Steve Bruce anyone?

Exactly my thoughts too.

 

I'm hoping he has a break from management and returns to his bizarre fiction writing career. This is a good review of his 2nd effort. They all sound tremendous though.

https://thesetpieces.com/latest-posts/sweeper-steve-bruce-review/

 

It's worth pointing out that the clubs statement is 22 words long. The rest is just an interview with Steve himself.

 

Schopp must have done pretty well last season and before to be on our radar. If people are judging Schopp now, then the same has to be done with any possible replacement, should it happen. Fairs fair.

 

Any sympathy from me is based on:

1) He's in a strange new country (some would say none stranger)
2) He's having to follow last season's success
3) A few injuries
4) Not got his own team around him, for whatever reason.

But still ......... seems to have a dejected air around him and baffles us at times. Not easy to take to.

 

Schopp hasn't managed at such a high level before though. It may be that it is too much for him. Other unemployed managers that are being mentioned have at least some championship experience to build on.

 

Untill they want to sell season tickets or even stay in the championship

 

Can't belive people would want mick here his style of play is very direct and his teams are usually dirty and play anti football. Having said that there organised which is more than us.

 

Agree with much of that and sadly personality will be used to judge our coaches, especially if we're on a bad trot. I really don't mind him. As you say, he's come to a very strange country, away from his family (i'm assuming) and people he knows and thrown into the absolute mess he's inherited. Yes, he's being paid a fair few quid I'm sure, but he's in a position that isn't all of his making.

I really hope he comes good, but there can't be too many more straight defeats before the board lose patience.

 

Don't really fancy Thatcher as head coach

 

I find the whole ‘feel sorry for Steve Bruce’ agenda by people involved in football a bit strange.

He knew he was never going to be popular with the fans due to the Sunderland link but took the job anyway. It’s probably the equivalent of Mark Hughes going to Man Utd after managing City.

This idea that he’s done a good job as well. Really? Finished in worse positions than Rafa did with a similar defence & midfield but a better attack. I don’t think they should be pushing for Europe but they’ve clearly got a squad than Leeds, Southampton, Burnley, Brighton, Norwich, Brentford & you could argue either way over a few others like Villa, Palace & Wolves.

Plus he’s done the dirty on other clubs in the past. He might be a nice bloke but he knows the game, he’ll get his big pay off & doesn’t really have a right to moan much in my opinion.

 

Thatcher's Gold.

 

Didn’t he say before the season started that he wanted to play more open attacking football? There are parallels with our predicament here, and much to be said for sticking with what you know works.

 

When he got the Wednesday job I bought one his books off eBay for 50p and sent it to a Wednesday supporting mate. Some tosh about a murdered striker It was truly sh!te. Like an 8 year old would write.

 

My understanding was that Bruce was on a 3-year rolling contract, so he was looking at £8m compensation.

 

At least he hasn't met a sticky end.

 

It's not working though is it, clearly?

 

Telegraph interview below. Quite sad really, but I guess the £8m compo will ease the suffering.......

Steve Bruce has been sacked by Newcastle United and has revealed that he is now likely to retire due to the strain that has been placed on him during his two-year spell on Tyneside.

Bruce's departure - which was confirmed this morning - has been widely expected ever since the Saudi Arabian-led takeover at St James' Park, although he was in charge for last Sunday's match against Tottenham, his 1,000th as a manager. Graeme Jones will take charge of the team on an interim basis, starting with Saturday's trip to Crystal Palace.

Bruce's previous 999 games included spells at Sheffield United, Huddersfield, Wigan Athletic, Crystal Palace, Birmingham City, Sunderland, Hull City, Aston Villa and Sheffield Wednesday, in addition to his time at Newcastle, the club he supported as a boy and started managing in 2019.

His tenure has been overshadowed by hostility from supporters who were always opposed to his appointment, and criticised his style of football, but he leaves having accomplished his mission of keeping the club in the top flight.

'I don't want to put my wife through this again'
In an exclusive interview with The Telegraph, Bruce revealed that a desire not to expose his family to more strain is behind his reluctance to pursue another managerial post.

