It has been clear for a while that Newcastle United need a change in manager.
Whether it was the defeat to Sheffield United or the cup exit to Brentford, the club have had multiple opportunities to relieve Steve Bruce of his duties.
However, the defeat to Brighton felt like the end.
It was a performance similar to the last one that got a Newcastle boss the sack – Steve McClaren’s final hurrah as his side lost 3-1 to Bournemouth in March 2016.
He was sacked six days later and replaced by Rafa Benitez. While there won’t be a big name like Benitez coming in, it felt like Bruce couldn’t avoid the sack following defeat at the Amex.
Yet Sunday morning brought reports from all over the media stating that Mike Ashley will be sticking by Bruce.
Despite two wins in 20 games, Ashley is sticking with Bruce. Despite being battered by a relegation rival, Ashley is sticking with Bruce. Despite being embroiled in a takeover saga worth £305million, Ashley is sticking with Bruce.
Ashley is sticking with Bruce, despite having the perfect opportunity to call it a day.
No Newcastle game for two weeks
Newcastle head into the international break sitting in 17th place. With nine games left, only two points separate themselves and the relegation zone.
As I’ve already said, they’ve won just two games from their last 20.
That kind of form would get most managers sacked, as the club hurtles towards the bottom three.
And with a two-week break before our next Premier League outing, this felt like the perfect time for a change.
Even if it was just Graeme Jones taking charge, the new man would have plenty of time on the training ground to try and make a difference.
Instead, now we’ve got two weeks of all the players feeling sorry for themselves after another crushing defeat, while Bruce continues to call the shots.
If we lose our next game, then what happens? Sacking Bruce then would give the new boss an even harder task, with less time to prepare for the remaining games.
The sad thing is, Newcastle made this exact same mistake in 2016.
A 5-1 defeat to Chelsea in February should have been the end for McClaren.
But instead, he survived. He Remained in charge as the club prepared for two weeks without a game, heading out to Spain for a training camp.
Two games later and McClaren was gone. Benitez came in, but didn’t have enough time to stop the inevitable.
For a lot of people, Bruce should have gone a long time ago. But Saturday’s defeat felt like the moment of truth. Sack him any later and it’s going to be too late.
For a businessman, Ashley takes a lot of unnecessary risks. Standing by Bruce after the Brighton defeat feels like missing an open goal.
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