No need to panic about Bruce’s Newcastle… yet

By Urban Newton (@urban_newton)

It is now exactly nine weeks since Newcastle United appointed Steve Bruce as their new head coach.

The replies to the club’s announcement on Twitter were not exactly positive.

“Managing Newcastle has never been my dream,” was a quote someone had pulled from the Sunderland Echo during his time on Wearside. A meme of Peter Parker in the latest Spiderman film stating: “Everywhere I go, I see his face. I just really miss him,” was accompanied by Rafa Benitez’s face on a billboard instead of Tony Stark.

“Ah piss,” said popular Geordie YouTuber WillNE, whilst the most popular comment reads: “To quote Hamlet, Act III, Scene III, Line 87; No.”

It wasn’t an ideal start to life as Magpies boss for Bruce either. He struggled to get a visa to travel to China for the club’s pre-season participation in the Premier League Asia Trophy.

But nine weeks on and Newcastle have surprised many.

Four points from the first five Premier League games is not disastrous. The Toon Army needn’t worry… for now at least.

Bruce’s appointment was not universally accepted because of the lack of inspiration. From one of the greatest tactician’s the country has ever known in Rafa Benitez, to Steve Bruce.

It also lacks ambition, something the departing Benitez said has become a staple of the club under the ownership of Mike Ashley. Benitez wanted the resources to move up the Premier League table, to compete in the top-half and in cup competitions. To not settle for lowly mediocrity.

Yet in Bruce, it seemed Ashley would have a yes-man who will do just that- be content with Premier League survival year-in-year-out.

It is also telling that Bruce seemed to have a similar role in the latter stages of his Hull City stewardship. After an FA Cup Final appearance and flirting with European football, the Allam owners, with the club and fans already greatly divided, chose to not invest and become an unsustainable yo-yo club between the top-flight and the Championship.

Newcastle have already faced Arsenal, Spurs and Liverpool so far this season. The Arsenal match was somewhat there for the taking, but they failed to create anything meaningful.

In the Spurs game, they were magnificent. Paul Dummett seems to have finally flourished this year, looking massively comfortable and competent on the left of the back three, and he put in a man-of-the-match display in the 1-0 win.

Liverpool were not exactly at their best on Saturday lunchtime but their quality was what got them the three points, coming from behind to win 3-1 at Anfield.

Those three games are not the cause concern though, it is the other two games. They were played off the park by Norwich, losing 3-1 again, and went toe-to-toe with Watford in the 1-1 draw at St James’ Park.

Those, particularly the Watford game, are the fixtures they must win this season. They host Brighton this weekend and that is completely the same.

The Rafa Benitez-like performances against the big teams that get the plaudits simply do not put points on the league table.

On Saturday, Newcastle had so many chances to counter a high, open Liverpool defence but the end-product was poor.

Joelinton has shown he has the capable hold-up play, yet too many times he and Miguel Almiron were not on the same wavelength. Watch their attacking play back and you will see the two too far apart, making runs too far away from one another.

Nine weeks gone for Steve Bruce and thirty-four left until the last day of the 2019/20 Premier League season. There is no real need to panic yet.

Steve Bruce was not expected to reinvent the wheel on Tyneside and that is not necessarily a bad thing.

His appointment may show a lack of ambition in the long-term, but in the short-term Newcastle are putting in some decent defensive displays, though he must get his team to attack against an expansive Brighton side at St James’ on Saturday evening.

By Urban Newton (@urban_newton)