qatar winning the World Cup. The light shines so brightly on them that they have to make changes. The same goes for Abu Dhabi. It's possible to say that they're coming in and that it's sportswashing. They are under pressure to make changes.
They are entering the Premier League, which is one the most popular sports brands in the world. Everyone is talking about Saudi Arabia, the murder of the journalist, human rights issues, and the large LGBT+ issues in which some people are currently in jail. My opinion is that I would rather see them at the table so they can challenge and talk to it."
