Steve Bruce – CaughtOffside

Photo: Saudi takeover saved Newcastle players from having ice baths in dustbins

Jason Pettigrove — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 12:17:39 +0000

It’s clear that Mike Ashley was never flavour of the month when he was the owner of Newcastle United, and his eventual sale of the club to the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) opened up a whole new world of possibilities to the Magpies.

The first-team have flourished under Eddie Howe’s tutelage and thanks to the millions being poured into the business by the new owners.

In just two years, the club no longer resembles the mess it was in during Ashley’s time in charge.

Pictures have now been unearthed via NUFC TV which showed the extent to which the former chairman was trying to save money.

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Ice baths have long been an accepted part of the recovery process, but where most elite level teams would have cryotherapy chambers and the like, back in 2015/16 Newcastle were having to use paddling pools, wheelie bins and dustbins.

No wonder the Toon Army were glad to see the back of Ashley!

Pictures courtesy of NUFC TV via the Daily Star

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Video: Steve Bruce admits he attempted to sign Premier League record-breaker for Newcastle

Jason Pettigrove — Thu, 24 Aug 2023 12:34:38 +0000

This summer has seen the £100m ceiling for football transfers smashed to pieces after Brighton and Hove Albion sold Moises Caicedo to Chelsea for an astonishing £115m, though former Newcastle manager, Steve Bruce, admits he could’ve signed the player for a fraction of the price.

Whether Caicedo has justified such a price tag is a moot point at this stage, though it’s clear he is midfielder of the highest quality.

Had Bruce been able to bring him to St. James’ Park, it raises a question as to whether the Ecuadorian might well have been able to turn the club’s fortunes around.

“When I was at Newcastle we tried to sign Moises Caicedo for £4.5million and I remember thinking what a good player he was,” Bruce said on Sam Allardyce’s No Tippy Tappy Football podcast.

“The chief scout at Newcastle, Steve Nickson, came and told me that I had to see him play and that he was sensational.

“He ended up choosing Brighton instead of Newcastle and that will go down as one that we missed out on because now he’s gone on to become the British record transfer fee for £115million, but he is a top, top player.”

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Video: “We should have an ambition and aspiration to be number one” – Newcastle chairman clear on next steps

Jason Pettigrove — Fri, 23 Jun 2023 18:24:30 +0000

How times have changed at Newcastle United since the days of Mike Ashley and Steve Bruce.

When the Saudi Public Investment Fund took over the club from the former, the Magpies were in 19th position in the Premier League and prime candidates for relegation to the Championship.

Once Eddie Howe stepped in, it was like a weight had been lifted and Newcastle had morphed into the swashbuckling outfit that they used to be under Kevin Keegan.

Eighteen months on and things are going from strength to strength, and in an interview with club media, chairman, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, explained that he wanted the club to be number one.

Our chairman, His Excellency Yasir Al-Rumayyan, reflects on a momentous season for Newcastle United. pic.twitter.com/EptZDpbSih

— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) June 23, 2023

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Eddie Howe wasn’t over the moon with £40m Newcastle midfielder’s efforts

Jason Pettigrove — Fri, 16 Jun 2023 12:11:19 +0000

If there’s one thing that’s marked Newcastle United out in the last 18 months or so, it’s the improvements that have been made in all areas under Eddie Howe.

The manager’s positivity and evident love of teaching different tactical concepts within a training and match environment has got his players singing from his hymn sheet.

On another day and without the rotten luck that saw the Magpies having to play their third choice goalkeeper in the Carabao Cup final against Man United, Newcastle could’ve walked away with their first piece of silverware in decades.

Qualifying for the Champions League perhaps came ahead of schedule, but it’s a reward for the effort everyone has put in and the ambition of the manager to get the players believing in themselves.

Players that under former manager, Steve Bruce, looked a shadow of the players they are now.

One player in particular was even name checked at Howe’s interview for the job according to The Athletic (subscription required), and the manager-to-be clearly wasn’t happy with what he was seeing from afar.

