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Simon Jordan manages to upset both Newcastle United and Sunderland fans with latest comments

4 years ago
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A remarkable effort by Simon Jordan this time.

The failed football club owner managing to upset both Newcastle United and Sunderland fans with his latest comments.

Simon Jordan talking about his friend and former employee, Steve Bruce.

Looking at it in the most positive way, I suppose you just have to accept that when somebody is talking about one of their mates, they are always going to be compromised. Even when they are supposed to be giving ‘expert’ independent and unbiased comments in their role as a pundit.

Simon Jordan has called on the (hopefully) imminent new owners of Newcastle United to keep Steve Bruce in the job, declaring: ‘Brucey I think, probably, has earned the right to have an opportunity to be given some backing and perhaps be given a year, to give these guys who are coming through the door with more money than God, the feeling that he can take them where they want to go.’

What has Steve Bruce ever done to convince anybody that he has the skills to manage at a club hoping to compete towards the top end? Turning 60 later this year, over two decades of management, never won anything and never finished top eight in the Premier League, becoming an established Championship manager having not managed in the top tier since 2015, Steve Bruce won the lottery when Mike Ashley made him his latest patsy.

If the Saudi bid succeeds, why on earth would you stick with a manager who has never shown anything in over 20 years that suggests he can be a success, why give him a chance if you have no real faith in him, buy a load of players who the next manager probably won’t rate, the team struggles on the pitch and you lose much of the momentum that the takeover has given?

As I saw somebody comment on Twitter, if you won the lottery would you insist on keeping your 20 year old Lada which is held together by rust?

As well as upsetting / irritating Newcastle fans, Simon Jordan has also wound up Sunderland fans in the process as well…

Jordan puts their club on the level of Wigan, Birmingham and Hull and claims about Steve Bruce that: ‘Sunderland would bite the arms off of anybody to get them back to the position he put them in, which was eighth, ninth, tenth in the Premier League.’

Well, Steve Bruce was at Sunderland from May 2009 to November 2011 and actually in that time was given relatively significant amounts of money to spend, a total of £93m across the three seasons compared to £42m (all figures via Transfsermarkt) allowed by Mike Ashley at Newcastle United in the same time period.

Steve Bruce actually ended up 13th (44 points) and 10th (47 points) at Sunderland, then was sacked after starting the 2011/12 season with only one win in 14 games.

Two mid-table finishes after having good money to spend but then Sunderland on the way to relegation when they sacked him in November 2011.

Yes Sunderland fans would obviously prefer to be fighting relegation from the Premier League compared to being the League One nobodies they are now BUT then anything would probably feel better than where they have ended up.

If Steve Bruce’s ‘success’ at Sunderland if the best Simon Jordan can come up with, then it won’t be a difficult decision for Newcastle’s new owners….

Simon Jordan speaking to Talksport about Steve Bruce and the Newcastle United takeover:

“I know him [Steve Bruce] very well, obviously I employed him, I’m very friendly with him and his family, I have a regard for the job he does.

“I think at times the clubs he managed: were the Sunderlands, the Birminghams, the Wigans, the Hulls of the world, whilst they have been up and down on his watch in terms of relegation and promotion. If you look at Sunderland’s achievements, Sunderland would bite the arms off of anybody to get them back to the position he put them in, which was eighth, ninth, tenth in the Premier League.

“The difficulty is, when somebody comes in to own a football club, they inevitably want their own man, and perceive whoever they employ will be their own man.

“Brucey I think, probably, has earned the right to have an opportunity to be given some backing and perhaps be given a year, to give these guys who are coming through the door with more money than God, the feeling that he can take them where they want to go.

“And of course, we will have certain segments of people’s perceptions and the media saying, it has got to be a Pochettino, it has to be a Rafa Benitez, it has got to be this, and that’s just a backdrop because somebody is coming through the door with lots of money.

“In the end they will make their own choices but I think he has probably earned the right to be given a period of time.”

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