Newcastle United’s board are refusing to panic after the club’s 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Leicester City on Sunday afternoon, and will give Steve Bruce time to get things right on Tyneside, according to Lee Ryder.
The Magpies put on a dismal display against the Foxes, but it is understood that those in charge at St. James’ Park are willing to show patience with the 58-year-old.
Writing in a piece for the Chronicle, Ryder said: “Newcastle owner Mike Ashley is prepared to let Bruce get his feet under the table at United, and having paid compensation to bring him in from Sheff Wed, he would not be keen to cough up more compensation to pay him off and further money to replace him.”
OPINION
You have to ask yourself, what are Ashley’s motives for keeping faith in Bruce? Obviously, we are still very, very early in the season, and even the most frustrated of Newcastle fan would probably acknowledge that it’s too early to be calling for Bruce’s head just yet, but if Ashley is willing to give the 58-year-old all the time in the world to get things right, you have to wonder if his intention is to save the club from relegation or to save himself a pretty penny. Certainly, excepting the 1-0 win over Tottenham, there has been little to suggest that this United side, with Bruce at the helm, has what it takes to stave of relegation this term. Sunday afternoon’s capitulation against Leicester City was one of the worst performances the Magpies have put in in quite some time, and when you have captain Jamaal Lascelles coming out and claiming that he and his teammates were “terrible”, as reported by Sky Sports, it’s pretty clear as to how deep these issues run. Bruce deserves more time, of course, but that shouldn’t give him carte blanche to run this team into the ground.