Before we go any further with this article, let’s be clear about one thing.
The big enemy to Newcastle United is owner Mike Ashley, and that’s been the case for over twelve years now.
He is the one man standing in the way of Newcastle being where we should be – fighting for a top-six position longer term.
That’s what Rafa wanted to so, and it seems he paid the price for being so ambitious.
That tells you everything about Ashley.
But the problem is not new head coach Steve Bruce.
Steve Bruce in China – Newcastle’s new head coach
While the fans will do everything to get Mike Ashley to sell the club – there are obvious buyers out there – we can’t do things that will affect the team on the pitch.
That would only guarantee we will get relegated for the third time under Ashley.
Now that we finally have a coaching team in place, things may get better – with the emphasis on “may.”
But we hope things will get better – a lot better.
Steve Bruce is a mediocre coach at best, and his great strength is his man-management.
He is also straightforward and won’t take any nonsense from any player.
Those are two good characteristics of any manager or head coach.
But he has neither the experience nor the success that Rafa Benitez has had in football – we know that – and yes – of course it’s a big step down for the club.
Unless somebody like Mourinho was coming in, it was always going to be a significant step-down.
But surely fans will not go after Bruce – but will give him a chance.
He’s a Geordie and knows all about Newcastle with some of his family still living near my brother-in-law in High Heaton.
The reaction from our players to Steve’s appointment has been excellent – it has been professional.
All the players have a job to do at Newcastle, and they now have to do it with Steve Bruce.
Steve will hold important talks with local lad Sean Longstaff, and hopefully, Sean will settle down and get a much-improved deal at the club.
With Isaac Hayden taking a leadership role this year at Newcastle, maybe Steve can persuade the former Arsenal player to stay?
The season before he arrived on Tyneside Hayden was playing for Hull City – managed by Steve Bruce, but they were relegated in that season – in May 2016.
We were promoted that same month.
If Sean is happy at Newcastle and Bruce can get Isaac Hayden to stay along with stars like Dubravka and Schar – we can have a decent enough squad.
That’s especially true if we sign 22-year-old Hoffenheim’s Brazilian striker Joelinton – which looks very close to being a done deal – along with another striker – and also keep Dwight Gayle.
But the latest news is Ashley wants to buy Charlie Austin from the Saints when he has just turned 30; why would Ashley want to buy Austin when he wouldn’t sign 29-year-old Salomon Rondon?
Probably to spite Rafa Benitez.
It’s a good bet that one reason Rafa left was that Ashley would not support him in keeping the Venezuelan striker at the club.
Newcastle are still in a sorry mess, but if we can stay united like Rafa had the club for over three years – we could even do reasonably well this season.
And at the same time hold demonstrations to get Mike Ashley out of the club.
That will not be easy, but once Ashley does sell – we can all breathe a sigh of relief – and look forward to good things in the future again – as we used to do under the great Rafa Benitez.
And for some of us old-timers – time may be running out.
But hey, we live in hope – as always.
Comments welcome.
20 comments so far
yogz69
Jul 18, 2019 at 2:55 PM
Comment #1It a big “if” if we can keep the squad together
RobLeenio
Jul 18, 2019 at 2:56 PM
Comment #2Forgive the repost, but it’s relevant to this article also
Pure PR bullsh!t.
Longstaff was never going anywhere, now when he stays the media can spin it to show Bruce as being the one that made him stay. Instant credit for Bruce from the nuggets amongst us.
Not slagging Bruce off, btw – I haven’t done so yet, he’s a puppet, nothing more, and therefore irrelevant – just saying beware of PR from the puppet masters themselves
Bills Son Is Back
Jul 18, 2019 at 2:59 PM
Comment #3Yeh Neil, Ashley wants to sign Austin to spit Ashley.
I mean, who cares if Austin cost £8M, £50K a week in wages for three years and sits on the bench most of the time with little sell on value?
It’ll make Rafa right brassed off and make him choke on his Peking Duck.
It’s well worth Ashley blowing all that cash just to spite Rafa.
I bet he can’t wait to get Austin signed and is thinking of little else.
Then again – I doubt it.
Bills Son Is Back
Jul 18, 2019 at 3:02 PM
Comment #4Robleenio knows the craic.
A genuine ITK.
Longstaff was never going anywhere.
From the horses mouth Robleenio?
Or just a tale to give your “media spin” story a bit more weight?
Me thinks the latter.
Have a nice day.
BENNY 10
Jul 18, 2019 at 3:03 PM
Comment #5@MagP
So our current best 11 in my opinion (including joelinton)
________________Dubravka
Manquillo_Schar_Lascelles_Lejeune_Ritchie
__________Hayden__Ki__Longstaff
__________________Almiron
_________________Joelinton
He probably won’t play a back 3 but our best players are probably our defender and Lascelles, Schar and Lejeune should all be starting.
No Dummet in there? He’s our best defensive player imo and very quick, he has to play
Remember how our form improved last year when he played?
Feel like we might aswell stop giving out now and start talking football again. It’s not going to change anything and there’s only so much you can say.
RobLeenio
Jul 18, 2019 at 3:04 PM
Comment #6One other thought on Bruce – imagine his father saying to him before he passed “Son, if you get another chance to manage Newcastle, please don’t turn it down.”
Even if that conversation never happened, his father’s support of the Toon will have been a major factor in his decision to take this job.
My own Dad passed 17 years ago and every day I try to think of what I can do which would have made him proud. I don’t always get it right, but I didn’t when he was alive either.
