Steve Brute

[mrmojorisin75]

He's like Leonardo DiCaprio in catch me if you can when he pretends to be a doctor by watching hospital soap operas.

 

Agnew: "Steve, I think we should adjust the back line and try to transition the play into counter-offensive channels"

 

Bruce:

[Disco]

Newcastle United, passive and pathetic

 

You can forget the Rafa Benitez comparisons, because they do not stand up to scrutiny. Newcastle United had an awful first half of 2018/19, but over the second half of the season Benitez revolutionised their football. Between mid-January and the end of the season, only four Premier League teams scored more goals than Newcastle.

 

Under Steve Bruce, it’s often hard to work out what the point is or whether there is any aim at all. Newcastle defend deep, sacrifice possession and ostensibly seem to hope that they get lucky on the break or rely upon set-pieces. The two attacking midfielders pick up the ball as auxiliary wing-backs and are therefore asked to carry it 50 yards and beat three players to create a chance, while the striker is left chronically isolated.

 

Newcastle’s attacking numbers are abysmal. They rank 19th for goals scored, 20th for expected goals, 20th for shots, 20th for touches in the opposition box and 20th for possession. Their strategy for survival is hoping that their early season upsets against bigger teams carries them through a long winter and spring. That might well prove to be enough, and Bruce can reasonably insist that his only task was to keep them up, but bugger me it’s horrible to watch.

 

If the quality of Newcastle’s squad was a fair excuse for this eye-bleeding fare in August, that doesn’t really apply now. Nobody made more signings in January. The team that started at the Emirates included arguably the best goalkeeper outside the top seven, two international full-backs – both new signings – and two international central defenders, an international central midfielder and a young player wanted by Manchester United, two exciting attacking midfielders and a striker signed for £40m last summer. Joelinton has struggled badly and looks bereft of confidence, but he flourished in Germany with strikers around him. Lumping the ball long to him and expecting him to cope is nonsensical.

 

Bruce took plenty of stick when he was appointed, and there are some Newcastle supporters who seem to actively want him to fail as a result, but this is on him. The supporters who travel the country to watch their team will have been embarrassed by their collapse on Sunday, but when you sacrifice possession and territory this becomes the norm. The only Newcastle player with more than two league goals this season is a central midfielder who has missed more than 40% of their matches.

[KaKa]

They are spot on all the time 

[Conjo]

 

But Redknapp has shared that Bruce thinks that Newcastle simply don’t have the playmakers required in advanced areas to retain possession in the final third.

 

“I was talking to Bruce after the Chelsea game and he said we haven’t got the players to get up the pitch and keep it, we have to defend well and we have to hope that those three players [saint-Maximin, Almiron and Joelinton] can do something special and he [saint-Maximin] is certainly capable,” Redknapp said.

.

 

 

This is how Alan Pardew achieved 5th place with us. Defend and hope Ben Arfa or Cisse does something they shouldn't really be allowed to do.

 

He quickly fell out with Hatem, Papisse awarded himself an onfield retirement and 5th place was never in sight again.

 

These blokes are staggeringly incompetent.

 

 

 

Was this before or after Pardew started playing him as a right winger in order to use Ba or Ameobi up front?

[Cronky]

True colours coming out now. Shifting all the blame to his players by leaking info to people behind the scenes like a snake

 

But Redknapp has shared that Bruce thinks that Newcastle simply don’t have the playmakers required in advanced areas to retain possession in the final third.

 

“I was talking to Bruce after the Chelsea game and he said we haven’t got the players to get up the pitch and keep it, we have to defend well and we have to hope that those three players [saint-Maximin, Almiron and Joelinton] can do something special and he [saint-Maximin] is certainly capable,” Redknapp said.

 

The players just can't do it guys. Nothing to do with my pitiful coaching.

 

No one can ever convince me that these players simply cannot do better with the ball than 33% possession every game. Even struggling to keep the ball and control the game against Oxford?!

 

 

Tin hat on, but there's truth in what Bruce is saying. Almiron and ASM are good at running with the ball, not good at hanging on to it or releasing it accurately or at the right time. We rely a lot on those two being able to get past opponents, and open up defences that way.

 

Joelinton is different. We use him as a pivot to the attack, in the same way as Rondon or Mitrovic. At holding the ball up, he's better than Mitrovic, but not as good as Rondon. So yes, altogether, the front three are not good at linking with the rest of the team and that affects the way we play.

 

And I imagine that Bruce will think twice before confiding in Redknapp again.

[Stifler]

Why were 4 players on the train last night when the rest of the squad were on a private jet up to Newcastle?

