Bruce’s tenure at Newcastle United: Look at the numbers through 51 games

Newcastle United supporters are losing faith in Steve Bruce, but does he deserve the constant criticism?

It has only been a few weeks since the 2020-21 campaign began, but Newcastle United have already experienced some ups and downs across all competitions.

The “lucky team” label is already being thrown around, and if you listened to Steve Bruce’s press conference ahead of today’s game he is not happy about it.

Many fans have taken to social media to express their concerns over the club’s recent performances, and #BruceOut was trending on Twitter after the Brighton, Tottenham, and Newport County games.

Well, Bruce has taken notice and he thinks the criticism is unfair as he is in the middle of what he describes as a tactical transition.

That being said, let’s put our investigative hat on and take a closer look at Bruce’s entire record as Newcastle United head coach across all competitions, minus friendlies.

Fortunately, this data is easily accessible in the online repository that is maintained by Transfermarkt. Click here for a general overview of Bruce’s statistics as a manager, and click here to filter through Newcastle United-specific data.

Overall Record at Newcastle United

Since his arrival as head coach in July of 2019, Bruce has been on the sideline calling the shots on 51 occasions. From those 51 games, 18 have been victories, 14 have been draws, and 19 have been defeats.

In total, Bruce’s winning percentage across all competitions stands at 35%. When throwing draws into the mix, Bruce has only lost 37% of the games he has managed for the Magpies.

Premier League Record

Of the 51 games Bruce has been in charge, 41 were Premier League encounters. Under Bruce, the Magpies have a performance record of 12 wins, 12 draws, and 17 losses, which equates to 48 points. In terms of winning percentage, Bruce will want to look away.

He has only won 29% of his Premier League battles. When draws are included, Bruce has only lost 41% of the total games he managed in the top flight. It is also worth noting that the Toon have a goals-for and goals-against ratio of 41:62 with Bruce in charge.

Domestic Cups

When combining Bruce’s record in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, his overall record on the touchline consists of six wins, two draws, and two losses. Bruce enjoys a winning percentage of 60% in domestic cups, as well as a goals-for and goals-against ratio of 28:18.

However, the numbers are a bit misleading. The Magpies’ only positive results in cup competitions under Bruce have come against lower-league opposition.

Tactical Trends

When looking at the different tactics Bruce has deployed over the course of 51 games, it is fair to say that he is quite experimental. So far, Bruce has used the following formations:

• 5-4-1
• 4-4-2
• 4-2-3-1
• 5-3-2
• 4-1-4-1
• 4-4-1-1
• 3-5-2
• 3-4-2-1

Of these formations, Bruce’s go-to shape, which was on display last weekend, is 5-4-1. The defensive formation was used in 20 Premier League games, but Bruce’s statement about making a transition is correct.

In 10 of the Magpies’ last 14 games, Bruce has gone with the 4-4-2, 4-4-1-1, and 4-2-3-1 formations.