Contradictory comments on Bruce & Mike Ashley arrive from David Moyes ahead of Newcastle vs West Ham

I think David Moyes should probably stick to football management because he seems to be quite successful at it currently, but I’d say punditry is definitely not in his wheelhouse. Although, saying that, with the quality of punditry we have to put up with on a weekly basis, maybe Moyes’s recent quotes would fit him in perfectly with the current punditry plonkers.

Asked about Newcastle and Steve Bruce before West Ham’s game with us, Moyes said this:

“There is not much between the teams and a lot of results have not gone as maybe people thought. Newcastle is a tough game and always has been.

“I think Steve has done a good job and done what he has been asked.

“I think he has had good support from his owner in difficult times and looks like he will keep Newcastle in the Premier League so maybe the owner has done the right thing.

“I think Newcastle have got a good squad. It will be a tough game for us.

“The one thing you have to do to show you have a good team is to show consistency and we have shown that but Newcastle have good players and have a good squad.”

So, to make this abundantly clear, David Moyes thinks that there isn’t much difference in quality between 4th placed West Ham and 17th placed Newcastle but believes that Steve Bruce has done a good job… Do people listen to themselves anymore?

I agree with him on the first point. I generally think that West Ham’s squad is fairly even in comparison to our squad. Yes, there’d be a few players that you’d swap in and out but, on the whole, the accepted quality of them isn’t do different to us.

However, Moyes needs to consider exactly what he is saying here. If Newcastle are so similar to The Hammers then why are sitting in 17th place?

I think it’s fair enough to say that West Ham have exceeded expectations but, like us, they were always aiming to be in the Top 10 at least with the squad at their disposal. They have succeeded in their remit with bells on whilst we have failed dramatically to even threaten the Top 10.

The comments on how it looks like Bruce “will keep Newcastle in the Premier League” are also premature and dangerous. There are still matches to play and we are still fully capable of losing all of them with our awful manager.

I get that the point of Moyes saying this is to try and keep his team’s feet on the ground but these comments are emblematic of everything wrong with how Newcastle is viewed from some of the outside world.

To say that Steve Bruce has “done a good job” when his record has been atrocious and we’re sitting 17th whilst the likes of West Ham lavish in the Top Four, and to say that Mike Ashley has done the right thing in backing an awful manager is insulting and wrong.

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