Intro:

Hull City manager Steve Bruce on Wednesday (31st December) ruled himself out of contention for the Newcastle United job, should Alan Pardew join Crystal Palace.

Script:

SOUNDBITE: (English) Steve Bruce, Hull City manager (Q: Your name has been linked to the Newcastle United job, how much of a distraction is it?)
"Well the one thing all of us don't need is a distraction and as I've just said, I've had two and a half wonderful years here and I'm committed to see, especially with the position the club is in now, then we certainly don't need that distraction. So I'm fully focussed on one thing and one thing only, that is to stay here and try and get us out of the trouble that we're in at the moment and get rid of what's happened in the last eight weeks if you like. November and December have been totally difficult, there is no disputing that, but I'm determined to see it through and get the club out of the position its in at the moment."

Q: So would you rule yourself out of the running for Newcastle?
"Yeah I've got a job to do here, I think it would be very difficult for me to uproot and I don't think that would be fair on anybody here. So at the moment all I'm focussed on is one thing, which is to try and help the club who I have been with for the last two and a half years."

SOUNDBITE: (English) Steve Bruce, Hull City manager (Q: You have ruled yourself out, but you can understand the link to Newcastle United?)
"Listen since I've been, I think people know that I'm from Newcastle, I was a Newcastle supporter as a boy, it's been regurgitated since I was a 22-year-old playing for Norwich and Gillingham that I was linked to Newcastle and it seems every time it rears I'm linked with it for that obvious reason. It's very flattering, I'm a Geordie at the end of the day and I'm a Newcastle fan when I was a boy, that's it though. I've got a job to do here and it would be wrong for me to think about anything else other than get this club out of the position we're in at the moment and that's all I'm focussed on. It would be wrong for the speculation to keep carrying on, for the club, for the supporters, for the players. I'm determined to see this through and make sure we stay in this Premier League and build on the good work that we've done over the last two years."