 

They obviously don’t want to spend anytime with Bruce. Who can blame them. ASM will be off in the summer, he knows he’s going nowhere under Bruce, and has already done enough for someone else in the Premier League to pay £20m+ for him.

[Collage]

 

But Redknapp has shared that Bruce thinks that Newcastle simply don’t have the playmakers required in advanced areas to retain possession in the final third.

 

“I was talking to Bruce after the Chelsea game and he said we haven’t got the players to get up the pitch and keep it, we have to defend well and we have to hope that those three players [saint-Maximin, Almiron and Joelinton] can do something special and he [saint-Maximin] is certainly capable,” Redknapp said.

.

 

 

This is how Alan Pardew achieved 5th place with us. Defend and hope Ben Arfa or Cisse does something they shouldn't really be allowed to do.

 

He quickly fell out with Hatem, Papisse awarded himself an onfield retirement and 5th place was never in sight again.

 

These blokes are staggeringly incompetent.

 

I would agree but with one added addition, Cabaye in central midfield. He was a massive plus at CM, something we lack badly right now.

 

Exactly. Cabaye was so important to that team. And for one season I’d say he and Tiote were one of the best CM pairings in the league.

 

I’d say it never looked as bad under Pardew as it does now, mainly because we had better players back then.

[Jinky Jim]

Why were 4 players on the train last night when the rest of the squad were on a private jet up to Newcastle?

 

They obviously don’t want to spend anytime with Bruce. Who can blame them. ASM will be off in the summer, he knows he’s going nowhere under Bruce, and has already done enough for someone else in the Premier League to pay £20m+ for him.

 

I hate Bruce as much as anyone, but apparently everyone was given the chance to fly back or get home by train.Got to admit, if it was me, I wouldn’t have flown during that Storm. I don’t think there’s any significance to this, though I’d also would want to spend as little time with Bruce as possible and if given the chance, would also have taken the train.

[TRon]

True colours coming out now. Shifting all the blame to his players by leaking info to people behind the scenes like a snake

 

But Redknapp has shared that Bruce thinks that Newcastle simply don’t have the playmakers required in advanced areas to retain possession in the final third.

 

“I was talking to Bruce after the Chelsea game and he said we haven’t got the players to get up the pitch and keep it, we have to defend well and we have to hope that those three players [saint-Maximin, Almiron and Joelinton] can do something special and he [saint-Maximin] is certainly capable,” Redknapp said.

 

The players just can't do it guys. Nothing to do with my pitiful coaching.

 

No one can ever convince me that these players simply cannot do better with the ball than 33% possession every game. Even struggling to keep the ball and control the game against Oxford?!

 

 

Tin hat on, but there's truth in what Bruce is saying. Almiron and ASM are good at running with the ball, not good at hanging on to it or releasing it accurately or at the right time. We rely a lot on those two being able to get past opponents, and open up defences that way.

 

Joelinton is different. We use him as a pivot to the attack, in the same way as Rondon or Mitrovic. At holding the ball up, he's better than Mitrovic, but not as good as Rondon. So yes, altogether, the front three are not good at linking with the rest of the team and that affects the way we play.

 

And I imagine that Bruce will think twice before confiding in Redknapp again.

 

All well and good, but that's no excuse for the abysmal team structure and lack of coaching input. Read that 365 piece posted by Disco and tell me which bit you disagree with.

[KaKa]

True colours coming out now. Shifting all the blame to his players by leaking info to people behind the scenes like a snake

 

But Redknapp has shared that Bruce thinks that Newcastle simply don’t have the playmakers required in advanced areas to retain possession in the final third.

 

“I was talking to Bruce after the Chelsea game and he said we haven’t got the players to get up the pitch and keep it, we have to defend well and we have to hope that those three players [saint-Maximin, Almiron and Joelinton] can do something special and he [saint-Maximin] is certainly capable,” Redknapp said.

 

The players just can't do it guys. Nothing to do with my pitiful coaching.

 

No one can ever convince me that these players simply cannot do better with the ball than 33% possession every game. Even struggling to keep the ball and control the game against Oxford?!

 

 

Tin hat on, but there's truth in what Bruce is saying. Almiron and ASM are good at running with the ball, not good at hanging on to it or releasing it accurately or at the right time. We rely a lot on those two being able to get past opponents, and open up defences that way.

 

Joelinton is different. We use him as a pivot to the attack, in the same way as Rondon or Mitrovic. At holding the ball up, he's better than Mitrovic, but not as good as Rondon. So yes, altogether, the front three are not good at linking with the rest of the team and that affects the way we play.

 

And I imagine that Bruce will think twice before confiding in Redknapp again.

