Bruce is expected to succeed Rafa Benitez at St James' Park after he reportedly resigned as head coach of Sheffield Wednesday yesterday, with his appointment expected to be confirmed in due course. The 58-year-old held talks with Newcastle last week, after Sam Allardyce turned down the chance to replace Benitez as manager at St James' Park. Bruce took charge at Hillsborough in February and was able to guide Sheffield Wednesday to a top-half finish in the Championship last season. However, Chopra is underwhelmed by the Newcastle's decision to appoint Bruce and believes he is no longer good enough to manage in the Premier League. "If you're in Steve Bruce's shoes, a Newcastle fan, and Newcastle comes calling, you're going to take the job," Chopra told talkSPORT. "On the other side, the fans don't want him," added the former Newcastle striker. "It's hard because they've gone from Rafa Benitez, a world-class manager and one of the best in Europe, to - and no disrespect to Steve Bruce - but he's a mediocre Championship manager now, he's not good enough for the Premier League anymore, especially not Newcastle United. "That's what's been most disappointing for the fans. There's been talk of Mourinho, Vieira, all these big names, and now they've gone to Bruce. I don't even think he was their first job, Allardyce was, and now they've had to go to Brucey." The Verdict It was always going to be difficult for Newcastle to replace Benitez, but I actually think Bruce could be a good appointment for them, as long as he's given proper time to build. He's an experienced manager and I think he's still good enough to succeed in the Premier League. I understand what Chopra is saying here, but I hope Newcastle fans are prepared to give Bruce a proper chance. If things don't work out for Bruce at Newcastle, then you can't help but feel that he will look back on his time at Sheffield Wednesday and wonder what might have been. Bruce did a fantastic job with Sheffield Wednesday last season and showed during just one season at Hillsborough that he was capable of achieving success at the club. It's a major blow for the Owls to lose him, especially so close to the start of the new season. They may struggle to find a good replacement for him and whoever they do bring in will not have a lot of time to work with the squad before the new season.