Newcastle fans must give Bruce his credit for the result vs. Spurs

Newcastle fans, sometimes, you have to swallow your pride and give credit where credit is due. It’s only fair to admit that Steve Bruce deserves a lot of credit for Newcastle’s draw today vs. Spurs.

After the embarrassment that was the Brighton match, optimism was at an all-time low this season and Bruce should’ve legitimately been sacked. But, we kept his job and prepared his club for a crucial match today vs. Spurs.

His lineup looked a bit confusing on paper, but the starting group was active and got forward with big contributions from Jacob Murphy and Matt Ritchie, the two wing-backs that Bruce deployed.

He also turned to Sean Longstaff, instead of his go-to guy Jeff Hendrick, to replace Isaac Hayden and the young midfielder picked up the assist on Joelinton’s goal.

Steve Bruce deserves a lot of credit for Newcastle United’s performance today vs. Spurs.

While he waited a little bit longer than we’d like to see, the substitutions were all solid, especially the goalscorer Joe Willock. According to the Arsenal loanee, Bruce told him to run around and try to score a goal. That may have lacked tactical nuance, but it apparently got the job done for Willock.

Managing against Jose Mourinho, who he has never defeated in his coaching career, Bruce’s side played with more purpose. They got forward and created chances in the final third, including getting the most shots within the box of Bruce’s tenure at the club.

This isn’t to say that he should manage the club the rest of the season or that there were no tactical miscues today, but Bruce has earned his credit today and hopefully, this result boosts them moving forward.