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Optimistic Nut

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Guest neesy111
19 minutes ago, Inferior Acuña said:

I haven't seen much of Caulkin palling up with Bruce but I turned off him a bit with the takeover. Seemed to be palling up to Staveley in an uncritical way and got the sense that was influencing his lack of engagement on the big moral issues of being taken over by Saudi state.

 

He's hardly criticised him since he got appointed.

 

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I'll find what he said when he came https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/mike-ashleys-newcastle-regime-chews-good-people-up-i-wish-steve-bruce-hadnt-joined-52cvsgd5l

 

The people who say that Bruce is not good enough for Newcastle have got it all wrong; he is too good. Way too good for Mike Ashley’s works team. There are two reasons why Bruce, who has signed a three-year contract as head coach, should not be within a million miles of the job at St James’ Park. The first is that if Newcastle had even a modicum of ambition then Rafa Benítez would still be in the role, but after having the wit to appoint a manager who could still see the club in terms of potential and stature, they failed to understand what it entailed. That to improve means investment, imagination, speed of thought.

 

After Benítez, almost any manager would represent a step down, but he was the exception at Newcastle, not the rule. Take the Spaniard out of it and Bruce is following Alan Pardew and Steve McClaren, all English, all experienced, all greeted with bemusement or hostility. In emotional and footballing terms, Benítez held the club together, keeping them in the Premier League and giving supporters a reason to believe. That glue has dissolved.

 

And so the second reason is more personal. Ashley’s Newcastle chews good people up; Benítez, Chris Hughton, Alan Shearer, Kevin Keegan. If anyone thinks it will be different with Bruce . . . well, the past 12 years provide compelling, distressing precedent. At best, the club is unconventional and at worst it is dysfunctional, incapable of putting two good decisions together. Something always lurks around the corner.

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Alan Pardew and Steve Bruce are cut from the same cloth.

 

Generally, they're disliked because they act as an agent for the regime. Whether it's the systematic lowering of expectations, making, excuses for an inexcusable lack of investment, or general praise for an owner that has sucked all the hope and joy out of supporting our football club.

 

In Bruce's specific case, he also happens to be a very unlikeable bloke. We're constantly told what a gent he is, but if he was would he chuck players under the bus to save his own skin? Would he constantly rile up and antagonise the fans with petty remarks? Or would he hold a pathetic jealously of his predecessor who came in and lobbied for change?

 

Caulkin is so far off here. Bruce is of course a symptom of the real problem, Big Mike. That said, he signed up with full knowledge of what he was dealing with and he's chosen to buy into and peddle the party line. Pretending otherwise is disingenuous at best. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

https://theathletic.com/2818326/2021/09/12/steve-bruce-is-fighting-battles-on-and-off-the-pitch-and-hes-losing-all-of-them/?source=user_shared_article

 

Everything about Bruce’s demeanour smacks of a head coach who is making his final stand. This feels like an end-of-days scenario. At any other club, it would be. But at Newcastle, Bruce looks set to struggle on, exhausted and indignant, at least for now, until his fate is eventually sealed. But that will only come following further harmful skirmishes.

 

Having already faced the humiliation of his own fans calling for his dismissal during the 2-2 draw with Southampton that was Newcastle’s final game before both transfer deadline day and the September international break, Bruce pushed for a defensive midfielder and a centre-back on loan during the final days of the summer window.

 

In his opinion, these additions were gettable and necessary, and he worked to make them happen until just 90 minutes before the 11pm UK time deadline on August 31. The issue was that Lee Charnley, the managing director, disagreed. Charnley was adamant Newcastle could not afford to make further signings, both due to financial constraints and because room had not been made in the squad to accommodate them by moving other players on.

 

On the first Thursday of the international break, images on social media circulated of Bruce seemingly boarding a flight to Portugal.

 

The players had a gym session that morning but were given the ensuing weekend off. Bruce may well have needed a mental refresh, as those close to him attest, but, given Newcastle’s poor start, the optics of his Algarve sojourn were terrible, internally and externally.

 

Just like at St James’ Park a fortnight previously, the supporters turned on Bruce. While chants of “We want Brucie out” did not begin until the final 10 minutes, once they started, they increased in both regularity and volume and were witnessed by Charnley from the directors’ box.

 

There was some temporary respite for Bruce, whose achievements as a Manchester United player meant he was serenaded by home supporters as he conducted interviews pitchside, but he had already become understandably pained by the songs from the Newcastle section.

 

It felt like an almost uncontrollable response; as if, in that moment, the frustration Bruce had accumulated over previous days just poured out of him. To allege a local media agenda against him was destructive enough, but to then claim supporter opinions have been shaped by what they have read, rather than what they have watched his team do on the pitch every week, was ruinous.

 

Exasperatingly, as so many associated with Newcastle warned, including many in and around the club, this was all so predictable.

 

“It was inevitable,” says one well-placed source.

 

Bruce is embroiled in skirmishes on several fronts and his few remaining allies appear to be deserting him.

 

Even he must recognise that this is a civil war he can never win.

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32 minutes ago, nbthree3 said:

https://theathletic.com/2818326/2021/09/12/steve-bruce-is-fighting-battles-on-and-off-the-pitch-and-hes-losing-all-of-them/?source=user_shared_article

 

Everything about Bruce’s demeanour smacks of a head coach who is making his final stand. This feels like an end-of-days scenario. At any other club, it would be. But at Newcastle, Bruce looks set to struggle on, exhausted and indignant, at least for now, until his fate is eventually sealed. But that will only come following further harmful skirmishes.