 

I can't accept this because there are numerous other teams in the league that don't have perfect players and they manage to keep possession more than 33% every single game. We have the worst possession in all of Europe for goodness sake.

 

We're not talking about playing like Man City here. We cannot even convincingly control the game against League 1 Oxford. Bruce is having an absolute laugh. He's an utter joke.

[ATF]

Snip

Good article.

 

What the Rafa/Bruce comparisons also miss, amongst many things, is that Rafa was coach for more than one season.

 

So all the "Bruce is doing a better job than Benitez" shouts - well Rafa achieved instant promotion as champions, a top ten finish first season back up on half the reinvestment of Brighton and Huddersfield, and then mid table again the second season after all the teams around Newcastle pushed on. Plus wins over Man City, and much better Arsenal, Chelsea and Man United teams than they've faced this season.

 

He did an excellent job in a stronger league, without the luck of this season, and without the humiliations. He was far, far superior in every significant way.

[mrmojorisin75]

just went back to look at our possession last season from the man city game on, which most of us would accept was the best of rafa

 

15 games average 40.5%

[Cronky]

True colours coming out now. Shifting all the blame to his players by leaking info to people behind the scenes like a snake

 

But Redknapp has shared that Bruce thinks that Newcastle simply don’t have the playmakers required in advanced areas to retain possession in the final third.

 

“I was talking to Bruce after the Chelsea game and he said we haven’t got the players to get up the pitch and keep it, we have to defend well and we have to hope that those three players [saint-Maximin, Almiron and Joelinton] can do something special and he [saint-Maximin] is certainly capable,” Redknapp said.

 

The players just can't do it guys. Nothing to do with my pitiful coaching.

 

No one can ever convince me that these players simply cannot do better with the ball than 33% possession every game. Even struggling to keep the ball and control the game against Oxford?!

 

 

Tin hat on, but there's truth in what Bruce is saying. Almiron and ASM are good at running with the ball, not good at hanging on to it or releasing it accurately or at the right time. We rely a lot on those two being able to get past opponents, and open up defences that way.

 

Joelinton is different. We use him as a pivot to the attack, in the same way as Rondon or Mitrovic. At holding the ball up, he's better than Mitrovic, but not as good as Rondon. So yes, altogether, the front three are not good at linking with the rest of the team and that affects the way we play.

 

And I imagine that Bruce will think twice before confiding in Redknapp again.

 

All well and good, but that's no excuse for the abysmal team structure and lack of coaching input. Read that 365 piece posted by Disco and tell me which bit you disagree with.

 

Well for a start, this guff about all the international players that we've got is crap. Plenty of international players don't make it in the Premiership. Look no further than Mitrovic.

 

Saying that Benitez 'revolutionised' our football half way through last season is crap too. With Almiron and the emergence of Longstaff, we played a bit better but I wouldn't say any more than that.

[BlueStar]

Thanks to yesterday's result, Newcastle's all-time premier league goal difference has turned negative for the first time

[KaKa]

True colours coming out now. Shifting all the blame to his players by leaking info to people behind the scenes like a snake

 

But Redknapp has shared that Bruce thinks that Newcastle simply don’t have the playmakers required in advanced areas to retain possession in the final third.

 

“I was talking to Bruce after the Chelsea game and he said we haven’t got the players to get up the pitch and keep it, we have to defend well and we have to hope that those three players [saint-Maximin, Almiron and Joelinton] can do something special and he [saint-Maximin] is certainly capable,” Redknapp said.

 

The players just can't do it guys. Nothing to do with my pitiful coaching.

 

No one can ever convince me that these players simply cannot do better with the ball than 33% possession every game. Even struggling to keep the ball and control the game against Oxford?!

 

 

Tin hat on, but there's truth in what Bruce is saying. Almiron and ASM are good at running with the ball, not good at hanging on to it or releasing it accurately or at the right time. We rely a lot on those two being able to get past opponents, and open up defences that way.

 

Joelinton is different. We use him as a pivot to the attack, in the same way as Rondon or Mitrovic. At holding the ball up, he's better than Mitrovic, but not as good as Rondon. So yes, altogether, the front three are not good at linking with the rest of the team and that affects the way we play.

 

And I imagine that Bruce will think twice before confiding in Redknapp again.

 

All well and good, but that's no excuse for the abysmal team structure and lack of coaching input. Read that 365 piece posted by Disco and tell me which bit you disagree with.

 

Well for a start, this guff about all the international players that we've got is crap. Plenty of international players don't make it in the Premiership. Look no further than Mitrovic.

 

Saying that Benitez 'revolutionised' our football half way through last season is crap too. With Almiron and the emergence of Longstaff, we played a bit better but I wouldn't say any more than that.