Joelinton was actually playing as a striker at the time and was clearly struggling, and to Howe’s immense credit he identified a new role for the player once he’d been handed the manager’s role at St. James’ Park.

That the Brazilian is now one of the finest midfielders in the Premier League speaks volumes for Howe who is surely destined for further success in the north east.

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Photo: Blow for Eddie Howe as Newcastle ace spotted on crutches after Brighton game

Jason Pettigrove — Fri, 19 May 2023 17:53:41 +0000

So far, so good for Eddie Howe and his Newcastle United side in 2022/23.

Though the Magpies lost the Carabao Cup final to Man United, it was an achievement for Howe’s emerging side to get there, and if they’re able to beat Leicester City in their next Premier League fixture, Newcastle will have qualified for Champions League football in 2023/24.

That would’ve been unthinkable with Steve Bruce in charge of the first-team and Mike Ashley as owner, so it shows just how far the club have come in a short space of time.

One piece of bad news clouded the win over Brighton and Hove Albion, however, as Joe Willock was photographed leaving St. James’ Park on crutches.

Joe Willock leaves St James' Park on crutches after going off injured against Brighton tonight.

Joelinton also limping.

Eddie Howe says Willock is a doubt for Monday v Leicester. #NUFC #NEWBRI pic.twitter.com/22TOCIwriC

— Dominic Scurr (@DomScurr) May 18, 2023

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Newcastle United could make move for midfielder Steve Bruce sold in 2020

Jason Pettigrove — Thu, 04 May 2023 16:38:50 +0000

Mention the name Steve Bruce on Tyneside, and it’ll likely see much rolling of eyes from Newcastle United fans, so news that the club may be in line to bring back a player that he brought in on loan only to sell at the end of the 2020 season isn’t likely to get the Toon Army too excited.

With Eddie Howe and his backroom team, alongside the new owners the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), taking the Magpies to heights that Bruce and Mike Ashley could’ve only dreamed about, anything that brings back memories of the time under the previous ownership and management will surely be frowned upon by the St. James’ Park masses.

However, the fact remains that the club are going to need a much larger squad next season as they ready themselves for an expected Champions League campaign to run alongside their Premier League season.

One of Howe’s tasks, that’ll continue throughout the 2023/24 campaign, will be to pick the right players for certain opponents, and to do that he needs multiple options.

It’s perhaps with that in mind that Nabil Bentaleb is being considered.

According to Competition, the Magpies have have already made an offer for the player to return to the club, with current employers, SCO Angers, only asking for a €7m payment in return.

That amount is a drop in the ocean for the Premier League club, and given that, apparently, Bentaleb has shone brightly in France’s Ligue Un this season, despite the fact his side are bottom, it could prove to be a great piece of business.

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Newcastle set to announce huge new shirt sponsorship deal

Jason Pettigrove — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 18:18:06 +0000

The impact that front-of-shirt sponsorship has at a football club can’t be downplayed, and Newcastle United are set to unveil a new Middle Eastern sponsor at a huge cost benefit to the club.

Although Premier League clubs that have betting companies as their headline shirt sponsor have agreed to their removal by 2026, per Sky Sports, the Magpies decided to have their shirt sponsorship deal terminated two years early.

The Northern Echo noted back in October that the club were seeking more revenue, given that the deal with their current betting company sponsor was only worth in the region of £6.5m a season.

It’s expected to be announced next month that Newcastle will have a new sponsor in place who will be paying £25m a season for the privilege of having their logo on the front of the famous black and white shirts.

The Times (subscription required) note that it is with a Middle Eastern company but not one from Saudi Arabia where Newcastle’s owners, PIF (Saudi Public Investment Fund) are based.

It’s another step in the right direction for a club that was virtually on its knees under former owner, Mike Ashley.

The football played under Steve Bruce was as turgid as the off-field shenanigans, but things have turned around remarkably since the new owners have been in place and Eddie Howe has taken charge of things on the pitch.

