One of Steve Bruce’s strengths is that he is a very good man-manager. He has come into Newcastle and been able to handle the players very well.
We do give Bruce a lot of the credit for keeping players like Isaac Hayden and Martin Dubravka at the club. Both Isaac and Martin have been our standout performers in the two opening games this season.
Another player that Steve Bruce wanted to keep at Newcastle is striker Dwight Gayle. Dwight is a very different player to both Joelinton and Miguel Almiron in that he is a poacher who will find space in the box and pounce at chances that come his way.
He will stay high and not drop as deep as Joelinton has in his two appearances. He could possibly do a decent job for Newcastle this season. However, he is untested in the Premier League and has yet to prove he can consistently score goals in England’s top flight.
Dwight Gayle– can bring something different to the attack
Granted Gayle has never had a run of games to prove himself in the Premier League. He likely won’t get that opportunity this season either but could serve as a late-game substitute. Gayle could even prove useful if Bruce decides to deploy a more conventional target man/poacher partnership with Andy Carroll.
However, Dwight Gayle is most likely not going to be the answer to Newcastle’s scoring problems this season. He can definitely help out, but it is looking like goals are going to have to come from a collection of players this season.
If Joelinton is isolated up top and unable to link up play at 6’2″, what chance is Dwight Gayle going to have in this Newcastle team. We really feel Steve Bruce should have a rethink about the 3-5-2 formation he has been using so far.
Steve has made some comments about Gayle in the Chronicle and it looks like he may be available soon.
“On the last day in China we thought he was going to be OK. Then he had a setback.
“I hope he can get fit again.
“When I analysed the squad I know he’s capable of scoring a goal.
“If you are a Championship manager you’d take Dwight Gayle because he’s the best striker in the Championship.
“He must be able to contribute to the Premier League too.
“I hope he will be back before Andy Carroll.
“I said to the lad when all the talk of him moving was whirring away, that I’d tried to buy him.
“I’d never been able to afford him.
“But I tried to take him wherever I have gone in the Championship.”
The problem we have with these comments about Gayle is that they lack the awareness of the situation Steve Bruce finds himself in at the moment. He has tried to compliment Dwight Gayle, which is commendable but has basically described him as a Championship player. A Championship player who he can’t wait to finally get to work with.
He does provide the caveat that Gayle has to “contribute to the Premier League too.” However, Bruce really needs to be more mindful in choosing his words. While we agree that Dwight Gayle may be able to help Newcastle this season, the words Bruce has chosen to get his point across could draw unnecessary criticism his way.
We feel a bit for Steve at the moment as he is already being tipped to be one of the first managers sacked, while Newcastle have become one of the favorites for relegation. This is after just two games into the season.
Every decision he makes, every word he utters will be under scrutiny. We sympathize with him, but that is the job he has signed up for.
93 comments so far
toon22
Aug 19, 2019 at 6:49 AM
Comment #41The traitor hasn’t s clue and hasn’t s chance of fixing the mess we are in
Jib
Aug 19, 2019 at 7:11 AM
Comment #42I wonder if too22’s emails to Chi Onwurah start
Hiya Jeremy
ha ha ha
(not that I believe for a second he has sent any)
Jib
Aug 19, 2019 at 7:16 AM
Comment #43Ron’s mention of SF books the other day got me thinking
about one of my favourites – George Orwell’s 1984
toon22’s posts are very reminiscent of Big Brothers constantly
repeated slogans
War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength.
#BoycottAshley ( OP)
Aug 19, 2019 at 7:24 AM
Comment #44See no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil.
Must be the way foward, sticking your head in the sand works for a Emu it might work for Magpies.
Ron Knee
Aug 19, 2019 at 7:26 AM
Comment #45In one breath, Steve Bruce said he could not question the desire of his Newcastle players, in the next he was accusing them of not even putting their boots on.
It is this scrambled thinking, the mixed messages and a sense of being overwhelmed by the job he has inherited which have accentuated a feeling of impending crisis, even at this early juncture.
Forget Rafa Benitez, Mike Ashley, protests and boycotts, the cause for concern among supporters and observers is entirely the making of Bruce and his players. (Craig Hope)
c-dog
Aug 19, 2019 at 7:31 AM
Comment #46Just a fan
Aug 18, 2019 at 11:06 PM
Comment #8
Toonbrother
I was a fan of Perez but to say he was our best player is a bit much
We got thirty million for a fifteen million player.
