During Steve Bruce’s conference for Wolves this morning, he gave a very promising update on the injury situation at Newcastle. First, he confirmed that Karl Darlow’s injury is not serious verifying previous reports.
While Darlow is not yet cleared for Sunday, he only suffered a contact injury. So that is outstanding news. Bruce will see how he progresses over the next few days before making a decision on his availability for Wolves.
That is also the case for Isaac Hayden, who was taken off only minutes into the second half last Saturday with an apparent hamstring injury. Hayden has had his scans and they too reveal nothing serious.
This is Bruce’s update on Isaac’s condition per Newcastle’s Twitter account:
“He’s looking to train today. It was more of a cramp than a strain – so the scan revealed. We’ll see how he is today and tomorrow but with hamstrings you have to be a bit careful.”
Hayden will be involved in training today though, like Darlow, may miss out on Sunday as a precaution. If he is unavailable, it’ll be interesting to see who Bruce brings in. Fabian Schar was brought on for Isaac against the Red Devils.
However, it looks like Matty Longstaff will not be available as he’s pegged to play for the U23s once again today. Here is what Bruce said about Matty, and his brother Sean, who was ill this week:
“The three lads that played in the U23 on Monday will have benefited from that and Matty Longstaff will play at West Brom today. Sean Longstaff has declared himself OK. He’s had tonsillitis but we’ve got one or two coming back which is a good thing.”
With Longstaff playing today, he most likely won’t feature on Sunday. However, both Ciaran Clark and Paul Dummett should be available. So the injury situation is looking much better from earlier in the week.
However, there could still be six unavailable for Sunday’s match if Darlow and Hayden are ruled out. They would join the three with long-term injuries – Martin Dubravka, Dwight Gayle, and Matt Ritchie – along with Matty Longstaff.
45 comments so far
Ketsbaia9
Oct 23, 2020 at 10:50 AM
Comment #1Hayden’s shouldn’t even be in the squad. We’ve got better players in Saivet and Atsu who are missing out. If Hayden was a foreign player playing in Italy with a squads full of Italians, he’d miss out. Hayden only makes the squad because he’s English. We overpaid for Lewis just because he’s British. Rogerio and Willems would have been better options. Don’t rate Lewis at all. Poor signing compared to left backs which we used to have (Santon, Willems, Bernard, Domi etc).
Ketsbaia9
Oct 23, 2020 at 10:51 AM
Comment #2Bring back Graham Carr. At least we signed exciting flair players such as:
Ben Arfa
Cabaye
Doumbia
Marveaux
Sissoko
Cisse
Ba
Abeid
Thauvin
Cabella
All great players
Romford mag
Oct 23, 2020 at 10:54 AM
Comment #3The way things are going , I’d take Alan carr !!!
Darnik
Oct 23, 2020 at 10:54 AM
Comment #4Kets
Pass the Dutchie
Romford mag
Oct 23, 2020 at 10:56 AM
Comment #5To me first 😀
Ketsbaia9
Oct 23, 2020 at 10:57 AM
Comment #6The recruitment has been poor. Bentaleb and Rose were awful.
Mund
Oct 23, 2020 at 11:03 AM
Comment #7hibbit tbf what has it got to do with you?
Just shows you don’t read my posts and i haven’t been on as much but to be clear I’ve been looking after my disabled wife and 3 kids. Not like it has anything to do with you.
Your older than me right? You act so childish and immature for your age. It’s funny as one time I enjoyed chatting with you and im sure you said one time I was a very good blogger lol how far it’s fallen
jon.c
Oct 23, 2020 at 11:05 AM
Comment #8Reading todays blog some must moan the moment they wake up what alife they must have please let us have some positive comments
GhostToon
Oct 23, 2020 at 11:05 AM
Comment #9Rom me ol mucker how the devil are you?
Alan Carr upfront instead of Joelinton lol I like it mate. Thinknit could work.
Tbh though it doesnt matter who is back from injury we’ll still run around like a bunch of headless chickens. Sitting deep the whole match hoping for a counter attack. Its the Brucie way I’m affraid.
Munster Mag
Oct 23, 2020 at 11:06 AM
Comment #10The revisionism on here is laughable. Bruce seems to constantly refer to the “big teams” and it gets tedious. Whether it affects the players – well guys on here wont know – go ask the players whether it does or not.
I’d have Rafa all day long ahead of Bruce, but most managers talk the same way, on a lot of things. Rafa often referred to the difficulty of playing wealthier clubs with their better players. They all do, I’m sure.
