A passionate Toon fan went on BBC Radio 5 Live to endorse Eddie Howe as the man that should be made manager of Newcastle – and slaughtered Steve Bruce in the process.
The supporter, named Brian, was speaking to Robbie Savage and Chris Sutton after Sunday night’s game and was clearly frustrated at performance against Wolves – despite snatching a late point following Jacob Murphy’s equaliser.
Sutton and Savage were dismayed by the suggestion that Bruce has done a bad job, pointing to recent results and our current position in the Premier League.
The fan was having none of it, however, and insisted that “championship manager” Bruce has to go – believing Howe would be the perfect replacement.
Here is the exchange in full:
Robbie Savage: How would you rate Steve Bruce as a manager and the job he is doing?
Brian: Absolute rubbish both as performance and manager – we’ve got a Championship manager playing First Division Football
Chris Sutton: Do you give him any credit for the job he did last season?
Brian: Well he did a Championship job really, didn’t he? I don’t think he is a Premier League manager.
Robbie Savage: Let’s look at some of the facts, Newcastle are currently on the same points as Manchester City, one point ahead of Manchester United, same points as Spurs and one point behind Chelsea and Arsenal.
Now Rafa Benitez, last year NUFC lost 16 games under Bruce last year compared to 17 the year before. Rafa’s last season at the club, after six games they had two points while Brucey has eight points out of six games this season. They’re the facts, so why aren’t you happy with Steve Bruce?
Brian: There are so many results which are unbelievable, it’s not on form at all.
If you look at the way we play we are going to end up this season with 20 or 22 points just picking up the odd point away from home.
Chris Sutton: You’re going to end the season with 20 points, is that what you said?
Brian: Well we’re not going get many more the way we are going.
Chris Sutton: But you’re nearly half-way to 20 points now, aren’t you?
Brian: Yeah, very, very lucky. We beat West Ham and they were absolute rubbish, we beat them away from home and everyone said how good we were going to be.
Chris Sutton: Hang on, West Ham have been one of the surprise packages of this season, haven’t they?
Brian: But the first game this season, they played terribly.
Chris Sutton: So any game Newcastle win, that’s because the other side played rubbish?
Brian: I remember certain people saying West Ham were favourites for relegation the way they played that day.
Chris Sutton: I think that was West Ham supporters, but you want Steve Bruce out but who do you want in?
Brian: Realistically, Eddie Howe. I would take Eddie Howe.
While we have played poorly in several games this season, football is a results business and we have actually done alright when you strip everything down to the brutal, harsh facts.
Two wins, two draws and two losses after six games, while progressing to the quarter finals of the league cup, is hardly time to be demanding people’s heads to be placed on the chopping block.
Everyone can agree that our style of play needs to improve but as long as Bruce continues to get points on the board, it doesn’t seem right berate him about the job he’s doing just yet.
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