Was listening to a little bit from 5Live this morning covering NUFC's "plight". Was interesting, two of the guys involved in the chat had both worked with Bruce and both said the same thing, that he's basically a stuck-in-his-ways dinosaur who only ever plays the same way no matter the club or personnel. In the sense he likes to defend first, from the 18 yard line, not press then get it forward quickly. The amount of things wrong with this approach are astonishing, but the feeling from those ex-colleagues was that he will never change. Stands to reason that he must, must go before anything will work. All the pundits felt Newcastle - like Bruce's Villa - had better players than the stifling tactics he plays and that it's just a very bad fit for the club.
We're in an impossible and disgraceful position. An owner who couldn't give two ****s about the club he owns, content for Bruce to be a punchbag rather than being concerned that he isn't competent manager. So will he go? Not likely. The costs are too high and Ashley doesn't want the problem anymore, he wants to farm it all off to someone else but every day nobody buys the club is another day closer to a very likely relegation. Then again, Ashley's a gambling addict so he'll enjoy the thrill of the gamble, which is all this is to him.
The sensible option would be to get him out and go for Martinez. With the players we do have and some semblance of a 4-3-3 looking our best bet with who we have, I think a route back to the PL would be a good move for him and his links to Jones may sway him on the subject. This is, of course, the stuff of fantasy because the ****ing bellend owning the club isn't going to bother his arse with something so ambitious.
We're at a pivotal junction in this club's future, everything hangs on Ashley going.
