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Steve Bruce (now unemployed)


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27 minutes ago, huss9 said:

how many automatic promotions and how many playoff successes out of interest?

Two automatic promotions (both 2nd), two play-off wins.

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1 hour ago, et tu brute said:

Doesn't read that way then, mind I'm not a fan of Caulkin or Waugh either way, though I know some will disagree.

They’ll, as in Ashley and Charnley. Not ‘they’ as in Caulkin and Waugh. Just to clear that up. 
 

Not that arsed by Caulkin, FWIW. Especially after hearing him a few times on that podcast. He’s decent enough, I guess. Comparing Waugh to Ryder seems a bit harsh. He seems a far better journalist, speaker and writer. Probably why the Athletic poached him and not Ryder or Douglas. 

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3 minutes ago, Lush Vlad said:

They’ll, as in Ashley and Charnley. Not ‘they’ as in Caulkin and Waugh. Just to clear that up. 
 

Not that arsed by Caulkin, FWIW. Especially after hearing him a few times on that podcast. He’s decent enough, I guess. Comparing Waugh to Ryder seems a bit harsh. He seems a far better journalist, speaker and writer. Probably why the Athletic poached him and not Ryder or Douglas. 

:thup:

 

 

Edited by et tu brute

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https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/tactical-clash-broken-newcastle-dressing-20234607

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The tactical clash in 'broken' Newcastle dressing room which 'stunk of relegation'

Former Premier League stars Tim Howard and Danny Higginbotham did not hold back in their analysis of Newcastle United

 

Newcastle United 'stunk' of relegation in Saturday's defeat to Brighton as they were punished for a lack of a clear plan.

That was the frank verdicts of former Manchester United and Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard and ex-Stoke City defender Danny Higginbotham, who feel the contrasting philosophies of Steve Bruce and Graeme Jones are damaging Newcastle's Premier League survival hopes.

The pair, who work on NBC Sports' coverage of the Premier League in the USA, brutally dissected Newcastle's no-show at the Amex Stadium on Saturday, as Brighton took them apart in a 3-0 win.

It means the Magpies are just two points clear of the relegation zone, albeit with a game in hand over 18th placed Fulham, with nine matches remaining and they are now the bookies favourite to return to the Championship after four years in the top flight.

Bruce has presided over a run of just two wins in United's last 20 matches in all competitions and the pressure is growing on his future in the St James' Park hotseat.

And in a fascinating discussion about Newcastle's plight, which was refreshingly full of insight as opposed to tired sound-bites we have come to expect from certain pundits, the pair discussed Bruce's future as well as:

·         Why Newcastle's lack of a clear plan is costing them

·         Why the contrast in Steve Bruce and Graeme Jones' style is a problem, with insight from Howard on working under Jones at Everton

·         Why Newcastle need to adapt their mindset quickly to turn things around

·         And how Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin's return isn't necessarily the answer to all of their problems.

Here is a full transcript of their analysis from NBC Sports' Premier League Match Week podcast:

 

Newcastle 'stunk of relegation' as they continue to lack a 'plan'

Tim Howard: "You can see the frustration among the Newcastle players. There isn't really an idea or a plan of how they are going to win a football match.

"We have said Brighton haven't been good enough this season but the thing that stands out for me is Graham Potter has a belief and a plan of how they are going to win a game.

"The plan is there and they continually hammer away at it. Newcastle might win a game but they don't know how they are going to win a game."

Danny Higginbotham: "When I look at Newcastle, if you want to see what relegation looks like then watch that game.

"Every single thing that stood out from Newcastle stunk of relegation. I think you had a group of players that didn't know what was expected of them.

"You often hear the term that players have chucked the towel in and are no longer playing for their manager. I don't think they have given up on the manager, they just don't know what is expected of them.

"You have got Steve Bruce who is a very pragmatic manager. You then have Graeme Jones who comes in who is very different."

 

The contrast between Steve Bruce and Graeme Jones and the problems that may be causing

Tim Howard: "Graeme Jones is a disciple of Roberto Martinez who is one of the most brilliant tactical managers I have ever known.

"He would have come in and talked about the diamond, Graeme Jones implementing that. But he is smart and clever.

"He wants to play on the front foot and press the game with the ball, very similar to how Brighton do. But when he comes in the middle of the season as an assistant manager, he can only tweak one or two things.

"He has implemented the diamond which is his but we have talked about how that doesn't work when you don't have the best players. His idea of playing football is very much ball dominant, getting up the pitch quickly and often.

"Right now, as an assistant manager, he can't do that because Steve Bruce is still the head coach."

Danny Higginbotham: "It is a really difficult one because if you get rid of Steve Bruce people will say you might get that bounce.

"It is a very difficult one but the one thing I would say is when you have a manager and a coach who have contrasting styles - we know Steve Bruce is pragmatic and Graeme Jones wants to be on the front foot - it is no surprise that six of the last seven goals they have conceded have been in the second half.

"I don't think the players are fit enough to be able to play this diamond system three quarters of the way through the season.

