COUNTER CULTURE

Steve turns on and Toons in to Rafa’s way

STEVE BRUCE has been forced to tear up his managerial blueprint in a bid to keep Newcastle in the Premier League.

The Magpies manager faces Manchester United at St James’ Park tomorrow still reeling from the 5-0 thrashing at Leicester which left his side second bottom.

That is where many fans believe Newcastle will stay unless there is a radical shake-up.

Bruce has spent the past week soul-searching and came to the reluctant conclusion that his own plans after succeeding Rafa Benitez must be shelved.

The Toon chief wanted to play a more attacking brand of football than his predecessor.

But he now accepts that with the resources at his disposal, Newcastle must stick with the counter-attacking strategy of the Benitez era.

Bruce said: “Certainly, we are equipped to stay up. “We haven’t been scintillating but have shown enough resilience against Spurs, Leicester (in the Carabao Cup) and Arsenal at home when we’ve made a fist of it.” Bruce does not share the pessimism of some who have decided after seven games that Newcastle are set for the drop for the third time in the Mike Ashley regime. And he will revert to the formation his players are accustomed to, accepting that familiarity is the way forward in the short to medium term.

He added: “Looking at the way the team is happiest, you’d say we’ll play five at the back, with two No.10s.

“And we’ll sit back and play on the counter, which is exactly what we did when we played Tottenham.

“We changed for that game because that is the way they had played for six months at the back end of last season when results were better.

“The two or three times I’ve tried to change us, including Brighton at home and Norwich, it didn’t work.

“I quickly worked out at Norwich that we didn’t have the players with the capability to play the way I’d envisaged. We get the stats for every game and they tell the story.”

Bruce admits he has been hurt by some of the flak but is determined to battle on.

The former Sunderland boss said: “Mud has been thrown my way since I walked through the door and that isn’t going to change.

“Nobody wants to play badly and be humiliated like we were.

“But you wouldn’t be human didn’t affect you in some way.

“I’ve been given this wonderful opportunity and whether you enjoy it largely depends on if you win or not. There’s something sickening if you enjoyed last Sunday and I don’t think I’m sick!” if it