Steve Bruce has been the "fall guy" at Newcastle and it has been "really tough to watch" the criticism directed at him, says his son Alex Bruce.
The Newcastle boss takes charge of his 1,000th match as a manager at home to Tottenham on Sunday.
It is the Magpies' first game since the club's controversial £305m takeover.
Steve Bruce took the role at his boyhood club in 2019 but his son says he "has been battered since the moment he walked in the door".
"It's been tough. I wouldn't sit here and lie and say it hasn't, it's been really tough to watch the criticism," Alex Bruce told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.