 

Having already faced the humiliation of his own fans calling for his dismissal during the 2-2 draw with Southampton that was Newcastle’s final game before both transfer deadline day and the September international break, Bruce pushed for a defensive midfielder and a centre-back on loan during the final days of the summer window.

 

In his opinion, these additions were gettable and necessary, and he worked to make them happen until just 90 minutes before the 11pm UK time deadline on August 31. The issue was that Lee Charnley, the managing director, disagreed. Charnley was adamant Newcastle could not afford to make further signings, both due to financial constraints and because room had not been made in the squad to accommodate them by moving other players on.

 

On the first Thursday of the international break, images on social media circulated of Bruce seemingly boarding a flight to Portugal.

 

The players had a gym session that morning but were given the ensuing weekend off. Bruce may well have needed a mental refresh, as those close to him attest, but, given Newcastle’s poor start, the optics of his Algarve sojourn were terrible, internally and externally.

 

Just like at St James’ Park a fortnight previously, the supporters turned on Bruce. While chants of “We want Brucie out” did not begin until the final 10 minutes, once they started, they increased in both regularity and volume and were witnessed by Charnley from the directors’ box.

 

There was some temporary respite for Bruce, whose achievements as a Manchester United player meant he was serenaded by home supporters as he conducted interviews pitchside, but he had already become understandably pained by the songs from the Newcastle section.

 

It felt like an almost uncontrollable response; as if, in that moment, the frustration Bruce had accumulated over previous days just poured out of him. To allege a local media agenda against him was destructive enough, but to then claim supporter opinions have been shaped by what they have read, rather than what they have watched his team do on the pitch every week, was ruinous.

 

Exasperatingly, as so many associated with Newcastle warned, including many in and around the club, this was all so predictable.

 

“It was inevitable,” says one well-placed source.

 

Bruce is embroiled in skirmishes on several fronts and his few remaining allies appear to be deserting him.

 

Even he must recognise that this is a civil war he can never win.


Baghdad Bob / Bruce 

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It will be interesting to see Thursdays press conference. There has been a shift in the media over the last few seasons and I think it becomes apparent who the quality journalists are purely due to the limited number of them. I'd love to see them research comments or quotes from previous statements and hold the management to account. 

 

I know they've said previously that the club haven't responded to requests, but surely there must be a way to take control of the narrative away from the club? 

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3 minutes ago, ManDoon said:

Hmmmmm, I agree totally If  it’s actually happened. Honestly though you can’t constantly poke a hornets nest and not expect something to happen, not condoning it obvs 

Having seen some of the abuse stoked up and dished out to some of the women amongst our supporters via social media over the last few weeks, it's easy to see this being true as well unfortunately. 

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10 minutes ago, ManDoon said:

Hmmmmm, I agree totally If  it’s actually happened. Honestly though you can’t constantly poke a hornets nest and not expect something to happen, not condoning it obvs 

The people that have told him not to go to certain pubs have probably never been in a pub, I agree with Emma Haynes sports people need to come off unregulated social media formats.

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On 12/09/2021 at 21:07, nbthree3 said:

https://theathletic.com/2818326/2021/09/12/steve-bruce-is-fighting-battles-on-and-off-the-pitch-and-hes-losing-all-of-them/?source=user_shared_article

 

Everything about Bruce’s demeanour smacks of a head coach who is making his final stand. This feels like an end-of-days scenario. At any other club, it would be. But at Newcastle, Bruce looks set to struggle on, exhausted and indignant, at least for now, until his fate is eventually sealed. But that will only come following further harmful skirmishes.

 

Having already faced the humiliation of his own fans calling for his dismissal during the 2-2 draw with Southampton that was Newcastle’s final game before both transfer deadline day and the September international break, Bruce pushed for a defensive midfielder and a centre-back on loan during the final days of the summer window.

 

In his opinion, these additions were gettable and necessary, and he worked to make them happen until just 90 minutes before the 11pm UK time deadline on August 31. The issue was that Lee Charnley, the managing director, disagreed. Charnley was adamant Newcastle could not afford to make further signings, both due to financial constraints and because room had not been made in the squad to accommodate them by moving other players on.

 

On the first Thursday of the international break, images on social media circulated of Bruce seemingly boarding a flight to Portugal.

 

The players had a gym session that morning but were given the ensuing weekend off. Bruce may well have needed a mental refresh, as those close to him attest, but, given Newcastle’s poor start, the optics of his Algarve sojourn were terrible, internally and externally.

 

Just like at St James’ Park a fortnight previously, the supporters turned on Bruce. While chants of “We want Brucie out” did not begin until the final 10 minutes, once they started, they increased in both regularity and volume and were witnessed by Charnley from the directors’ box.

 

There was some temporary respite for Bruce, whose achievements as a Manchester United player meant he was serenaded by home supporters as he conducted interviews pitchside, but he had already become understandably pained by the songs from the Newcastle section.

 

It felt like an almost uncontrollable response; as if, in that moment, the frustration Bruce had accumulated over previous days just poured out of him. To allege a local media agenda against him was destructive enough, but to then claim supporter opinions have been shaped by what they have read, rather than what they have watched his team do on the pitch every week, was ruinous.

 

Exasperatingly, as so many associated with Newcastle warned, including many in and around the club, this was all so predictable.

 

“It was inevitable,” says one well-placed source.

 

Bruce is embroiled in skirmishes on several fronts and his few remaining allies appear to be deserting him.

 

Even he must recognise that this is a civil war he can never win.

I don't think keeping his job is winning for him. He is used to getting payoffs for failing. He is probably very frustrated that Ashley is so stubborn and has not yet pulled the trigger. 

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