Steve Bruce Appointed Head Coach of Newcastle United….Ashley Strikes Again!

It’s been a while since I last wrote a blog and this has been mainly due to what’s been happening at my club. I’ve written five blogs to date and only one has been mainly focused on Newcastle United. I try to be fair and not be biased, but I had to write about this.

All football fans will know what’s been happening in the northeast over the last 8 weeks. Rafa has left and now managing Dalian Yifang in the Chinese Super League, the takeover that was reported a few weeks back seems to be no longer there (always knew it was nonsense), Ayoze Perez our top goal scorer from last season has been sold to Leicester City and now to top it off local lad Steve Bruce has been appointed as Newcastle’s Head Coach after resigning from Sheffield Wednesday. Quite a lot to digest and it really is true that there is more controversy in Newcastle than there is in Hollywood.

It seem Mike Ashley has done it again and although shocked at his behaviour I’m not too sure why looking at his history. The summers are the hardest at Newcastle as more than likely there will be bad news. Whether that we’ve sold our most valuable players, St James’ Park gets re-named or arguably the greatest manager we’ve ever had tactically gets pushed out. Boycotts will happen and I fear it could be another long season for us toon fans.

I don’t believe a lot of the Geordie faithful have anything against Steve Bruce despite him managing Sunderland, I believe it’s what he symbolises. Rafa was a symbol of hope, a manager who has won titles in every country he’s been in. Since Sir Bobby Robson we haven’t had a manager of that status and class. I’m also not convinced by his title “Head Coach”, a role and model Steve McClaren adopted…..how well that worked out!

Steve is gonna find it very difficult to win the fans over and unless he gets a few wins under his belt during the first quarter of the season, it’s going to be a very toxic atmosphere from all stands.

England’s Missing Link….

Now with the Nations League concluded and England taking the Bronze Award, it’s time for Gareth to now reflect on the team’s performance and prepare for the year ahead before the Euro 2020 Championships.

It’s important to look at the positives throughout this competition. Number one being that we won the Bronze by winning on penalties! Incredible that it’s two out of two for England under Southgate when reaching a shootout. All jokes aside there were performances that Gareth can take real encouragement from, most notably the 3-2 win over Spain in Seville. It was a fantastic night with England leading 3-0 before the break and Sterling putting in a fine shift sealing the result with two goals.

Although this England side continues to develop and excite the nation, it’s important now to to find that next step and win a competition. The debate being had at the moment is England’s missing link, which has been identified as a creative midfielder / the quarterback role.

The way England now play, it’s important to have that spine in the midfield that all great sides have. Although there were defensive mistakes from our back line against the Netherlands on Thursday, the worrying issue was the trio in the midfield who looked shaky when the ball was being played into them. We’ve got great balance within the squad, the pace of Sterling, Rashford and Sancho, along with the presence and strength of Ali, Barkley and Rice. We just now need that middle man who can take the ball on the turn and see a pass.

With Aston Villa now back in the Premier League I feel Jack Grealish needs a chance to show what he can do on the international stage. I also believe Jonjo Shelvey could be the link between defence and attack. If both could get the opportunity to prove to Gareth that they have the temperament and ability to handle the three lions shirt, then maybe we have the missing link……

Vincent Kompany – One of the best the game has seen

Vincent Kompany has decided to hang up his boots with Manchester City after an incredible career with the Sky Blues. The Belgian leaves English football as a true premier league legend having won 4 Premier League’s, 2 FA Cups’s and 4 League Cup’s. He announced this morning that he will be leaving City to join former club Anderlecht where he started his career, to become their Player / Manager.

Having watched many centre back’s across the major competitions, I was convinced I had not seen better than John Terry and Nemanja Vidic and was not sure I ever would, but Vincent has definitely made me think differently. Kompany was signed by Mark Hughes initially as a central midfielder and really only established himself as a centre back under Roberto Mancini when he took over from Hughes. Although maybe not the quickest, his ability to read the game is second to none and there is no questioning his leadership qualities as has played under three managers as captain and not one of them considered taking it away from him.

Kompany was part of the spine that had led city to those domestic titles. First name on the team sheet, he would rarely have a rough game and it was rare to see a centre forward get the better of him. He only scored 18 goals for city during his 11 year spell but my god were some of those important. Most notably his last goal for City, a thunderous strike into the top corner against Leicester to put his hide top of the league with one game remaining of the season. The script was most certainly written for Captain Marvel.