I dont remember it being a problem for Rafa to say it ?
Im afraid if Bruce says the weather is bad on any day in newcastle he’ll get abused for it. To me thats just pathetic really.
We need a better manager for sure, and the man u game was rank, but people are just trying to take the mickey out of his every utterance.
I think thats a bit distasteful.
Darnik
Oct 23, 2020 at 11:07 AM
Comment #11Granted but so were at least half of your list Doumbia, Marveux, Cabella, Domi all useless Abeid was average as was Santon and saivet can’t even get a loan move as his previous ones were shockers
GhostToon
Oct 23, 2020 at 11:07 AM
Comment #12jon.c
Its Brucie who has done this… I cant escape this captivity of negativity…..help me please!!!
Mund
Oct 23, 2020 at 11:09 AM
Comment #13Munster
Bruce gets crap because he gives crap
Darnik
Oct 23, 2020 at 11:12 AM
Comment #14Yeah cheer us all up jon
hibbit
Oct 23, 2020 at 11:12 AM
Comment #15Mund your the one that accused me of vanishing,
i’m childish am i, your the one that spits his dummy out when he doesn’t get his own way , and if it’s got nowt to do with me why tell me, other than you trying to play the sympathy card,
Romford mag
Oct 23, 2020 at 11:14 AM
Comment #16Ghost
Me old buddy me old pal 😀
All good here thanks mate 😉
How’s you doin ?
Was thinking more like Jimmy Carr up front and Alan as manager , I’m sure even he’d have the lads playing on the front foot bud 🙂
And Twitter ? 😆
Mund
Oct 23, 2020 at 11:15 AM
Comment #17hibbit you are a clown
You tried to say you had better things to be doing than what I do and then I clarified the situation, so how was that a sympathy card?
You do disappear like yesterday and for some reason you think I’m lying which I don’t care your a nobody to me so why should I care?
Geordie-john
Oct 23, 2020 at 11:15 AM
Comment #18Brucey, Give this kid Florent Indalecio a shot instead of standing by JoefromLinton. He’s clever footed and full of aggression and pace. Just the thing we need to worry and beat Wolves defence. He knows ASM and how he plays so could be the missing link we need up front.
Take a punt you have nothing to lose !
Mund
Oct 23, 2020 at 11:18 AM
Comment #19Ghost create a twitter account mate
Not another deJong
Oct 23, 2020 at 11:20 AM
Comment #20“it was an awful last 4 minutes”
https://www.nufc.co.uk/nufc-tv/
No Steve, we played awfully throughout.
Adamn_92
Oct 23, 2020 at 11:20 AM
Comment #21I think the reason Bruce gets so much stick is because he is just excuse after excuse and his comments strike everyone as someone who doesn’t have a clue. He keeps talking about a work in progress, but other managers have come in at clubs and turned things around in a much shorter space of time than Bruce has had. His comments after games are like he’s watched a completely different game, claiming we were unlucky when we’ve had 1 shot on target and 30% possession etc. His tactics scream of a manager who isn’t sure how to play his squad and so just sets up not to get hammered.
I would love for him to do well because he seems like a nice guy and players seem to get on with him well, but he just isn’t a modern manager and he needs to realise that and be open to change or hold his hands up and say ‘I can’t do this’
He would get far less stick if he was honest, didn’t hide behind excuses and showed a willingness to change his style of play. He needs to stop talking about this work in progress and attacking football and actually make it happen.
Also, his team selections, positional knowledge of where to play them and substitutions are absolutely baffling.
Geordie-john
Oct 23, 2020 at 11:20 AM
Comment #22Forgot to add,
You should know that a defence doesn’t like dealing with someone that has pace and ability.
Don’t for Miggy either he is also an asset ! P##s him off and we will lose him !
Wor Bairle
Oct 23, 2020 at 11:21 AM
Comment #23Munster
The most distasteful part is Brucie unconsciously painting that big target of ridicule on himself and the club.
hibbit
Oct 23, 2020 at 11:23 AM
Comment #24i’m a clown now am i, your throwing a lot of accusations out about me this morning,
all because i questioned 2 statements you’ve made over the last few days, both of which i know were wrong,
Romford mag
Oct 23, 2020 at 11:25 AM
Comment #25Ghost
Don’t you be going dark on us again 😉
GhostToon
Oct 23, 2020 at 11:25 AM
Comment #26Jimmy Carr upfront now youre talking. With his height and strength he would be bossing those defences lol
Rom + Mund, walk of shame for me… still havent done it. Slap my head emoji.
