OPINION
One thing that the Newcastle United supporters have made abundantly clear in recent days is that they don’t want Steve Bruce appointed as Rafael Benitez’s replacement.
However, it appears that that is moving closer and closer to becoming a reality. Indeed, the Daily Mirror reported on Thursday that the Magpies are poised to name the Sheffield Wednesday boss as their new manager on Friday.
One thing that will provide solace for the Toon Army, though, is that those in the game feel the exact same way that they do. Former England international Darren Bent, in particular, is not happy about the impending move.
“I’d hate to see him go to Newcastle. He’d get off to a bit of a rocky start, the fans would be on his back, then they start bringing in the Mackem connection and then all of a sudden it doesn’t last,” he told Football Insider. “If I was Steve Bruce I’d say ‘Thank you very much’ but stay at Sheffield Wednesday.”
The former Sunderland striker is surely speaking all Newcastle fans, here. The reaction from the Magpies faithful has been vociferous and hugely intense; they don’t want Bruce appointed, there’s no doubt about that.
The fact that seemingly few, if any, of the Newcastle supporters want Bruce appointed means that he’d get a very short leash from their point of view. It wouldn’t take long for them to start calling for his dismissal if things don’t start swimmingly.
Given the way the Newcastle squad is currently constructed, that would appear to be a distinct possibility. The calibre of players at St James’ Park simply isn’t good enough for an assault on the top half of the Premier League, particularly since the departures of attackers Ayoze Perez and Salomon Rondon this summer.
Overall, then, Bent would appear to have a solid grasp on the situation. Bruce’s Sunderland past, coupled with his modest list of managerial achievements compared to Benitez’s, means that he simply wouldn’t be welcome on Tyneside.
