BIRD Bruce must find way to exorcise Benitez’s ghost

THE shadow of Rafa Benitez is haunting Steve Bruce.

After two defeats, both with elements of tactical confusion and disjointed play, Newcastle are lacking precision and organisation.

Those were the very qualities that saw

Benitez squeeze 20 per cent extra out of an ordinary squad.

Going from the obsessional detail and the manic plotting of Benitez to cuddly uncle, arm-round-the-shoulder man-managing of old-school Bruce is a lurch in styles.

It’s one Bruce has to counter by proving again that he’s a boss for the hi-tech modern era.

When Benitez’s team lost, fans were forgiving – perhaps because they trusted he’d maximised the percentages.

To say Bruce can’t do that is an insult to his 20 years in management and his own personal achievements.

But he has to launch a fightback, starting at Spurs today, and has admitted that “I need a performance”.

Bruce is playing too many players slightly out of their best position. He doesn’t trust his centrebacks to play in a two because of their lack of pace, but doesn’t have the wing-backs to play five at the back.

Miguel Almiron shows

Steve Bruce

Rafa Benitez

no end product and has to play closer to Joelinton or as a winger. Bruce knows this.

But he won’t get the patience that Benitez did when he failed to conjure a win in the first 10 games of last season.

He’s been stung by the vitriol against his appointment. Survival and a cup run are the modest aims this season, and it will a decent achievement if he can calm an incendiary situation on Tyneside.

Some fearful United watchers look back four years to when Steve Mcclaren took charge.

He was also unpopular and was handed £70million of new players scouted before he arrived.

They went down – and already Newcastle are in a fight for their top-flight existence.