I’ll reinstall the app later as it gave me proper s#it last time I tried to create an account.
Wor Bairle
Oct 23, 2020 at 11:26 AM
Comment #27Geordie-John
He might create the foundations to build a good partnership.
See what I did there 😀
Darnik
Oct 23, 2020 at 11:26 AM
Comment #28Adamn
It’s laughable isn’t it… Work in progress foot me how long is it going to be before we actually get to see some of this progress he keeps referring to
lesh
Oct 23, 2020 at 11:27 AM
Comment #29Mund, Hibbitt
Whatever the rights or wrongs, is the arguing worth it?
We’ve all got various and varying responsibilities, pressures of different sorts to live with and the Blog should provide some respite from them.
Life’s too short to be giving one another grief so come on, let’s see a virtual handshake.
lesh
Oct 23, 2020 at 11:27 AM
Comment #30Munster
You’re off again with an oblique Rafa rant but you have to convince me that Rafa delivered as much demotivating pap as Bruce.
sing in the corner
Oct 23, 2020 at 11:28 AM
Comment #31I’m getting pretty tired of Bruce having little digs at the fans. He’s been doing it from day one. It’s laziness on his behalf – the ‘accepted view’ of most of the pundits. McLaren and his ‘heavy shirt’ comments..
Souness and fat Sam’s bitter snipes every week etc etc.
Come on Brucie! Should have been just a little bit humble. What did he expect?
The way things panned out with Rafa, the situation with Ashley etc.
He knew fine well what he was walking into and how the fans would feel. Happy to take the money on offer though.
Add to that his long mediocre track record..
STFU!
Let the coaching skills and the football do aal the talking..
Errrr…
Mund
Oct 23, 2020 at 11:29 AM
Comment #32hibbit there you go again with your self assured confidence, wow who the foot do you think you are? Your not special nor am I but for you to say I was wrong when it’s an actual fact it happened just blows my mind and tells me all I need to know about you, if I didn’t know already.
Your boring the life out of me now.
Just because what you shared was BS it doesn’t mean mine was
Wor Bairle
Oct 23, 2020 at 11:30 AM
Comment #33Lesh #29
Good advice
Darnik
Oct 23, 2020 at 11:30 AM
Comment #34Well said sitc
The mighty wyn
Oct 23, 2020 at 11:31 AM
Comment #35To be fair bruce has had the same amount of grief and criticism at every other club he has been at.
The writing on the wall should have been clear after the state he left villa in and pretty much every club before that.
No sympathy for him – he took the job against adv ce from his mate Shearer so deserves all he gets.
There is no obvious game plan other than ride your luck.
At least with R therewas an obvious plan even if the football wasnt great and at least the defending was to be admired
Mund
Oct 23, 2020 at 11:31 AM
Comment #36Lesh spot on but it’s hibbit with the chip on his shoulder not me.
The mighty wyn
Oct 23, 2020 at 11:34 AM
Comment #37Sitcom- you beat me to it good post
He gets paid well so he should shut up about the fans and get on with the job
The mighty wyn
Oct 23, 2020 at 11:35 AM
Comment #38Sitc I meant
Rotonda heights
Oct 23, 2020 at 11:36 AM
Comment #39Munster
Ash has thrown a lot more money behind bruce to try and make his 2 fingered salute to rafa. However, I honestly feel you could give bruce ronaldo and messi and he’d still play park the bus hoof ball. His entire CV stats always indicate this.
Bruce just doesn’t seem to be able to change and just has the one gear. The longer he stays the more damage he’ll do. Allardyce aways said he would change his style with better players but he either couldn’t or wouldn’t. Bruce, AP and SA are all anti football dark age coaches and just play with fear which quickly transmits to the players where they don’t think or believe they can win games.
Our midfield gets bypassed with all the long balls. Don’t know why we didn’t go for Benrahma (wrong spelling) from Brentford or someone who can put their foot on the ball and transform defense to attack quickly. When you’re replacing Almiron with the likes of Hendrick this is only ever going to end one way.
Ketsbaia9
Oct 23, 2020 at 11:37 AM
Comment #40Haha, Domi was class. Used to be an attacking threat and used to assist Shearer often. Doumbia was one of the best strikers in europe and regularly scored in the champions league. Marveaux was quality on the ball. Probably our best technical player with a great footballing brain. Abeid is miles better than what we have now and controlled the midfield. He starred against Man City in the 2-0 win.