Newcastle United deserve so much better than what Steve Bruce is offering the club.
Newcastle United is a primary example of the term inconsistency. The Magpies scored six goals and claimed seven points against West Ham, Tottenham, and Burnley, but suffered two defeats and conceded seven goals to Brighton and, most recently, Manchester United.
Yesterday’s 4-1 defeat at home was a disaster for Newcastle United. Steve Bruce’s men were only four minutes away from stealing a point and climbing the table. Instead, the team broke down and conceded three goals in the final stretch of the game.
That performance was the straw that broke the camel’s back. The Toon Army is sick of seeing these ultra-defensive tactics week after week. What is more frustrating is the excuses Bruce makes after games.
Yesterday’s postgame interview is a perfect example of this when he said, “the loss looked worse than it was.” Say what? You just let a team that is fractured internally and low on confidence score four goals on your squad at St. James’ Park.
Bruce is playing with the supporters’ emotions. I am 100% convinced he is. Why? Well, he seemed to acknowledge the internal crisis at Manchester United, and he claimed that he would set the team up in a way for them to take the game to the Red Devils.
That did not happen. Manchester United essentially fielded their B+ team against Newcastle United, which is also a slap in the face, yet the home side only managed to create a mere seven chances. The majority of the game was spent ball chasing.
Fans have been begging to see the attacking quartet of Callum Wilson, Allan Saint-Maximin, Miguel Almiron, and Ryan Fraser, but for some unexplainable reason Bruce continues to leave Fraser and Almiron on the bench.
”But they just came back from international duty, he had to rest them.” No, Bruce did not have to rest them. Other teams picked their stars despite their international action. Bruce just has no idea how to utilize those players in the final third.
The result on Saturday certainly could have gone the other way around if the Scottish winger and Paraguayan playmaker started in the places of Joelinton and Jeff Hendrick.
A win would have sent the Magpies into second place with ten points through five games, yet here we are, eleventh in the table scratching our heads. Simply put, Bruce has no tactical plan for Newcastle United.
Bruce does not trust his players, and he does not value the opinions of the club’s fervent fans. He wants luck to carry its course rather than formulate a proper game plan. Seeing the wasted potential in this squad under Bruce is depressing.
Bruce needs to go. He does not have the support of the fans because he does not take pride in his job. He can use the Geordie card all he wants, but pride is measured by the amount of work one puts into their job.
As fans we can only hope that his time at the club is almost up, and that yesterday’s loss will serve as an eye-opening moment to make some major tactical changes to avoid this type of result in the future.