“I think this might be my last job,” said Bruce. “It’s not just about me; it’s taken its toll on my whole family because they are all Geordies and I can’t ignore that.

“They have been worried about me… especially my wife Jan. What an amazing woman she is, incredible, she’s just a fantastic woman, wife and mother and grandmother. She dealt with the death of my parents, hers have not been very well. And then she had me to worry about and what I’ve been going through the last couple of years.

“I can’t take her for granted, she has spent her whole life following me around from football club to football club and if I was to say to her tomorrow, I’ve been offered a job in China, or anywhere, she would say, 'Steve, is this right for you, do you want to do it?' And she’d back me again.

“I’m 60 years old and I don’t know if I want to put her through it again. We’ve got a good life so, yeah, this will probably be me done as a manager - until I get a phone call from a chairman somewhere asking if I can give them a hand. Never say never, I’ve learnt that.”

That last sentence is followed by a laugh and a wry smile - or possibly a grimace. At the moment, Bruce feels like he is done. He has, like many others before him, been chewed up and spat out by Newcastle United.

Bruce started his management career at Sheffield United (top left) and progressed through another 10 clubs including Newcastle (bottom right)
'People called me a tactically inept cabbage-head'
“I really have to thank all the people who have worked alongside me, because I can be demanding and I can be hard work - especially when I was younger," Bruce admits. "When we get beat, I get very low, but when you are managing in the Premier League with Birmingham, Wigan, Hull, Sunderland you do get better at dealing with it. You have to.

“By the time I got to Newcastle, I thought I could handle everything thrown at me but it has been very, very tough. To never really be wanted, to feel that people wanted me to fail, to read people constantly saying I would fail, that I was useless, a fat waste of space, a stupid, tactically inept cabbage-head or whatever. And it was from day one.

“When we were doing ok results wise, it was ‘yeah but the style of football is rubbish’ or I was just ‘lucky.’ It was ridiculous and persistent, even when the results were good.

“The best one was to be told we were a relegation team in all but points…this was all in the first season. We finished 13th. It [the criticism and abuse] got even worse in the second year. We finished 12th, 17 points clear of the bottom three.

“I tried to enjoy it and, you know, I did. I’ve always enjoyed the fight, proving people wrong, but that’s all it ever seemed to be. A fight, a battle. It does take its toll because even when you win a game, you don’t feel like you are winning over the supporters."

'My only job was to keep the club up'
“I wanted so badly to make it work," Bruce added. "I was so proud to be manager of Newcastle United, even in the dark times, I was determined to keep going and to keep this club in the Premier League.

“The takeover rumours were rumbling on in the background but they would not have bought the club if it had been relegated. Everyone knew that.

“The only task I was given was to keep the club up. There wasn’t the money to overhaul the squad. Covid drained the club of money, there was virtually nothing to spend this summer, but I wouldn’t walk away from it.

“People told me to quit and if it hadn’t been Newcastle… I refused to give up. I just felt who could come in who was going to be better equipped to keep them up again than me?

"I’m really happy for the fans, the city, everyone associated with this great club.

“This takeover had to happen for the club to improve. It had to happen for Newcastle to have a chance to be the club we all think it should be.

“I did my best, I will leave it to other people to judge whether I did ok or not. I wish the new owners, the players, and fans nothing but the best. I’m excited about the club’s future. That is the most important thing.”

'I'm very grateful for my career'
Bruce needs a holiday and has earned one. Whether we see him in a dug-out again, only time will tell, but he has found it hard to walk away before.

“Why have I kept coming back?” he added. “It’s me. It’s who I am. Football has been my life. It’s what I do. Why does anyone have a career? This has been mine and I’m very grateful for that.

“Someone reminded me the other day of the two headers I scored against Sheffield Wednesday that helped Manchester United win the first Premier League title in 1992.

“To still be involved 40 years later, well, I’ve been very lucky. I must have done ok, as a player and a manager. It’s been a lifetime really.”