AULD LANG TYNE
Battered by Covid and shattered by cup defeat, Bruce outlines his New Year’s resolution: My remit is to keep Newcastle in the Premier League. That won’t be enough for some fans but it’s where we are
IT is safe to say Steve Bruce has not found too many items from his wish list under his tree this Christmas.
Knocked sideways by positive Covid tests, knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Championship opposition last Tuesday and then knocked senseless by Manchester City.
And it is not going to get much easier, with Liverpool next up at St James’ Park on Wednesday.
But the Newcastle boss is nothing if not resilient and, after an hour and half f of being soaked by y relentless rain, he maintained there were still positives to take from a sobering week.
Toon fans who believe merely staying in the top flight is not a high enough ambition may disagree but as Bruce said, “It’s where we are”.
He added: “It’s as pretty straightforward as that. My remit is to make sure we remain a Premier League outfit. And that’s what I will try to achieve.
“That’s where we have been for the last three or four years.
“Of course, for Newcastle, in a lot of people’s eyes, y , that isn’t going to be enough but that’s where we are at the moment. We have to accept it and keep, as I have said many times, trying to move it forward.”
Losing here was not the biggest disappointment – it was a 12th consecutive defeat in this fixture – but coming on the back of the Carabao Cup quarter- final exit against Brentford it felt like it.
Set up defensively with a back three, Bruce’s wing-backs were never allowed up the field to join the attacks, lending a miserably negative look to their approach. Two goals, from Ilkay Gundogan – the best player on show – and Ferran Torres (below) either side of the break were enough to see City home.
Guardiola appears hell-bent on establishing his side as a defensive force this season with a view to finally landing the Champions League and, once again, his best players were defenders.
With John Stones and Ruben Dias anchoring a fluid back line, it was a 13th clean sheet of their season in all competitions, with Newcastle limited to two shots on target.
Bruce ( with Guardiola, below) has come in for a great deal of stick from a Toon Army desp e r a t e fo r tangible success but his players are still running for him
He said: “There has been a lot of criticism, the way we limped out of the cup. But one thing you need is a response.
“It was always going to be difficult coming here but I couldn’t have asked for any more in terms of commitment and attitude shown.
“Has the criticism been over the top? I will let other people judge that. We had a bad week and some of the mass hysteria was unjust and unfair.”
City were missing two players – Kyle Walker and Gabriel Jesus – following positive Covid tests but Newcastle have been and continue to be hammered by the virus.
The club’s training ground was closed last month after an outbreak of coronavirus and more than 10 individuals at the club tested positive, including the stillsidelined Jamaal Lascelles and Allan Saint-Maximin.
“We have had huge problems in terms of sickness and illness. We are still witnessing the after-effects,” said Bruce. “It doesn’t just come and go over you. It has been a big factor over the last couple of weeks.”