What progress? Fans are sick of broken promises
MISSION TO ACHIEVE BRUCE’S TARGET NOT OFF TO GREAT START...
HONESTLY I ask you in all sincerity: where the heck are Newcastle United heading?
There used to be an offence punishable by law called breach of promise, something which football’s ultimate lothario George Best knew about only too well.
Nowadays Geordies are convinced such an offence has been committed within their football club.
Breach of promise? Well they have been repeatedly told Newcastle are a work in progress but are they really? Is there genuine progress? Any progress whatsoever? Or has a promise of making United better, even slowly, been proved to be hollow?
More and more fans believe that by and large the bulk of United’s players are not as bad as they are being made to look and point an accusing finger at the head coach.
Steve Bruce is caught in the eye of a storm which he would only fully realise if crowds were back inside SJP. He is lucky they aren’t.
His team tactically is looking disjointed and the will is weak.
With Jonjo Shelvey back in the engine room United played without drive and threat against a Fulham side locked in a titanic relegation battle. He may be capable of the occasional killer pass but he ambles about midfield allowing opposition to get back into shape and mark up while he considers his next move.
In the high-octane modern game epitomised by Leeds’ swarming high press Shelvey’s approach appears dated and vulnerable which is why he wasn’t played there of course. His style, once so admired, has perhaps seen its best days as has Andy Carroll’s up-and-at-’em blunderbuss of a centre-forward.
Shelvey will occasionally flare and burn bright against certain opposition but more often get swamped and overrun. A poor result against Fulham was not solely down to him of course, far far from it, but he did highlight all that can be lackadaisical about the Magpies.
Even Fulham’s goal was a given. It goes into the record books as an own goal by the unfortunate Matt Ritchie but Joelinton was more at fault.
A left-wing corner was swung deep by Ademola Lookman to the back post where Tosin Adarabioyo was lurking. He was Joelinton’s man but the Brazilian switched off and had no idea where he was. Unchallenged, a towering header deep into the bodies back at the other stick resulted in it striking a falling Ritchie and rebounding into the net.
It’s bad enough that Joelinton regularly fails to score without him helping to give way goals.
Fulham arrived third bottom of the Premier League’s telltale table yet played United into a spin firsthalf before the game was turned on its head by the award of a penalty and a red card.
Inevitably Callum Wilson netted the spot-kick to lock the game at 1-1 and with little more than an hour gone the invitation to go on and win with a swagger was there to see.
However a passive, timid, onepaced United never really looked capable of defeating a 10-man team still staring at relegation. Progress? Where are they heading?
To play Manchester City and Liverpool next in the league actually. A grim prospect!
Before that come Tuesday there is a chance to reach the semi-final of the League Cup, one match from Wembley, against a team from a division down. Or the prospect of more humiliation.
I ask again: where do we go from here this crucial Christmas time when United face three massive league matches and two cup ties?
Let us consider the two extremes facing the faithful. The Doom And Gloom Geordie, his pint glass halfempty, would say Ivan Toney will score the winner for Brentford and
Arsenal have too many good players to fail all the time. Out of the two domestic cups as usual.
As for the league he would argue Man City’s Kevin de Bruyne and Raheem Sterling can shoot down a defence so deep they sit on the bottom of the sea and Leicester are still there or thereabouts with great possibilities on any given day given mainly because Jamie Vardy is an absolute killer. Liverpool? Forget it.
Only an Ever Optimistic Geordie In Red-Tinted Glasses would dare declare Newcastle will beat Brentford because they are from the Championship and Arsenal because they have imploded which is cup progress assured. Man City aren’t
what they were – West Brom have just drawn there. And Leicester have just lost at home to Fulham and Everton.
The reality is that the way United approach matches they could lose them all, certainly, but how many are they actually capable of winning? This is NUFC, remember.
Bruce himself pre-match declared openly that United’s next two games would define their season. The prospect of reaching 20 points before Christmas and taking a giant step towards Wembley was a great incentive, he informed us. Well this wasn’t a good start. Failure to achieve the first target. Second one coming up rapidly.