Hull City dancing to manager Steve Bruce's tune following Premier League victory at Newcastle United It was out my mind that he was once Sunderland manager, I'd totally forgotten. When we arrived, Harps [Steve Harper] came off the bus and there was a big cheer and I was like 'oh OK" and then the gaffer came off next and the noise and the abuse was unbelievable." After this Hull display, even those that booed and insulted him because of his decision to return to the North East as Sunderland manager in 2009, will have to begrudgingly admit their club could do a lot worse. Bruce has strengthened with the knowledge of someone whose managerial career in this country stretches back 15 years. The arrival of Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore from Tottenham looks particularly astute and they more than held their own against Newcastle's much-vaunted French pair Moussa Sissoko and Yohan Cabaye in the centre of midfield. Newcastle have had a decent start to the season and Alan Pardew is not under immediate pressure, but this defeat was a reminder of all that is infuriating about his Newcastle team. Too many of their big names, other than new signing Loic Remy who scored their two goals in the first half, were poor. With no serious competition for their place because of the refusal to sign new players over the summer, they will still start in the next game. "I'm disappointed with a lot of factors," Pardew said. The thing we must improve is our consistency of performance, as individuals and as a team. It's all about momentum here and we have thrown that out the window. Both owner Mike Ashley and director of football Joe Kinnear were at St James" Park to watch a game for the first time this season and neither will have been impressed with the way Newcastle let the game slip away from them after taking the lead twice/ As for Kinnear, he "wrote" his first column for the matchday programme and defended his failure to sign any players on a permanent basis over the summer, while taking credit for the capture of Remy on loan, even though Newcastle had first tried to sign him back in January. Given it read like a club statement rather than a column, most will dismiss it as nothing more than a public relations exercise in his name.