Haven said that I wish he had stayed
And we have not replaced him adequately
Jib
Aug 19, 2019 at 7:41 AM
Comment #47Ron
You do know Craig Hope is a Sunlun supporter ?
He probably hates Bruce more than toon22
hibbit
Aug 19, 2019 at 8:00 AM
Comment #48i suspect Jibs trying to take the sting out of the Craig Hope article !!!!
obviously hitting a nerve with that one Ron.
Jib
Aug 19, 2019 at 8:08 AM
Comment #49hibbit
Do you think the coaches are entirely to blame
for the dire performance at Carrow Road ?
The players are not at fault at all?
Lilongwe Geordie
Aug 19, 2019 at 8:18 AM
Comment #50Jib,
Craig Hope isn’t a sunderland fan at all. He was briefly at Middlesbrough as a youth player, but was always a Newcastle fan, and regularly attended matches.
c-dog
Aug 19, 2019 at 8:24 AM
Comment #51Jib
The players are not good enough to perform outside a system set up by a world class manager. To remain competitive in this league We either needed a world class manager or new squad. The hierarchy have delivered neither. The blame lies at their door.
hibbit
Aug 19, 2019 at 8:28 AM
Comment #52Jib @49
as it happens Jib i do think the coach/coaches have to take responsibility for that total inept performance,the players were ill prepared for that game in team tactics and set up and that’s the coaches job, i believe the lack of quality in Bruce and his staff has surprised and shocked the players and heads have gone down, He’s lost the dressing room through his sheer lack of quality and understanding of the modern game ,replacing Rafa with a dinosaur like Bruce is the biggest mistake Ashley’s ever made and will cost us as a club dearly.
Jib
Aug 19, 2019 at 8:28 AM
Comment #53Lilo
All I can think of is
He must bend over backwards to appear impartial
cos he is certainly kinder to the mackems than us
hibbit
Aug 19, 2019 at 8:30 AM
Comment #54i suspect Jib is telling more porkies !!!!
Lilongwe Geordie
Aug 19, 2019 at 8:31 AM
Comment #55Jib,
I knew him through foorball growing up, and he was always a NUFC fan. Maybe it is possible that there isn’t much to be kind about?
c-dog
Aug 19, 2019 at 8:31 AM
Comment #56Hibbit
Bruce certainly appears to have lost the dressing room. Worrying times.
Jib
Aug 19, 2019 at 8:32 AM
Comment #57hibbit
you see you can do it !
a very good response.
So much better than accusing me of having some sort of regime supporting agenda
Jib
Aug 19, 2019 at 8:33 AM
Comment #58hibbitt
Then disappointingly you revert to type – calling me a liar
Lilo – Yea not too much at the moment even for the most
die-hard fan
Munster Mag
Aug 19, 2019 at 8:34 AM
Comment #59I cant say Bruce has done much to impress on the pitch so far, but when rafa’s teams were awful, we had people like Jail screaming that the players were to blame, in order to shield his manlove, as jib described him. Charnley wont have a Plan B unless its Fat Sam so we might have to wait to see if we improve.
Lilongwe Geordie
Aug 19, 2019 at 8:34 AM
Comment #60Football…. That’s what you get for switching off autocorrect
c-dog
Aug 19, 2019 at 8:37 AM
Comment #61Sam Allardyce would be a huge improvement on Bruce. I doubt he’d take the role.
Jib
Aug 19, 2019 at 8:39 AM
Comment #62Lilo
I think you may have inadvertently invented a word
for the opposite of hoofball
Floorball
😛
Munster Mag
Aug 19, 2019 at 8:39 AM
Comment #63Lil how did the arsenal corporate gig go? I hope u didnt tell them about the famous sjp atmosphere:)
martoon
Aug 19, 2019 at 8:48 AM
Comment #64Morning guys as an aside from the doom & gloom just a quick summary of the predictions you made.
A total of 104 predictions were made (good effort by everyone) and running some mean/mode calculations:-
We have an average position of 15th with 42 points reaching round 4 of both League & FA cup.
