This coming weekend could be a huge one for Newcastle United.
What’s the story?
According to The Chronicle, a loss for Steve Bruce’s side at home to Wolves coupled with a win for relegation rivals Fulham away at Crystal Palace would be a ‘genuine test’ of the hierarchy’s ‘loyalty’ to the manager.
Indeed, in that event, Newcastle would drop into the bottom three for the first time since October 2019 and make a third relegation under Mike Ashley’s ownership a realistic possibility.
How likely is it?
Well, although Newcastle’s performance have improved, this is still a side who have let a ten-point cushion between themselves and Scott Parker’s side totally disappear. Indeed, speaking on talkSPORT recently, pundit Jamie O’Hara suggested Bruce’s side were ‘dead on their feet’ after a poor run of form with Fulham looking to pull off what would be a great escape.
Considering the mood around both clubs at the moment, it’s hard to argue with that.
The Verdict
Another potentially big weekend. Not exactly the decisive kind of thinking required to pull Newcastle out of their slump.
At some point, a decision has to be made. While there were some encouraging sides against Manchester United last night, that simply isn’t enough at the stage of the season and, frankly, little about his tenure so far suggests Bruce is capable of turning things around at this point.
Hopefully, Ashley is prompted into action soon and there is no repeat of the Steve McClaren debacle in 2016. It’s just a shame things seemingly have to get so bleak before making a decision is even thought about.