A Champions League campaign beckons – just the right time for the new shirt sponsor to gain maximum exposure.

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The unwanted record that could see key Newcastle player make Premier League history

Jason Pettigrove — Wed, 29 Mar 2023 13:24:40 +0000

So far so good for Eddie Howe and his emerging Newcastle United side, with the Magpies still in contention for European football with just 12 Premier League games left to play.

It shows a remarkable progression for a side that were, under previous manager, Steve Bruce, favourites for relegation.

The final push begins now, and Howe will surely be hoping that his players have enough left in the tank to see them over the line.

It’s been three decades since the St. James’ Park faithful enjoyed some real European glory nights, and at present Howe has his current squad not far off emulating Kevin Keegan’s swashbucklers.

He’ll need to keep an eye on his tough-tackling midfielder, Joelinton, mind.

Of all the players in the Newcastle squad, the Brazilian is arguably the most improved, his marauding runs upfield and ability to arrive late into the box a feature of Howe’s way of playing.

Rampaging up and down the pitch tends to come at a personal cost, however.

As noted by the official Premier League website, Joelinton now has 10 yellow cards to his name, leading to a recent two-game ban.

According to StatBunker, that means he is just four away from equalling the most ever in a season, or five from setting an unprecedented record of 15 in a season.

Should that happen, and with a dozen games to go you wouldn’t bet against it, not only will Joelinton have created his own slice of Premier League history, but he’ll likely get a further ban, hampering his team’s chances in the process.

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Newcastle prepared to pay €75m euros to sign Juventus star

Jason Pettigrove — Mon, 06 Mar 2023 20:03:19 +0000

So far so good for Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United side in the 2022/23 season, but truly elite clubs never stand still in the transfer market, so if that’s the aim for the Magpies, it’s understandable whey they’re courting one of Italian football’s top names.

Despite losing the Carabao Cup final to Manchester United and having a dip in form over the past few weeks, there’s no doubt that Newcastle have improved under Howe.

Lest we forget that it wasn’t too long ago when the St. James’ Park faithful were having to put up with the unimaginative, long ball football of Steve Bruce.

His style of football belongs back in his playing days, because things have moved on apace since then and Howe is one of a new breed of young, hungry and talented managers that can play exciting as well as pragmatic football.

In order for Newcastle to really go places, however, Howe has to be allowed to significantly strengthen his squad.

To that end, TottoJuve cited by JuveFC note that the north east giants are willing to offer Serie A’s ‘Old Lady’ Juventus a whopping €75m at the end of the campaign for their striker, Dusan Vlahovic.

Big things were expected of the player when he signed from Fiorentina, however, this season hasn’t been his best in front of goal.

According to BBC Sport, he only has eight goals from 16 games, and whilst a one-in-two average is generally acceptable for a striker, a return like Victor Osimhen’s for Napoli (19 in 21 games) would be preferred.

In any event, should Vlahovic swap Serie A for the English top-flight, he’ll certainly keep Newcastle’s current strikers on their toes.

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“Why would you employ him?” – Pundit hammers Steve Bruce following West Brom sacking

Andrew Walker — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 12:55:38 +0000

Steve Bruce does not have the tactical know-how to manage top football clubs.

That is the view of former Aston Villa and Liverpool midfielder Stan Collymore, who believes any club considering offering the 61-year-old a job should reconsider.

Bruce has managed a whole host of clubs, both in the Premier League and Championship, including spells with the likes of Sunderland, Newcastle United and most recently West Brom.

Although the Englishman was only hired by the Baggies in February, he was relieved of his duties after just seven months in charge following a poor spell that saw the club sit rock-bottom of the Championship and average just 1.1 points per game (Transfermarkt).

Following what has been yet another embarrassing and hugely disappointing managerial spell, Bruce, now in his sixties, looks unlikely to return to management – or at least Collymore believes he should call it a day.

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