According to Sam Allardyce, Newcastle fans can’t blame Steve Bruce for our awful start to the season because ‘he’s got more points than Rafa got last year’.
It doesn’t surprise me that he’s ran with this narrative, but it’s unbelievably shortsighted and infuriating to hear – even if it is Mike Ashley’s latest set of awful decisions that have ultimately got us in this mess.
We capitulated yesterday and the players weren’t good enough, but that wouldn’t have happened under Rafa Benitez. The organisation and tactics within the side wouldn’t have allowed it.
Under Rafa we had a plan. We had desire. We had hope that things would improve – and they did!
Under Rafa we also had a world class manager who’d proven how good he is not only throughout his illustrious career but during his time at Newcastle, with him getting us promoted (as champions) at the first attempt and guiding a VERY ordinary side to a top 10 finish the year later.
What has Bruce proven? I’ve always said I’d judge him on his results and try not the let his track record get in the way, but he has THE worst win % of anyone to have managed over 300 games in the Premier League.
Under Rafa we weren’t a sinking ship. There was always hope.
If Mike Ashley wants to believe the narrative Big Sam has spouted on talkSPORT this morning than he’s an even bigger fool than I thought as this team is sleepwalking towards relegation.
Rafa wasn’t getting the results this time last year, but there was always a plan, always a dressing room on side, always an identity to how we were trying to play and always hope that we’d come good.
There can be no comparisons between his side and what we are currently seeing under Steve Bruce.