"It was an idea to try and score more goals and get them on the front foot. It worked initially but it is not working now."

Tim Howard: "This is going to be interesting because they are in a real fight and when I look at their run-in of games they have got big, big games that not only I don't think they will win but, beyond that, they will get picked apart if they keep playing this diamond and the goal difference is going to be massive."

Danny Higginbotham: "It seems built to contain and not to take the initiative. That is the problem."

 

What do Newcastle need to do to stay up and do they need to get rid of Steve Bruce?

Danny Higginbotham: "They have got to change their mindset.

 "There is always a team, every single season, who think they have mid-table sorted out and the mindset you need to have from mid-table to relegation battle is chalk and cheese. Two completely different mindsets.

"They have fallen into this relegation fight and the mindset needs to change quickly. You can talk about the manager changing, what would happen and it is a difficult one because Steve Bruce is a very pragmatic manager.

"I understand that but in order to be pragmatic, especially at the bottom of the league, you need to have a goalscorer.

"Until Callum Wilson comes back, I don't see anything changing."

 Tim Howard: "It is simple now. It is Newcastle and Fulham.

 "Newcastle look broken to me. They look beaten. Fulham don't.

"OK, Fulham aren't going to win every game but there is an upbeat nature about the team. Scott Parker's body language tells me they are going to get out of it.

"Callum Wilson will come back. Allan Saint-Maximin will come back but Steve Bruce said there these are muscle injuries.

"You can't just bring them back, expect them to play 90 minutes and for them to be at their best after a long time out.

"They were beaten at all facets of the game. If they can't get up for this game, they have nine games left, how is Steve Bruce going to motivate his team to get up for the next nine games?

"By the way, I hate the look of their run-in. I am not sure they win any of their next seven games heading up to Sheffield United and Fulham in the last two games."

Danny Higginbotham: "The concerning thing for me is that they were beaten in all areas of the pitch today by a relegation candidate with them.

 "It is one thing to set up the way they did today when they are playing Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool - the best teams - that is fair enough.

"But when you are playing against teams around you, you have to be the dominant team that goes and asks questions.

"It is as though they need that fright, they need to concede a goal to come into the game. But the way Newcastle are playing at the minute, and they don't score goals, if they concede the first goal it is game over."

 

Will Wilson and Saint-Maximin's return make the required difference?

Tim Howard: "It gives them a lift but this team doesn't know how to win games.

"Maybe they will give the ball to Saint-Maximin and let him go one on one and hopefully that works and gives them a boost.

"But with these lay-offs, it is going to take time and they don't have time."

Danny Higginbotham: "You look at the game today.

"I saw Joelinton at right-wing, centre-forward, centre-midfield and at right-back. I saw Fraser at centre-forward, centre-midfield, left-wing and at left-back.

"I saw central midfielders like Shelvey who was at the base of the diamond, then at the tip of the diamond.

"I don't think the players know what is expected of them.

"When you watch a good team, you know what their aim is within two or three minutes because you can see the plan.

"I saw the plan from Brighton but I didn't see what Newcastle's plan was."

 

Fulham or Newcastle: Who is getting relegated?

Tim Howard: "Newcastle. Almost no doubt about that."

Danny Higginbotham: "I said it on Friday when Fulham got beat. I still fancy Fulham. All the pressure is on Newcastle.

"The Fulham players believe in what they are doing and that is the big, key difference. The only pressure that is on Fulham is from within.

"Everybody wrote them off quite a while ago."

 

 

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2 hours ago, 54 said:

Caulkin imo is the best journalist covering the club.

Lost all respect for him me like.

The way he just sits back and watches the club burn under that fat mess Bruce and doesn’t say a word about him. We need the likes of Caulkin to be representing the fans and the club, which he used to always do. 

Craig Hope for me, the only one with the balls to tell the truth for months now. Baldy Ryder and the Bradford City fan are finally starting to twig. 

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6 minutes ago, Danh1 said:

Lost all respect for him me like.

The way he just sits back and watches the club burn under that fat mess Bruce and doesn’t say a word about him. We need the likes of Caulkin to be representing the fans and the club, which he used to always do. 

Craig Hope for me, the only one with the balls to tell the truth for months now. Baldy Ryder and the Bradford City fan are finally starting to twig. 

I’ve lost a lot of respect for Caulkin over this season, as mentioned he is close with Bruce, enough to just ring him out of the blue for a chat which he mentioned in a podcast last summer. He also got taken in by Staveley and her crew, painting a picture that all was rosy when it was anything but.

I think maybe he’s just stepped back from the club a bit, professionally that is. Being the centre of attention with all things nufc probably isn’t the best thing for his career long term.

Craig Hope has been spot on when it comes to the team itself. He’s never been afraid to piss the club off when it comes to telling it as it is.

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5 hours ago, TheInfiniteOdyssey said:

Was listening to the Ornstein and Chapman podcast today, apparently club sources have relayed to them that they firmly believe Bruce is the ideal man to take us back up in the event of possible (probable) relegation [emoji38]

Wonder if he can improve upon his heroic 12th placed finish last time when he was down there managing the biggest club with the largest wage budget in the division at the time.

