Bruce exceeding expectations

Steve Bruce’s appointment as Newcastle manager was greeted with derision by the majority of the Magpies faithful but were they too quick to judge? It was always going to be tough for the next man into the St James’ Park hotseat after Rafael Benítez’s exit. The Spaniard was hailed as the saviour of the club, taking them straight back into the Premier League after relegation in 2016 and keeping the club in the top flight on a shoestring budget.
All on Tyneside wanted the former Liverpool and Real Madrid coach to say but instead, they got a 58-year-old man who could credit Hull City and Sheffield Wednesday as two of his last three managerial jobs.
The reaction against the appointment was fierce, with controversial and unpopular owner Mike Ashley once again the target of the fans’ ire.
Bruce would certainly fall into the category of a ‘journeyman’ manager, working at 10 different clubs but never really staying that long at any of them, save for a six-year spell in charge of Birmingham City.
The former Manchester United defender hoped that his ties to the area would win him a few months grace with the supporters but football is all about results and he knew he had to deliver.
While it has not been vintage fare for the spectators, the north-east outfit have managed to garner 15 points from their first 12 games to sit 13^th in the table.
An improvement in results may have led sections of the home support to experience delusions of grandeur but finishing outside the relegation zone will doubtless be considered acceptable by the club’s hierarchy.
Seven points from nine heading into the final international break of the year has been a boost and, a clash against champions Manchester City on November 30 aside, they have a decent run of ‘winnable’ fixtures on the horizon.
Bruce’s coaching methods and tactics have been questioned throughout his managerial career, with a few disgruntled players he has worked with suggesting that any success his clubs may have had is more despite of him rather than because of him.
That is open to debate but he is getting the job done at present and needs to be afforded some credit for the way he has conducted himself at one of the toughest clubs to manage in English football.
Time will tell if he is a success but the man from Corbridge needs the backing of the fans more than ever as they try to haul themselves into the top half of the table.