After breaking his big exclusive on Steve Bruce’s ‘bust-up’ with Matt Ritchie, The Mail’s Craig Hope has been involved in a heated debate with talkSPORT’s Simon Jordan.
The former Crystal Palace owner claimed to give “balance” to the Steve Bruce debate by insisting that many players at his disposal aren’t good enough and that injuries could stifle us on Sunday – not a training ground tiff.
However, Toon reporter Craig Hope was quick to point out that there’s plenty capable players at the club – and shut down suggestions that a big part of our struggles are down to our lack of ‘luck’ with injuries, insisting that Bruce never got it right when the likes of Wilson or Almiron were fit and available.
Here’s what they both had to say in a lively debate on Thursday morning:
Jordan’s views are sometimes an intriguing listen…until he starts talking about Newcastle United!
Any defence of Steve Bruce is pretty much redundant at the moment, with even the most loyal sympathisers now scratching around wondering what the next excuse for our current form will be.
It is a valid point that we have some poor players in certain areas. We lack depth or quality at full back and we have our limitations in midfield, but the attacking options at our disposal, solid group of centre halves and strong goalkeeping department mean that any manager who has this current crop sitting 17th in the league is vastly underperforming. This is a manager who has had over £100m spent on the team over the past 18 months, not to mention the fact his top targets were signed last summer.
Sorry Simon, but I am going to agree with Craig here – and it isn’t even close. This squad should be pushing towards the top 10, not fearing they’ll be third bottom if Fulham win!
It is scary that anybody in the media, yet alone someone of Jordan’s straight-talking nature, could possibly refuse to call a spade a spade and accept that Bruce needs to be peddled.
Hats off to Hope for taking on Jordan and saying it how it is on national radio.
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probably one of the most inept managers we have ever had and that is saying something, lost the players ages ago, Ashley 3m compensation for sacking him, 100m + loss in revenue if relegated, please roll the dice again,
In the premier league he’s always fallen short of what’s required,
The bottom 6 in the premier league all with English managers.
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Do you honestly believe we have a good front line?
And do you also believe that Bruce is responsible for ASM, Miggy and Joelinton’s lack of prowess in front of goal? Are you seriously trying to suggest that the fact that those three couldn’t find the net if they fell off a trawler is Bruce’s fault?
This is some of the most unhinged, illogical **** I’ve read in months.
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