 

Can you please explain why the likes of Villa, Brighton, Sheffield United, Norwich, Southampton, Burnley and even Crystal Palace look far more convincing with the ball than we do, and which exceptional players that they have allow for this. Thanks.

[D. Yimentov]

 

But Redknapp has shared that Bruce thinks that Newcastle simply don’t have the playmakers required in advanced areas to retain possession in the final third.

 

“I was talking to Bruce after the Chelsea game and he said we haven’t got the players to get up the pitch and keep it, we have to defend well and we have to hope that those three players [saint-Maximin, Almiron and Joelinton] can do something special and he [saint-Maximin] is certainly capable,” Redknapp said.

.

 

 

This is how Alan Pardew achieved 5th place with us. Defend and hope Ben Arfa or Cisse does something they shouldn't really be allowed to do.

 

He quickly fell out with Hatem, Papisse awarded himself an onfield retirement and 5th place was never in sight again.

 

These blokes are staggeringly incompetent.

 

I would agree but with one added addition, Cabaye in central midfield. He was a massive plus at CM, something we lack badly right now.

 

Exactly. Cabaye was so important to that team. And for one season I’d say he and Tiote were one of the best CM pairings in the league.

 

I’d say it never looked as bad under Pardew as it does now, mainly because we had better players back then.

 

Enrique, Coloccini, Jonas, Ba, Santon... We had some good players in that team but Alan used the same impotence inducing strategy as Bruce, leaving attacking matters to individual flair.

[Ikon]

Steve Bruce is like a wolf trying to organise a chicken farm.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Steve Bruce is like a wolf trying to organise a chicken farm.

 

He’s eating the players?

[Big Geordie]

Bemused as to why some folks are still defending Bruce and the rotten football he serves up.

 

Is it so Rafa can be blamed when it all eventually goes tits up? Seeing as we are playing a bastardised version of his tactics.

[Ikon]

Steve Bruce is like a wolf trying to organise a chicken farm.

 

He’s eating the players?

 

Doubt he's as quick as the wolf.

[GideonShandy]

True colours coming out now. Shifting all the blame to his players by leaking info to people behind the scenes like a snake

 

But Redknapp has shared that Bruce thinks that Newcastle simply don’t have the playmakers required in advanced areas to retain possession in the final third.

 

“I was talking to Bruce after the Chelsea game and he said we haven’t got the players to get up the pitch and keep it, we have to defend well and we have to hope that those three players [saint-Maximin, Almiron and Joelinton] can do something special and he [saint-Maximin] is certainly capable,” Redknapp said.

 

The players just can't do it guys. Nothing to do with my pitiful coaching.

 

No one can ever convince me that these players simply cannot do better with the ball than 33% possession every game. Even struggling to keep the ball and control the game against Oxford?!

 

 

Tin hat on, but there's truth in what Bruce is saying. Almiron and ASM are good at running with the ball, not good at hanging on to it or releasing it accurately or at the right time. We rely a lot on those two being able to get past opponents, and open up defences that way.

 

Joelinton is different. We use him as a pivot to the attack, in the same way as Rondon or Mitrovic. At holding the ball up, he's better than Mitrovic, but not as good as Rondon. So yes, altogether, the front three are not good at linking with the rest of the team and that affects the way we play.

 

And I imagine that Bruce will think twice before confiding in Redknapp again.

 

Very much doubt he was "confiding" in Redknapp. Deliberately getting his excuses out there by telling them to a media person.

[TBG]

I mean I know why, but still, why doesn't Redknapp ask Bruce why he didn't bring in players to "get up the pitch and keep it"?

 

We all know he's definitely not a puppet, so why did he spend 40M on one player when he could've spent it on two or three players to improve the team. Surely that's poor management?

[Guest godzilla]

Bemused as to why some folks are still defending Bruce and the rotten football he serves up.

 

Is it so Rafa can be blamed when it all eventually goes tits up? Seeing as we are playing a bastardised version of his tactics.

 

The useless c*** talks up every time sticking to the defensive formation as the players know no other way to play. Total bollocks he has had 8 month in the job and he's actually made the team more defensive (in his own mind as they certainly don't look better than under Rafa) and playing football at a different level of s***. The worst football I have ever seen by a Newcastle team in over 45 year of watching and by some margin also. Totally detest the prick.

[joeyt]

[Mike]

He’s been complaining about how he can’t change the way the players play yet decided to let them go their own ways the last 10 days.

 

Arteta took his Arsenal squad to Qatar during the break for some warm weather training, a chance to get his ideas over. They win their next game 4-0.

 

tbf they played Newcastle.