Speaking to the local press for the first time since signing a new deal at St James’ Park, Bruno Guimaraes has revealed how much he is enjoying life on Tyneside – but he’s “very disappointed” with the season we’ve had so far.
The Brazilian admits he has “never felt so loved at a club”, appreciating the support he receives from the fans, yet he’s determined to get us “back into Europe again” after we exited the Champions League and Europa League in a brutal December for the club.
He plays down any fitness fears after looking uncomfortable after Saturday’s 4-4 draw and reveals how frustrated he was to drop two points against Luton, feeling we were “not the same team” that beat Aston Villa 3-1 just a few days earlier.
Here’s what he told The Chronicle, starting with his reply when asked about his future after signing a new deal:
“I am enjoying it here a lot – I have never felt so loved at a club before. It is lovely how much the fans love me, I love them as well. But this season has been a mix of things for me. I want more wins and at least get the club back into Europe again.
“I am very disappointed with how the season has been, crazy really. We have two or three games and we are very good, then two or three when we are very poor. I am really tired and disappointed.
“But I know I have to keep going. It has been a different season for us, but we have had problems with injuries. Just crazy really.
Bruno on our 4-4 draw with Luton and inconsistency in the league:
“It gave me crazy feelings (the Luton game), I thought we’d do much better against Luton.
“There’s still a lot to achieve. I hope we can get on a run of five or six games now in the Premier League. At Aston Villa, we were the Newcastle of last season. But against Luton, we were not the same team. We were not there for 45 minutes, there were two or three goals we could avoid.
“We came back but we still have a lot of things to do this season. Normally when you score four goals in a game you win. When you score you have to win a game really. We scored four and had opportunities to score five or six.
“We are disappointed and it’s sad, let’s see what the future will bring for us, but we have to keep going. We have positives to take forward. We managed to get the game back to 4-4 with 20 minutes left on Saturday so that shows you.”
Bruno when asked why he limped off at full-time on Saturday:
“I got a kick in my calf. I feel good though, I am used to playing 60 games in a season. To be honest, I am tired but it is normal. I am happy.
“It is still one of my best seasons for the club personally from my point of view. Even if I have not been on target in terms of goals, I am doing well for the club.”
