Newcastle’s disastrous run of form continued on Tuesday night as they lost 2-1 to Leeds United at St. James’ Park.
The Magpies are now without a win in their last eleven games in all competitions and have suffered defeat in six of their last eight league games, drawing the other two.
Many believe Newcastle are sleepwalking towards relegation this season and the calls to sack Bruce have grown louder after each passing game.
Richards worked under Bruce at Aston Villa and he insisted that the Newcastle manager’s players are not showing what their boss is truly capable of.
He is surprised to see his former manager’s defensive tactics and believes that given his experience, he should be doing more with the current Newcastle team despite all their problems.
The former defender said on Premier League TV after the game at St James’ Park: “You don’t stay in football for this long if you are not a good manager.
“At the moment, he has got problems off the pitch with ownership and what not and I am not trying to defend him.
“I just believe that he has got more than what his players and staff are showing at this moment in time.
“When I see him putting eleven me behind the ball, he didn’t used to do that in training.
“He said that they played well today but they played well in the second half and they played better than their standards.
“But for a manager who has got so much experience in the Championship and the Premier League, you expect a little bit more.”
Newcastle will be in action again on Saturday when they travel to Merseyside to take on Everton at Goodison Park.