There is no doubt Vincent will be remembered as one of the games best for not only his footballing ability but his ability to lead teams. A true leader and a fantastic ambassador for the blue half of Manchester.

Rafa to stay? The most important Summer Ashley has upon him since his time in the North East

After an emphatic win yesterday in London, Newcastle fans made the journey south for one reason only and that was to plead for Rafa Benitez to stay as the club’s manager.

The 4-0 win against Fulham was just a bonus for those 6,500 fans who made the journey. Rafa has not disclosed anything to suggest that he will stay or leave his position. What he hasn’t failed to emphasise though is the significant amount of funds required to break into that top seven bracket.

Wolves being a prime example of potential, they invested a sum of 101 million pounds in the summer and have been fantastic this season. There is no doubt that they have been clever in the market and recruited the right players. If Rafa has that backing there is no doubt he will have the Toon Army competing for a Europa League spot.

It’s no breaking news that Ashley’s record has been poor when it comes to backing his managers financially in the transfer market. The only time he spent “big” was in the January Transfer window in 2016, the year Newcastle got relegated for the second time since his reign at the top. Under McClaren Newcastle brought in both Jonjo Shelvey and Andros Townsend, two good players but both fighting a losing battle upon signing. People will argue that Ashley did in fact break Newcastle’s Transfer Record in January 2019, signing the young and talented Miguel Almiron from Atlanta United for a sum of 21 million. Although big money for anyone, in the football world now that’s peanuts.

Rafa loves the Toon and there is no doubt he’ll want to create a dynasty there. Unfortunately only one man can support that and that man has been the story book villain since he got rid of King Kev back in 2008.

VAR – Good for the game but risk of ruining the debate and emotional rollercoaster we all secretly love

VAR will be coming into the Premier league next season, which will undoubtedly help and assist the leagues officials. It seems all managers are chomping at the the bit to have this in place so the decisions are fair and no mistakes are made in crucial situations of the game.

Although this will allow the right decisions to be made, there is the fear that this will take the emotion out of the game. I remember David Wagner made a very good and valid point regarding VAR when he was manager at Huddersfield. “Everything I’ve seen and heard, this disturbs the spontaneity and atmosphere after you score. Now, after you score nobody really celebrates because everybody everybody waits for 10 seconds. This disturbs the emotion of the game”.

If the powers above do get this right then of course teams will benefit, in particular the bottom half sides as they can occasionally only rely on one moment. Whether that be a last minute penalty, an offside or heaven forbid another hand of god moment!

I fear the debate in the pubs and the mosh pit scenes could be lost when VAR comes in, however if they can make sure the decision is turned around quickly and correctly and not keep us on pause like they do in Rugby and Cricket, then I’m sure we’ll all appreciate the next step in this modern era.

Declan Rice to be the man to replace Fernandinho

Since the change of allegiance, Rice has hit the headlines again.

A talent that has been on the radar for a while, already the inevitable question has come up when a rising star hits the scene – “how much?”.

This kid is mustard, I say this due to the fixture I watched between West Ham Versus Newcastle earlier this month. It was the battle of the prospects, Declan Rice versus Sean Longstaff. Even the boys in the studio Redknapp and Nolan were discussing the intriguing battle between the two future stars.

Unfortunately it was Rice who came out on top (you’ll get to realise I’m a fan of the black & white). Not only did he score but it was his dominant performance in the middle of the park that drew the eye. His discipline and calmness on the ball reminded me of the great David Batty (post-millennials and fantasy football fans you may need to google him/YouTube him).

Unfortunately for West Ham fans it will only be a matter of a few seasons, if that before his move away from the London Stadium occurs. With his reputation enhancing and performance levels rising, he will be hot stock over the next few transfer windows.

One other topic that has been discussed this season has been who will replace the heart of that city midfield – Fernandinho? I believe Rice is the man and has the capability to walk into that midfield trio that contains Fernandinho, Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva.

It will be interesting to see what pans out as Fernandinho is 33 and no doubt one of the more valuable players in that elite City squad. He will need to be replaced sooner rather than later…….