Steve Bruce is a unique manager in that he stands out in more than one way. The Newcastle United boss has already caused a plethora of problems for the club with his 1990s tactics, and he raises even more frustration among fans with some of the comments he makes.
Most major media outlets like to brand Newcastle United supporters as delusional through logic that only makes sense to the pundits spewing out such statements, but the only delusional person at the club is Steve Bruce. Throw the front office in that category, too.
In his press conference ahead of the Southampton game today, Bruce was asked a clever question related to the injury crisis on the back line. When asked if he would consider re-calling Florian Lejeune from his loan spell at Alaves, this was Bruce’s response:
"He’s playing week in and week out so I’m led to believe.[…]The feedback is that he is doing okay. He’s fit. He’s healthy, which is the most important thing, so I think it’s important that the kid still plays the game."
Anyone notice anything wrong with those remarks from the Newcastle United head coach?
Okay, let’s start with the basics. Firstly, “it’s important that the kid still plays the game”… what kid? Lejeune should be considered a veteran of the game seeing that he is 29-years-old and has been a professional player since 2008.
Secondly, “so I’m led to believe” and “the feedback is that he is doing okay”… seriously? As the head coach of Newcastle United, he has a certain responsibility of keeping tabs on loanees with his own eyes and maintaining an open line of communication. Yes, Shola Ameobi is the loan manager and he is tasked with those duties full time, but Bruce needs to be more involved in the process.
Lejeune went on loan in search of regular minutes, but he is also in Spain to prove a point. He wants a chance to show that he can still play a role in this Newcastle United squad. That will not happen if Bruce’s sole analysis comes from the eyes of others.