Why fans should give Steve Bruce a chance to succeed at Newcastle

Newcastle United appointed Steve Bruce as their new manager yesterday, but the majority of fans are not thrilled.

Newcastle United have finally filled the managerial vacancy that was left behind by Rafa Benitez. The Spaniard has been replaced by long time manager and former Manchester United captain Steve Bruce. Bruce’s former club, Sheffield Wednesday, are threatening to take legal action against Newcastle United for the way they orchestrated the hiring of Bruce while he was still under contract with the Championship outfit.

In other words, more drama is going to hit St. James’ Park in the near future. Now, I understand that the Toon Army is upset over the departure of Rafa Benitez. In my opinion, Benitez was not a perfect manager, but he was the perfect fit for this club and the relationship he had with the players and fans will be difficult for any other manager to replicate. What made Benitez special for the fans compared to previous managers is the fact that he saw the potential Newcastle United has to knock on the door of the top six. Unfortunately, Mike Ashley did not share the same level of ambition and negotiations between the two parties fell through.

Now Steve Bruce is in charge and he has an uphill battle in front of him for a few reasons. Firstly, he needs to sign off on some quick transfers because the quality of the current roster screams 38 weeks of a relegation battle. Secondly, he has to fill the large shoes of his predecessor who has won Champions League and Europa League trophies. Most importantly, though, Bruce needs to win over the fans, however, the Toon Army are reluctant to give him a chance.

In a recent poll on our Twitter account, the final results showed that 74% of fans will not support Bruce as manager. To be fair, I think Newcastle United fans are so frustrated about Benitez’s departure that the majority of fans would be against any incoming manager.  However, I do not agree with this.

It is quite clear that we are all against Mike Ashley and the day he sells the club should be formally turned into a holiday on Tyneside, but not backing our new manager from day one can be compared to hoping that the pilot of your flight crashes the plane. Okay, that is a little extreme, but nothing good will come out of this pessimism towards Bruce.

Does he have his flaws? Yes. Does he have an impressive track record as a Premier League manager? No, but even our beloved Rafa was sacked from elite clubs like Real Madrid and Inter Milan, so every manager deserves a chance to prove that they are a good fit for a team. Let’s not forget that Bruce has supported the Magpies since his childhood days and we as fans should hope that his passion for the club translates to positive results on the pitch.

I know many of you just became even more angry reading this article and you’re frustrated with how Greedy Mike is running the club. I am, too. I am far from thrilled that Bruce was hired as our manager due to his poor track record in the Top Flight, and the fact that he coached Sunderland does not make things any better. There were better managerial options out there, but he is our manager now and we should at least give him a chance to chase success with the Magpies. It’s fine to keep your expectations low, but we owe it to our players to hope for good results under Bruce.