BUCK STOPS WITH BRUCE IF UNDERACHIEVING TOON LOSE SURVIVAL BATTLE
IF NEWCASTLE UNITED are relegated, it will not be down to injuries or Covid or supporter unrest. It won’t even be down to the players or owner Mike Ashley, although they are far from blame-free. No, the buck stops with Steve Bruce. He is the manager of a squad which has more than enough quality to reside in the comfort of midtable. To survive this season, as they should, is not a point of celebration or cause for Bruce to say he has ‘shut people up’. That they are in this predicament is because of the coaching staff’s failure to extract anywhere near the best from the players under their charge. Not that it feels like Bruce is ready to take responsibility, certainly not in the wake of this draw when he shifted the reason for the loss of two points to four members of his team. In the case of three, his opinion was justified. Jamal Lewis should have stopped the cross that led to Ruben Neves heading Wolves’ 73rd-minute equaliser, and Martin Dubravka should have saved the Portuguese’s effort. Striker Joelinton should have then scored to win the game at the other end of the pitch. But the nature of Bruce’s public criticism felt like a risky move among a dressing room where several are said to be unhappy. Then there was the reason offered as to why captain Jamaal Lascelles — scorer of Newcastle’s opener — screamed at team-mate Matt Ritchie following Wolves’ goal. Bruce said Ritchie, a substitute, had failed to pass on his tactical instruction for a change in formation. It meant Neves drifted into the area unopposed and Isaac Hayden — who would have tracked the Wolves man from midfield — was in a muddle at right back, soon to be outjumped by the scorer. Hayden should have done better, but the confusion was evident. Bruce says he will deliver his own information from the touchline in future. Why he has not been doing that already is unclear — it’s not as if he is competing to be heard with 52,000 voices at St James’ Park. Newcastle, though, had been excellent for the opening half-hour. They have good players. Yet they have won twice in 17 matches When Steve McClaren was sacked five years ago this week, his Newcastle side had won two in 13. The parallels are obvious — a talented squad in need of better direction. News on injuries to Miguel Almiron and Allan Saint-Maximin is awaited. If they join Callum Wilson on the absent list then it will be a major blow to Newcastle’s chances of survival. But that cannot be an excuse. Bruce is the architect of this mess and must now find a way of keeping them in the division.
NEWCASTLE (4-3-1-2): Dubravka 6; Krafth 6 (Ritchie 72min, 6), LASCELLES 7.5, Clark 6.5, Lewis 5.5; Willock 6, Shelvey 7, Hayden 6; Almiron 7 (Fraser 46, 7); Joelinton 6.5, Saint-Maximin 7 (Murphy 63, 6). Subs not used: Darlow, Dummett, Hendrick, S Longstaff, Gayle, Carroll. Scorer: Lascelles 52. Booked: Clark, Hayden. Manager: Steve Bruce 6. WOLVES (3-4-3): Patricio 6; Dendoncker 5.5, Coady 6.5, Saiss 6; Semedo 6 (Hoever 85), Neves 7, Moutinho 6, Jonny 6 (Ait-Nouri 90); Neto 6.5, Jose 5 (Silva 82), Traore 7. Subs not used: Ruddy, Kilman, Otasowie, Vitinha, Gibbs-White. Scorer: Neves 73. Manager: Nuno Espirito Santo 6. Referee: Mike Dean 6.