Two Spanish coaches among the candidates for the Newcastle job

The first defeat of the new era at Newcastle has triggered doubts have been simmering for some time at the club - it looks Steve Bruce will not in charge of the team for the long term. While some expected the coach to be sacked before Sunday's meeting with Tottenham, in the end he remained in the job but was unable to deliver the club's new owners with the kind of result they were hoping for - the team crashed to a 2-3 home defeat at St. James’ Park.

Newcastle looking to replace Bruce

According to The Times, Newcastle already have three candidates lined up to take over the manager's post. All three are internationally known: Roberto Martínez, Unai Emery and Steven Gerrard.

While convincing any of the three to take on the job won't be an easy task, club directors are keen to make a statement of intent. Gerrard, for example, has already given his response,  telling reporters, “It's interesting what's happening at Newcastle. If anyone deserves a break it's the Geordie fans”. Roberto Martínez's case is worth mentioning, The Times add, because he will be out of contract next summer and he knows Graeme Jones as they worked together a few years ago at Wigan. The 48-year-old has experience of managing a Premier League club from his time at Everton and also at international level with the Belgium national team - his current job.

For the time being, it's just speculation. What the club do know is how much it will cost to sack Steve Bruce: nine and a half million euros. The 60-year-old coach oversaw his 1,000th game this weekend but has yet to steer his side to a win this season, with the club second from bottom in the table.