IN THE NICK OF TYNE
Bruce: I sacrificed full-backs to get sub Gayle service and the risk thankfully paid off
STEVE BRUCE has probably made more inspired decisions in his managerial career but it’s doubtful he has made braver ones.
Cruelly labelled tactically inept by his Toon critics, the pressure was on the Newcastle boss as his tiring side struggled to keep West Brom at bay after being handed a dream start when Miguel Almiron scored after just 19 seconds. When Darnell Furlong equalised, the Magpies looked physically and mentally shot.
So with the match slipping away, this was surely the time for entrenchment, abandoning ideas of a second successive win and settling for a point. Instead, a manager who has been lambasted for his passive football, threw caution to the wind, withdrawing his two full- backs and throwing on a striker, who hadn’t played since
July and a winger ordered to o slot into a back four, left with only one recognised defender. Bruce the gambler? You bet.
“You just hope it comes off playing two wide players as full-backs,” he said.
“It was a bit of a risk because they were probably in the ascendancy. After making changes at halftime, they caught us cold.
“I wanted to get Dwight Gayle on but we needed service for him so sacrificed the full-backs and played wide players there.
“And it worked. If it hadn’t I’m sure everyone would be champing at the bit to have a go. But I’m delighted for the players, especially the subs Jacob Murphy and Dwight, who has worked tirelessly to get fit.”
Though the Covid virus which had locked down the club the previous week did not prevent Bruce fielding an experienced side, three of those who w started had been laid low l with Isaac Hayden revealing r beforehand, he had h spent 10 days in bed. he h starred as a makeshift centre- c half, though the Toon T chief admitted sub st si tut ions were dependent don his recovering r players being able a to last the pace.
“I couldn’t make any change until I looked at the welfare of the three lads who’d had the illness,” he added. “It could all have backfired but thankfully, it didn’t.”
And that was directly down to his subs with Murphy flinging in a Beckham-esque cross for Gayle to bullet a header in off the underside of the bar.
The Baggies refused to wilt but a lack of quality in the final third continues to make life difficult for them.
Newcastle cannot shake off the habit of sitting back whenever they sniff even a hint of danger.
But for a side who had only had two full training sessions before the fixture, this provided more evidence that spirit and commitment to the cause can, at times , compensate for deficiencies.
And while Bruce will never win over all his critics, he proved a master at minimising a drama out of a crisis.