OPINION
The summer in Newcastle is looking as gloomy as it ever has been this year.
Good news appears as something that is hard to come by in the North East, with the Magpies having had nothing to celebrate after the departure of Rafael Benitez at the end of June.
That was followed with severe backlash, something that was only added too when Mike Ashley decided to appoint Steve Bruce, a manager that was sacked in the Championship just last season at Aston Villa.
Fans had every right to be angry, with their club replacing a Champions League winner with a manager whose greatest achievement in the top-flight is an FA Cup semi-final.
Newcastle defender Federico Fernandez has revealed that he understands the fans’ frustration, something that is strange considering he will hoping to impress Bruce in the coming weeks.
In an interview with BBC Sport, Fernandez said: “Of course, fans maybe want a different manager or players. But we need to work hard to show we are ready for the Premier League.”
This admission is a strange one, to say the least, with the arrival of Bruce surely giving the Argentinian the chance to cement a first-team spot at St James’ Park next season.
You feel Fernandez was given the opportunity to go on record and defend the appointment of Bruce, but opted not to take it.
One thing that is clear is that Bruce is the wrong man for the job, with the 58-year-old having the second-worst win percentage in the history of the Premier League. The former Sunderland man knows what it takes to get promoted to the top flight, but not what it takes to stay there, having been relegated with both Birmingham and Hull City.
The 30-year-old will need to prove himself once again, after only appearing in half of the 38 Premier League games. Fernadez only averaged 0.8 tackles and o.6 clearances in the top-flight [WhoScored] something that will need to improve if he is to earn a starting spot.
The £43,000 per-week enforcer [Source: Spotrac] has only emulated what is in the air around St James’ Park, but it will have done him no favours in impressing the new boss.
