My thoughts on Newcastle United

So, it’s official: Steve Bruce is the manager of Newcastle United.

I’m very much an admirer of Steve Bruce and of all the positions he’s held over his years in football, there’s no doubting that being appointed manager of this great club, whom he supported as a boy, will rank as his proudest.

Nevertheless, Steve Bruce has a level. He’s delivered results in the Championship several times over. In the Premier League, not so much apart from very average results, to put it mildly!

Newcastle United also have a level.

This is a gigantic club with a hardcore support who’ll turn up week in, week out. A city-centre stadium that is the envy of many clubs who’ve won domestic silverware since the turn of the century. A list of club ‘legends’ which includes some of the greatest names to have ever played football.

Then, there’s the level which the Toon have sunk to under Mike Ashley.

His ownership over the past decade has been well documented and it’s pointless digging it up again. Relegation has happened twice - nobody needs reminding. Heroes have been treated like dirt - again, everyone is well aware!

Momentum at the end of last season SHOULD have been seized upon. In the second half of the campaign, there were so many positives - the emergence of Sean Longstaff being one. The brilliance of record-signing Miguel Almiron and his impact being another, not forgetting the win over title-winning Manchester City and taking Liverpool to the wire in the final home match.

Survival was ultimately secured with relative ease with a world-class manager at the helm - and many owners would have seen it as an opportunity to build for the future, to consolidate, to strengthen and return this club a little closer to being great again.

However, this positivity was destroyed, yet again, by one man.

Promises of rewarding the players who worked their socks off to stay up with a holiday, were broken within minutes if the final whistle. Supporters were lied to about a takeover. The world-class manager in Rafael Benitez was treated appallingly and allowed to walk away. Salomon Rondon - a pivotal figure whose loan deal should have been made permanent - was another who was allowed to simply drift off into the sunset, never to be seen again.

Building towards a brighter future? More like frantic chewing at a carcass when things could have been so much different.

Now, it’s like re-winding the clock back 12 months; reliving relegation worries whilst Mr Ashley runs things on a shoe-string, yet again hoping bargain buys like Joselu will somehow come good and ‘do the business’ with his team-mates to get to 38-40 points.

Meanwhile, other clubs are spending money, paying the ‘going rate’ upwards of £20M to improve their squads in an effort to become as strong as possible.

Most worryingly, however, is this time the great, successful manager with a proven track record at the elite level with so much to offer isn’t at the helm - just a hard-working boss who’ll do his best.

As we all know having watched Joselu, hard work is no substitute for quality - and hard-work and effort is not certain to guarantee respective success.