Steve Bruce....
Canny bloke
Shiite manager
Dire coach
Abysmal tactician.
This team will not stay.up!
as frustrating as yesterday was, we have to give him time. If we get relegated a 3rd time then so be it, maybe that will be the final push needed for Ashley to get gone. If we're in the the Championship next season I'm pretty sure SJP will look like a ghost town on matchdays based off of yesterdays attendance (people really staying away in numbers now).
I'll be interested to hear Steve Bruce's excuses as the season goes on if we are still playing like we did vs Brighton. Will he still be mentioning Rafa and having thinly veiled digs at him as the season goes on.
Hopefully results pick up soon.
Bruce's stats from SSN today:
Yeah like I did with Rafa.
Rafa had plenty of time and could do no wrong with some. But I backed him at first, once he signed his contract after what seemed like an eternity until he apparently crossed all the t's and dotted all the i's.
But then he went 10 games without a win and this was in his third season...but he had this plan. He was some genius and some fans believed he could do no wrong...which is part of the reason Bruce is getting a rough ride, along with his grave crime of managing another north east rival.
Bruce has had 6 games and a pre season where he wasn't allowed full hands on due to work permit issues. None for Rafa though...but that's another issue.
My gripe with Rafa wasn't just his horrible football for most of the season, it was his mentality of putting on defenders or using attackers as defenders first, even when we were a goal down or two, instead of having a real go and all in the name of a goal difference to keep that was better than those around us, clap trap.
I'll slate Bruce when Bruce has the opportunity to push on and doesn't. 6 games is not a time to criticise him when Rafa left the squad with a robotic mindset (in my opinion) that requires restructuring.
Players like Almiron, Atsu, Saint Maximin, Joelinton and Willems, when up to speed and drilled in with the rest...will...in my opinion, produce much better as the season goes on. Better football and better results.
However, given the fact that many have us down as relegation fodder...I'd say that (under the circumstances) we've done ok with 5 points from 6 games.
So yeah get behind the manager until he's had enough time to implement his ways into the squad.
And people need to forget about his past management. This is where he is and he should be judged on Newcastle in the now, not in the past.
Just like Benitez was revered for his past and could've stunk out a small room with strong curried kebab farts and some fans would swear he was wearing Dolce & Gabbana.