Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson believes Steve Bruce doesn’t even know his best team at Newcastle United – despite being in the job 18 months now.
The former Arsenal winger also ripped into our players for their shambolic performance in midweek against Brentford, claiming many barely looked interested
At Man City, Bruce made several changes to the side that got dumped out of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, with the likes of Callum Wilson, Sean Longstaff, Jonjo Shelvey and Ryan Fraser failing to feature.
Here’s what Merson had to say about it all prior to the 2-0 defeat at The Etihad:
“All you have got to do is win a trophy and you will be a hero forever.
“If you have Brentford in the quarter-final in the Cup, the players have to look at that and ask themselves how many times they are going to have the chance to win a trophy or a medal.
“That has just passed them by and I hope they realised that on the plane home.
“It didn’t look like they were interested.
“It was a typical ‘we have to stay in the Premier League’ performance and it is sad.
“I don’t think Steve knows his best team.
“I think he will just try and get fresh legs on the pitch over the next three in every game they play.
“Even if they win a game, I think they will change it. They could easily lose these games with the big teams playing in third gear.”
Back-to-back defeats without scoring a goal and a cup exit to lower league opposition hardly stand us in good stead ahead of a game with Premier League champions Liverpool.
Merson was right in the end – we easily lost to Man City while they hardly played in third gear and our performance demonstrated damage limitation rather than any real attempt to compete.
We could find ourselves in a spot of bother at the end of the festive season with the players that are ruled out and the inevitable bad results that are coming our way.
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I got as far as the first line and went no further, because it is my considered opinion that either you , or Merson, are an idiot, and to be honest, I’m not really too bothered about whittling it down further.
“Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson believes Steve Bruce doesn’t even know his best team at Newcastle United – despite being in the job 18 months now.”
You consider the bit about Bruce being in the job 18 months now as relevant, an attempted insult to Bruce, but it just shows how biased and ignorant you are.
Yes – Bruce has been in the job 18 months, but 2 of his best players have only been at the club 3 or 4 months. In addition many of the players who were already on board have been either sick or injured, then there were internationals, meaning players did not train as a group, then a number of the players have not trained properly due to COVID, then of course, some of the players have actually had the virus.
Bruce does not know his best team. Simply because they have not been together long enough to try out all the combinations.
As for Mersons comment that ““All you have got to do is win a trophy and you will be a hero forever.” Is that it? Just win a trophy?
Well Keegan couldn’t do it. Sir Bobby couldn’t manage it. Rafa didn’t do it.
So let’s have a go at Bruce, like he’s some kind of anomaly.
Yeah – just win a trophy! Lets slag off Bruce for not doing after only 18 months what the previous 35 managers over 51 years haven’t managed.
It’s only 18 months since many fans insisted that Bruce was incapable of keeping us in the Prem, now he’s getting slated for not winning a cup??
The problem with pundits like Merson, and writers like Charlie Bennett is that they are so intent on making the big bang impression here and now with the Bruce Haters that they either don’t think their comments through, or they do and just don’t care.
I’m a fan. I didn’t expect to beat Citeh with their 1.3 BILLION pound squad, and I don’t expect us beat Liverpool with their 1.83 BILLION quids worth of players, but I do expect Bruce to manage players’ fitness and give the likes of young Matty some game time.
I don’t expect to finish top 10. But living in Malaysia I’ll continue to get up at 4 in the morning to watch matches and support my team.
Maybe that kind of support is too much for some of you disillusioned fair weather fans to understand, but hey, that’s the kind of fan I am.
BykerBill(Quote)
Thanks BykerBill, your cheque is in the mail. Sincerely, Steve Bruce.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Bill – for someone who didn’t read passed the first line you had an awful lot to say!! ?
I don’t know what you said like coz I didn’t read passed the first line which said you didn’t read passed the first line ??♂️
Sharpy17(Quote)
byker bill i did,nt read after your first line
john nee(Quote)