Newcastle have been inconsistent under Steve Bruce but Charlie Nicholas has defended him as he is accomplishing his goal of keeping his team safe from relegation.
What did he say?
The Sky Sports pundit predicts that the Magpies will beat Crystal Palace 2-1 this weekend and although that will please fans, some supporters may not like hearing what else he has to say about the club.
Newcastle did well in recent weeks to pick up points against Manchester City and Sheffield United but an abysmal display against Burnley demonstrated that there is a lot of work to do, with zero shots on target achieved.
Despite that, Nicholas has faith in Bruce’s abilities, so much so that he thinks his team will return to winning ways despite missing Allan Saint-Maximin, while Miguel Almiron and Jonjo Shelvey are doubts, having missed the clash against the Clarets.
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Writing in his Premier League predictions for Sky Sports, Nicholas said:
“Newcastle are there to survive in the Premier League, and they are four or five wins from doing it already, which is a testament to the results they have earned this campaign.
“Steve Bruce has done a remarkable job, but it is about trying to hold a unit together, and I think he will do that again this weekend.”
The former Arsenal striker also touched upon Miguel Almiron, stating that the team needs his pace and movement due to the absence of their other skilful winger.
Not what fans want to hear
Some supporters were against Bruce since day one and there are still large portions of the fanbase who oppose him due to the idea that he is a “yes man” to Mike Ashley.
He, therefore, faces a difficult task to win them round and will need more than a few good results to achieve that, mainly because the style of football he has implemented is far from pleasant on the eye.
The claim he is doing a “remarkable job” will probably not be warmly greeted by fans, particularly as Nicholas also suggests that the club can expect little more than to survive year after year.
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It is exactly that lack of ambition which frustrates supporters so much and why many want Ashley and Bruce out of the club, as they both represent an ethos of a side treading above water.
Currently, the Magpies are taking one step forward and two steps back, with performances such as the one last weekend rightly unacceptable to fans, and with Crystal Palace operating in a similar style to Sean Dyche’s side they could pose problems for Bruce and Newcastle as well.
Elsewhere, with Newcastle reportedly interested in Everton’s Mason Holgate our team of Football FanCast writers gave their verdicts on whether he’d be a good addition.