Ever since his appointment at Newcastle United in July 2019, Steve Bruce has lived in the shadow of his predecessor, Rafa Benítez. While Benítez was adored on Tyneside, Bruce has had to struggle for over a year to win over the Toon Army.
Angry that Mike Ashley had settled for a managerial option far down the wishlist, fans have never quite taken to Bruce. Yet, it seems comparisons between Steve Bruce and Rafa Benítez will never die down. It is for the good of the fanbase that these comparisons disappear, otherwise their return to St. James’ Park may never bear the desired fruit.
People Must Stop Comparing Steve Bruce and Rafa Benítez
Tactics From Mike Ashley
The Newcastle fanbase’s animosity towards Steve Bruce was probably inevitable; following Rafa Benítez, who had overachieved with a perceived ‘Championship team’, was always a tough act. Surprisingly, Bruce’s previous stint at fierce rivals Sunderland was no reason for vitriol. In fact, Bruce initially seemed the perfect scapegoat for hatred towards Mike Ashley.
In many ways, that is what Steve Bruce has been for Mike Ashley, the perfect scapegoat. He knew that if he appointed a manager, which was admittedly uninspiring, the attention could be directed away from him.
Fans now had the perfect outlet to vent towards if things went south at the club, which they are far from doing yet. Though this anger at Bruce reflects badly on Ashley too, any attention towards the owner becomes somewhat diluted.
Different Pedigree, Similar Approach?
The most oft-repeated criticism of Steve Bruce’s tenure has been his all too defensive approach to games. Averaging 39% possession (only Sheffield United average less – 38.6%) across all their Premier League games this season, Newcastle have struggled to take the game to opponents. Though for all their propensity towards defending, this is not an all too different style that Benítez adopted.
Playing under Rafa Benítez remains a far-cry from the ‘Entertainers’ era liquid style that fans perhaps hanker for. He is famed for his pragmatic style and has never opted for a more high octane attack like Marcelo Bielsa produced with Leeds United on Wednesday. This is something that Steve Bruce, whether on purpose or unwittingly, has sought to emulate.
Only One Comparison Matters
When all is said and done, comparing current managers with former ones is a futile experiment. No manager will have exactly the same style of play or even the same approach to man-management. Comparing to former glories opens up this idea of pastures which may not be necessarily greener.
The only comparison that matters now is the side Steve Bruce inherited in the summer of 2019, and how it looks now. Newcastle’s fear of possession mentioned earlier is worth comparing with Bruce’s maiden campaign.
According to WhoScored, Newcastle averaged the lowest possession of any Premier League club last year with 41.8%. In this sense, Steve Bruce’s talks of evolution are far from the mark.
Though, to his credit, there are areas where the Magpies have improved as well. Despite averaging fewer shots per game so far this season than last, Newcastle have had more luck in front of goal. At this point last year, they had scored just 11 goals, compared to 16 this season.
So, there are aspects to point to which showed a slight improvement. Yet, it seems that Bruce, despite any improvements he may make, will always live in the shadow of his predecessor.
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