Newcastle manager to speak following shock bust-up with Portsmouth's homegrown Matt Ritchie

Steve Bruce will today address the press after former Pompey man Matt Ritchie apologised following a training-ground bust-up with the Newcastle manager.
Matt Ritchie.Matt Ritchie.
Matt Ritchie.

The Gosport lad called Bruce a ‘coward’ according to reports with the story dominating the football agenda, after he was publicly blamed for his side conceding a goal against Wolves on Saturday.

Under-fire Bruce is said to have barged Ritchie following an altercation on Tuesday, as tensions mounted between the pair.

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Ritchie is believed to have sought talks with the former Manchester United defender after the Wolves game, but was instead told he’d be spoken to on Tuesday.

That paved the way for the clash at the Newcastle training ground with Ritchie’s outburst causing amusement among his team-mates, many who are said to want Bruce to leave.

But clear-the-talks reportedly resolved the issue, with Newcastle players warned of the need for discretion after the story was leaked.

Ritchie is said to be keen on an exit for St James’ Park, and was linked with a move to Bournemouth in January.

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The academy graduate has shown himself to be a consummate professional throughout his career, with it out of character for the man who left Fratton Park in 2011 to find himself in the headlines for the wrong reasons.

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