Was crossing the Coast Road when I was listening to that and with interfering with the traffic suddenly felt an option.

The unnamed insider that agreed Bruce would be the best manager in the Champ they mentioned too. Fuck me.

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Anyone think the club is leaking the likes of Dyce and Wilder being considered just to make fans realise whomever replaces him won't be that much better and will be another clogger, even if we would gladly take both over Bruce. Not even a mention of Howe. 

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19 minutes ago, toontownman said:

Anyone think the club is leaking the likes of Dyce and Wilder being considered just to make fans realise whomever replaces him won't be that much better and will be another clogger, even if we would gladly take both over Bruce. Not even a mention of Howe. 

There’s nobody else being considered, it’s Bruce for 9 more games.

Option 1) The club somehow manage to scrape staying up, arbitration should be well under way by then so by mid to late summer there might be an indication of how it’s going. I don’t think the club would bother sacking him if anything were to be imminent in that regard.

Option 2) Relegation. All sorts of clauses kick in with players and management. The takeover would be pushed through and the clear out begins.

Just managing to scrape staying up fills me with dread to be honest. The whole legal thing with the PL is just far too tricky and I don’t think I have it in me to still be following this for another 12+ months with the club in limbo (which it would continue to be)

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Winter remembers what this club was and could easily be, the others don't want to remember that or put it down to a few years under Keegan, letting all that die just to suit Ashley's obsessive need to crush hope. A flash in the pan brighter than what Spurs have managed with their one serious title challenge since the mid 80s, but that's different.

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33 minutes ago, Disco said:

Chris Waugh opines loads of time off is alright as other clubs are doing it. Whole podcast is weak as fuck as always.

Mad what splashing a few pints and lunches do.

That podcast is an absolute joke and I can’t listen to even a minute, before switching off. The one who hosts it is even worse than Caulkin and Waugh. As I said earlier, just cannot get away with either journalist and Caulkin is Edwards best mate, which says a lot. Each to their own though. 

 

 

Edited by et tu brute

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9 hours ago, et tu brute said:

That podcast is an absolute joke and I can’t listen to even a minute, before switching off. The one who hosts it is even worse than Caulkin and Waugh. As I said earlier, just cannot get away with either journalist and Caulkin is Edwards best mate, which says a lot. Each to their own though. 

He’s launched his own pod now.

Focussing on worthy NE folk. First one sounds good. It’s about how fake fundraisers can rip people off, discrediting charity in the process, and con them into thinking they’re contributing towards the making of a project (eg a short film) but are actually just funding a jolly instead. Not sure who the guest is mind.

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I listen to so many podcasts, but somebody made the point that boss at Jarrow Roofing has been I charge 20 year like...  

Aghhh, just fuck of Steve Bruce been in game long enough cocksip interview excuses for being statistically one of of the worst ever at his job.

 

It it doesn’t end with Bruce, he doesn’t give a toss. All the crap about supporting us is fluff. He knows this is his last gig in management, that’s why he fucked over SW.

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Craig Hope and Liam Kennedy are the best two NUfC journalists as things stand today.

Caulkin has become disinterested , maybe he got burnt out by the takeover stuff and the fact he obviously is extremely close to Bruce. However as soon as George starts writing again it’ll be like Shearer when he scored 5 v Sheff Wed. Class is permanent.

As for Bruce, he’ll be here until a takeover is completed which could be years and years to come.

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Dream scenario for me... 

Stay up, takeover and we Adkins/Pocchetino Bruce.. That scenario suits me.

Leaves all the pundits grumpy, when Steve is 8th in league in November, legitimately doing a good job, but just lost away at Swansea and been knocked out on pens in League Cup by Northampton.

Board have spent season working on next man charge (Simeone), and give a brutal Chelsea Di Matteo like culling of the fat Cunt. That’ll give Alex and Jim White something to say!!

 

 

Edited by Abra Dubravka

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My pipe dream is similar tbh, takeover happens before end of the season but with like 4 or 5 games to go and we're still out of the bottom 3 yet Bruce is sacked by the new owners anyway and Benitez, Allegri or someone or that ilk comes in, keeps us up and we kick on. The amount of Brexit PFM piss that would be boiled would be orgasmic. :lol: Nice to dream. Nowt else to do following this version of NUFC.

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Didn’t get the memo on PFM? 
 

I’ve given up Bruce being a constant anyway. There is no further criticism and I’m running out of childish names to call him... Fat bottle sucking pisswilly? 
 

Hoying shit at Bruce via Alex has clearly got it’s bite. He’s got the message fans hate him. That’s without lads in grounds. I’m past caring what division this retard has us in, I just want to be in a stadium to call him a wanker, and hopefully see a root vegetable be hoyed towards him!!

 

Frustrating to think we’d have missed all the good throwing vegetables. Seasonally speaking like. What I wouldn’t give to slap his chubby chops with some wild garlic! 

 

 

Edited by Abra Dubravka

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