Two things Steve Bruce is doing better than Rafa Benitez

Rafa Benitez is much more successful than Steve Bruce, but the new Toon boss is a better communicator than his predecessor.

Before some of you throw your phones, punch your tablets or slam your laptops shut because of this article’s title, take a chill pill and hear me out. Fans are currently split over their feelings towards Newcastle United’s new manager Steve Bruce. For some fans the appointment of Steve Bruce added more fuel to the fire caused by Mike Ashley. Other fans acknowledge that Bruce comes nowhere near Benitez as a manager, but are willing to give him a chance on Tyneside.

Benitez has several trophies and managerial awards, and the Spaniard did an amazing job earning a top ten finish with the Toon two seasons ago while also leading the team to 13th place last term. The pressure is certainly on Bruce to emulate and build on that success. So far, the new manager is doing a decent job and he is actually doing better than Benitez in two areas: communicating with the players and being transparent with the media.

As much as we all adored Benitez, we have to be honest and admit the fact that his silence on certain topics and refusal to answer some questions would drive fans and the media insane. Moreover, some of the players even admitted that they never knew what Benitez was thinking, so they did not know what to expect on match days. Bruce is proving to be the opposite figure of Benitez in that regard.

Bruce has answered every question raised by journalists and tries to give detailed information regarding the club’s transfer activity, how training sessions are going and his reactions to players’ performances. Moreover, players like Jonjo Shelvey have openly stated that they appreciate Bruce’s willingness to speak his mind with the players. The key difference between Bruce and Benitez is optimism versus pessimism. Benitez was always quick to implicitly criticize his players in front of the media and blamed the lack of quality in his side for most losses. Bruce, on the other hand, thinks he has a talented roster and believes the Magpies can be successful this season with the players they have. We will have to wait and see if Bruce’s optimism and public praising of the players will translate to results on the pitch.