THERE is growing speculation Steve Bruce could be the next manager of Newcastle United as pressure mounts on Magpies boss Alan Pardew.
Bookies have made Bruce one of the favourites, alongside former Manchester United manager David Moyes, to take over the struggling north east side.
Newcastle are lying at the bottom of the Premier League after four games.
But Bruce has distanced himself from the speculation.
This morning he told BBC Radio Five Live's Sportsweek programme: "It isn't nice - it's a horrible Sunday morning for him (Pardew) and I find it very, very disrespectful that I'm linked with somebody else's job when he's still in a job.
"It's a hard enough job we've all got. We all know what it's like now in football management.
"That part of the game will never change, but for me at the moment I'm just concentrating on the game against West Ham (on Monday night) and leaving all that aside."
Bruce guided the Tigers to their first FA Cup final last term and took the club into Europe for the first time in its 110-year history.
He admits he owes his current club for the faith shown in him.
He said: "After what happened to me at Sunderland, it's similar to what Alan Pardew is going through now. I know how difficult the north east is.
"I've been here for a couple of years. Hull gave me that chance to get back up and running again and for that I'll always be grateful.
"I've only been here a couple of years, and we've had a really good couple of years."
