NEWCASTLE
Bruce: We can’t carry on in the same theme
DUBRAVKA ..................................... 8 Fernandez ...................................... 6 Schar .............................................. 6 Lascelles ........................................ 5 Lazaro ............................ 6 S.longstaff ....................... 5 Bentaleb ........................... 5 Rose ............................................... 5 Almiron ............................. 5 Joelinton .......................... 5 Saint-maximin ................................ 6 SUBS
Ritchie (Rose 71) .............. 6 Gayle (Almiron 71) .......................... 6
STEVE BRUCE was not a happy bunny. The brow was furrowed, the mutterings dark.
For Newcastle’s players, that could be an ominous sign.
This limp, shot-shy capitulation to a Crystal Palace side hardly in the best of shape themselves, was not a good sign. And Bruce knew it.
A decent first half of the season for the Toon manager has slipped back into a run of just one win in the last nine in the Premier League.
Newcastle are still 14th in the table and seven points above the relegation zone. Bruce grumbled after this debacle, when Palace keeper Vicente Guaita was only troubled by two long shots: “Maybe we have to change things.”
Asked what exactly he could change, the former Sunderland manager said: “A change of formation, a change of personnel.
“Our Achilles heel all season has been that we haven’t scored enough.
“We had the lion’s share of possession, but too often when we get in the last third, we miss the pass or overhit the thing or take the wrong option. We don’t do the basics well enough to give ourselves an opportunity.
“Strikers need service. We don’t cross the ball enough. You can’t just say that we needed to sign a striker in the transfer window because a lot of clubs were in the same situation.
“There wasn’t anybody out
CRYSTAL PALACE stars want their veteran manager Roy Hodgson to get his new deal signed sharpish.
A new one-year contract, worth around £4million, has been on the table for months. But negotiations have been tortuous, with Hodgson wanting assurances about new there who would have made us any better, so what was the point? We have to score a goal.
“We’ve gone three games now. In the last game and a half we haven’t looked a threat.
“There are options that we will look at. Our big signing Joelinton gets the ball all over the pitch. Maybe we’ve got to change the balance.”
That’s Joelinton – one goal all season since his £40million capture from Hoffenheim.
Had it not been for the excellence of goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, this would have summer signings. The 72-year-old (right) is expected to put pen to paper this week, and after this first win of 2020, that will come as a relief to his players.
Centre-back Scott Dann said: “You wouldn’t think the boss is that old. On the training been an even worse result for Bruce’s men. First he superbly tipped over Gary Cahill’s header, and then pulled off an even better save to keep out Scott Dann’s effort.
Joelinton had a 30-yard shot saved by Guaita, but Palace were creating all the problems – and somehow Christian Benteke headed wide. When Newcastle gave away yet another free-kick on the edge of their area, and Patrick van Aanholt curled it beautifully past Dubravka (left).
The worrying thing was that there was never any real sense that Newcastle were going to rescue this game.
And in stoppage time, Valentino Lazaro was sent off for pulling down Wilfried Zaha when the Palace striker was going through. It summed up a wretched day. pitch, he is still full of energy. I am sure he still wants to carry on managing. I am sure they will get that sorted.” Fellow defender Gary Cahill said: “For us as players it will be nice to know who is going to be here next year. Hopefully it comes to a nice conclusion.”
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