Bruce may come to see this as a huge mistake as he’s fired in 6 months, or he could be here when Ashley finally leaves and goes on to take this club to heights never before seen under mega-wealthy new owners. At the end of the day, though, if he didn’t take it now, he might never get a chance again.
And those slagging him for having managed Sunderland, get a grip on yourselves. Steve Howey on Sky Sports Transfer Centre yesterday gave one of the best anti-Ashley interviews I have seen. He’s a true Hero of mine, a central part of the Entertainers and an ambassador for the club (the real club, not MAFC) since he retired.
Where was he born? Sunderland.
Bruce is a symptom, not the disease. Let’s save our ire for the one who truly deserves it – Fat Ash.
NezzaNUFC
Jul 18, 2019 at 3:06 PM
Comment #7But isn’t relegation the only way to get him out!?
I mean the ground is going to be packed to the rafters every home game so fans are still going to line his pockets!?
And Bruce….sorry traitor Bruce…. haven’t yous forgot what he did to us!?
And why support the team? They will only be sold off and replaced by cheap fodder so where is the ambition? Surely the players are not that stupid to think Newcastle have ambition!
If buyers are apparently willing to pay 350 million for Newcastle, how much do you think MA will put on Newcastle whe we get relegated?
Mindshaft
Jul 18, 2019 at 3:06 PM
Comment #8Man U have not made an approach of any sort for Longstaff at any price – that’s a fact from the club and Longstaff
Jeez, he’s had 8 games and got injured , he looked decent but give the lad a chance – people on here seem to think he’s the next Johann Cruyff
RobLeenio
Jul 18, 2019 at 3:06 PM
Comment #9Bill’s, if not from the horse then from one of the grooms at the former stable.
Tsunki
Jul 18, 2019 at 3:07 PM
Comment #10Either done don’t get it or are deliberately skirting round it. Bruce isn’t a mackem. He’s just a low achieving manager not good enough for NUFC who has always given us a swerve yet happily joined the mackems as manager, and who now only wants to be the guy at his “boyhood club” at a time when it is a shell company operating for the owners sole gain. It really doesn’t matter who he is, it’s why he’s here that’s the problem.
It’s a mystery why those who profess to love the club man and boy are happy to skip behind the corpse of it cheering and throwing money at it while it’s being dragged through the streets behind Ashley’s limo.
Mindshaft
Jul 18, 2019 at 3:08 PM
Comment #11Bill – already followed my own advice , made a mint thanks – I’d never tell someone to do something I’d never do myself )
toon kk
Jul 18, 2019 at 3:08 PM
Comment #12I’m Willing to give Bruce a chance, after all without the right backing Rafa would have struggled especially
without Perez and Rondon.
The only thing I don’t like about Bruceys appointment is he’s come in willing to be a yes man. But money takes. Ask big Sam!!!
Still think we’ll be relegated, and after a perhaps a few lower attendances at SJP the faithful will return and all the current upheaval will be yesterday’s news, apart from the chants of you Fkin fat bast get out of our club!!
The regime continues!
BENNY 10
Jul 18, 2019 at 3:09 PM
Comment #13Aye I agree wholeheartedly Robleenio. It’s very easy for us to cry treachery and say we would never have taken the job. Bruce is getting towards the end of his managerial career and who knows how he truly feels about the club. He certainly doesn’t deserve to be abused before his first game
RobLeenio
Jul 18, 2019 at 3:10 PM
Comment #14For those who haven’t seen the Howey interview, it’s here at 3m 10s in. Ameobi before Howey, Chopra afterwards.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RjzQuHXDDU
BENNY 10
Jul 18, 2019 at 3:12 PM
Comment #15I’m starting to come to terms with the situation and accept it. I can see the problem with it but what can I do. To be honest I’ll see how we get on if we perform well I’ll probably follow the team.
toon kk
Jul 18, 2019 at 3:12 PM
Comment #16MA has already passed on the message to the players and Bruce to ask the fans to get behind the team, we need you!
Same old, he plays the fans like a fiddle does Ashley.
RobLeenio
Jul 18, 2019 at 3:13 PM
Comment #17Tsunki “Bruce isn’t a mackem. He’s just a low achieving manager not good enough for NUFC”
Agreed on that, should never have been offered the job in the first place. However, people blaming him for taking it are seeing things completely backwards.
Toonces
Jul 18, 2019 at 3:16 PM
Comment #18Bill you posted this a couple articles back about Rafa:
“Mind, he wanted his £6M salary increased to closer to £10M, I wouldn’t knock him for asking, but seeing as he was in the top 3 best paid managers in the Prem and his owners target was just to stay in it, I think he was chancing his luck on that one.”
Rafa was in fact around 8th highest paid manager in the Prem last year – his deal was similar to Pellegrini at West Ham and Silva at Everton. Probbaly just about right for where Newcastle “fits” – or should realistically fit.
So maybe he asked for an increase – it was time for a new contract – but I don’t think the salary was the big sticking point – my opinion. It was the lack of a vision for the club that he could support and that the ownership of the club is honesty challenged.
wynsleap
Jul 18, 2019 at 3:47 PM
Comment #19RobLeenio @ 6
“Bruce is a symptom not the disease”? Stupid reasoning.
You can’t catch the disease if you don’t have the symptoms.
Starting to see the apologists for this dinosaur of a failed manager creeping in now.
We really do deserve what we get.
geordietom
Jul 18, 2019 at 4:01 PM
Comment #20rob …
first time i’ve seen the video … well said Steve Howie . well said Michael Chopra …