Gary Lineker has taken to Twitter to hail Newcastle United manage Steve Bruce.
The Magpies left it late to see off Southampton with a 2-1 win on Sunday afternoon, helping the Toon Army to climb into the top half of the table for the first time this season.
And writing on his personal account after the match, Lineker wrote: “Another win for Newcastle United.
“Are we allowed to say that Steve Bruce is an excellent manager?”
OPINION
Let’s be clear here, this was not a vintage Newcastle United performance. For large parts of the game they looked second best, and they left it awfully late to snatch the win at the last moment. They had less possession, less shots, as per the BBC, and on another day, they might have had to settle for a point, or perhaps even less. In that respect, Bruce maybe doesn’t deserve too much praise, but the overarching point that Lineker is making here still stands. Bruce’s man-management has turned this Toon side into a solid unit that does not give up until the very last. Even under Rafa Benitez they didn’t look as United as they do right now, and that determination and belief has been the key to some of the positive results they have picked up in recent weeks. In that respect, he deserves a lot of credit, and for the first time in a long time, the Magpies will be looking up rather than over their shoulder.
