Just as Mike Ashley was starting to win some Newcastle fans over with his takeover defiance, he goes and bets on the wrong horse.
It seemed for all the world that the defeat to Brighton would be the end for Steve Bruce. Fan anger was at an all-time high, while the local media were defiant in their message – it’s time to go.
However, Sunday morning brought shocking news. As the dust settled from the night before, another storm was brewing as reports emerged that Bruce was going absolutely nowhere.
According to Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie, Ashley intends to stick with Bruce and wants to repay the manager’s loyalty.
Loyalty? What loyalty?
Bruce has been Newcastle United manager since July 2019. From the moment he was appointed, he has had to show zero loyalty.
Doing the job you are contracted to do is not loyalty.
There is no loyalty in taking home your wages every week despite clearly underperforming.
There is nothing loyal about Bruce and his Newcastle tenure.
In fact, this is a bloke who has never displayed loyalty.
He managed Sunderland, despite Newcastle being his boyhood club.
He managed Aston Villa despite previously being the Birmingham City boss.
He’s even managed on both sides of the Steel City derby.
Looking at Steve Bruce right now, nothing about him screams ‘loyalty’. Words such as inept, useless, appalling and embarrassing are much more apt.
Yet Ashley wants to gamble with the club’s future yet again and stick by the man he appointed almost two years ago.
This is a crazy decision by the owner, who is currently embroiled in a legal battle with the Premier League over the club’s failed takeover.
In his latest statement, Ashley was defiant in his desire to give Newcastle fans the deal they deserve.
But for now, that’s just a soundbite. It’s all well and good blaming the Premier League for stopping the takeover last summer. But Ashley has remained owner throughout and the club remains his responsibility.
If he’s so concerned about giving the fans what they want, he never would have appointed Bruce in the first place.
And sticking by the manager now is just complete negligence.
Up and down the football league, you’d struggle to see someone keeping his job after just two wins in 20 games. But that is Bruce’s current record, despite claims ‘we’ve been doing well of late’.
Ashley should not keep Bruce to repay his loyalty. He should be repaying the loyalty of the fans of the club he was dragged through the mud ever since he arrived.
While Ashley claims he wants to give the Newcastle fans what they want, that’s only true when it involves putting £305million in his pocket.
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