For player of the season the most popular was Almiron selected by 36.5% followed by Hayden selected by 20.2% and then Longstaff selected by 15.4%
Top goal scorer way out in front was Joelinton selected by 77.9% with an average of 11 goals and then second was Carroll selected by 7.7%.
Make of that what you will but in the past I have found the averages to be not that far away from the actual ones come the end of the season!
Mindshaft
Aug 19, 2019 at 8:49 AM
Comment #65I’ve still yet to see anything from a footbalking sense that convinced Charnley / Ashley to pursue Linton so aggressively at a price of 40 million … They are known to offer well below market rate for players yet push the boat out on an unproven striker that barely scored goals for Hoffenheim … Something smells about this for sure
bettyswallocks
Aug 19, 2019 at 8:51 AM
Comment #66Jib yet again tries to dismiss a comment made from a journalist by categorising him as a Mackem. Lilongwe confirms that he is a true NUFC fan,as he knows him personally, and Craig Hope appears genuinely concerned that Steve Bruce’s bumbling, inadequate approach to being our manager is heading in one direction only as we are all fully aware.
Obviously Jib is entitled to his views however misguided, but to use down tight lies and inaccuracies to make his case is not on.
Mindshaft
Aug 19, 2019 at 8:51 AM
Comment #67Maroon – I think a lot of people would be changing their forecasts after the shower of shit we’ve seen so far
martoon
Aug 19, 2019 at 8:56 AM
Comment #68Mindshaft – I guess they would especially top goal scorer 😀
Which is the reason why I do it at the start of the season when we’re all still full of optimism!
Jib
Aug 19, 2019 at 8:57 AM
Comment #69Mindshaft
Agents and their dealings are the seedy side of football
Ashley seems to love shady stuff and sailing close to the
wind.
If there is anything in accusations of artificially boosting a
players value to funnel funds away from the club.
The FA would have to do something about it
Mindshaft
Aug 19, 2019 at 8:58 AM
Comment #70Travelling back from the game on Saturday I was so pissed off I reached into my pocket for my anti-depressants and found someone had stolen them…. well I hope they’re happy ..
I’ll get my coat
Mindshaft
Aug 19, 2019 at 9:01 AM
Comment #71The F.A are the most incompetent bunch of baffoons – do something about it, you mean like banning Allardyce and Redknapp from football – football is probably rotten to the core in respect of agents / fees / practices – highly unlikely the F.A will tarnish the golden egg the premier keeps laying for them
Jib
Aug 19, 2019 at 9:02 AM
Comment #72betty
My lies are never down tight
They are really loose
😛
Jib
Aug 19, 2019 at 9:04 AM
Comment #73MIndshaft
No
They could penalise the club which would be hitting the fans
not the main culprit
simon376
Aug 19, 2019 at 9:05 AM
Comment #74Martoon
The best effort has been by you, thanks for doing this again and all the hard work
lochinvar
Aug 19, 2019 at 9:05 AM
Comment #75Dear Rafa was hardly svelte. Now we have Bruce and some are suggesting Allardyce. Then there’s Ashley that very model of a model overgrown turnip.
Does like attract like ?
We’re meant to be a football club that’s promoting fitness and health.
About time for a slim manager.
Lilongwe Geordie
Aug 19, 2019 at 9:06 AM
Comment #76Munster,
They were Arsenal fans, they thought the ground was quite loud, and that we probably deserved a draw. Not sure I agree on either, but we were definitely the better team in the first half of the Arsenal game.
Something went horribly wrong between the first half and the Norwich match though…
lochinvar
Aug 19, 2019 at 9:06 AM
Comment #77Mindshaft
Been to the Edinburgh fringe have we ?
lochinvar
Aug 19, 2019 at 9:07 AM
Comment #78“A cowboy asked me if I could help him round up 18 cows. I said, ‘Yes, of course. – That’s 20 cows'” – Jake Lambert
Munster Mag
Aug 19, 2019 at 9:09 AM
Comment #79Jib the FA will do or know sweet FA. Joli wud have to be 100mill before they wud smell a rat.
Mindshaft
Aug 19, 2019 at 9:09 AM
Comment #80Jib: when did the F.A give a toss about fans , they’re basically lackys of SKY who can change fixtures at will regardless of fans having to travel – SKY care about full houses and atmosphere so they can market the game worldwide and keep the cash rolling in.