Less of this doom and gloom! Bruce may not be Benitez but he is exceeding expectations

PEOPlE from the North East live and breathe football. Walk around Newcastle city centre on any given day, and you’ll see black and white stripes aplenty. Sunderland, and you’ll see red and white.

There was a chance I could have joined Newcastle back in 1994 when I went to Blackburn. I won the Premier league in my first season at Ewood Park, so can have no regrets, but I know what football means to fans up there.

So I get it when they speak so passionately about their club. They are desperate to see their teams succeed. But this weekend I heard some unnecessary and bizarre criticism from followers of Newcastle.

On Saturday night, one fan called into BBC Radio 5 live’s 606 and tried to have a pop at Mike Ashley for selling £1 tickets to Under 12s.

Apparently, the naff performance against Oxford meant those kids who were at St James’ Park for the first time wouldn’t want to go again. Ashley has made a lot of mistakes as owner of that club, and not delivered on certain promises, but we cannot kick him for that initiative. The FA Cup needs more of that.

But then there were the usual callers having a go at Steve Bruce. A 0-0 draw against a league One club — and a replay that disrupts their winter break — is not what he wanted.

But even if the performance was below par, I applaud him for playing a strong team. They remain in with a shot of reaching the fifth round for the first time since 2006 and are 14th in the Premier league, with 30 points from 24 games.

So it is not all doom and gloom. At the same stage last season, Rafa Benitez rang the changes and Newcastle were dumped out 2-0 in the fourth round by Watford at home. They were also 14th but only had 24 points by comparison.

Bruce may not be Benitez but he has exceeded the expectations of the majority of supporters. He is doing a steady job and does not deserve to have negativity levelled at him on a weekly basis.

They may have to do it via a replay, but I reckon we will see Newcastle in the fifth round proper for the first time since Alan Shearer was playing.

This weekend saw reports circulate about Ashley selling up to the tune of £340m to an interested party from Saudi Arabia. Him leaving the club would undoubtedly lift the mood, though Newcastle’s fans will be cautious after having their takeover hopes dashed in the past.

In the meantime, Bruce will want his players to concentrate on what is a very big game against Norwich at St James’ Park this Saturday.

LAST season, Kelechi Iheanacho scored two goals in 35 games, and it looked like his time was up at Leicester. But Brendan Rodgers kept him in case Jamie Vardy got injured. Iheanacho is repaying that trust with seven goals in 12 games this season, scoring the winner at Brentford. He is beginning to look worth his £25million fee.

MILLWALL love to beat Premier League clubs in the FA Cup. They have beaten Everton, Bournemouth, Watford and Leicester in recent years. So I was staggered by their five changes on Saturday, with top scorers Tom Bradshaw and Jed Wallace benched. Millwall are eighth in the league, so why not go for it against Sheffield United?