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Incredible Steve Bruce luck carries on as he talks about Martin Dubravka situation

3 years ago
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Steve Bruce has been talking about Martin Dubravka.

They say that if you can’t get a good manager, get a lucky one.

Well that has certainly rang true these past 17 months, with the Bruce luck at extraordinary levels as time after time, the team have picked up points when all logic and underlying stats pointed to that not happening.

At goalkeeper, Steve Bruce has probably carried his biggest slice of luck.

Inheriting a class act in Martin Dubravka, a superb bit of recruitment by Rafa Benitez.

Then when Dubravka got injured pre-season and Steve Bruce and his people totally mishandled the situation, Karl Darlow appears after more than two and a half years without a Premier League appearance and effortlessly slips his hands into the Slovakian’s gloves. Darlow winning Newcastle any number of points and keeping the score respectable in others.

Steve Bruce now talking to BBC Newcastle about Martin Dubravka ahead of the West Brom match and looking further ahead to when he will have a choice to make in early 2021 hopefully:

“Well, he [Martin Dubravka] has still not joined in with the group properly yet, but we don’t envisage that he is going to be far away.

“So in the next couple of weeks I will have an unbelievably difficult decision.

“However, we would rather have it that way, than the other way.

“That is what the squad is for.

“Karl [Darlow] has waited so patiently for his opportunity.

“There’s been many who might have spat their dummy out and not been happy with the situation.

“He has been absolutely outstanding, so a nice decision to have to make.”

After picking up an injury to his heel when training pre-season in August back at home in Slovakia, Martin Dubravka revealed that despite informing Newcastle United of this straight away, Steve Bruce and his people inexplicably allowed the goalkeeper to come back and join in with the usual training for a number of games, rather than having the injury checked out. Only when the pain became too much for Martin Dubravka to train, did Steve Bruce and his medical staff arrange for the problem to be looked at.

The outcome of that was Martin Dubravka needing an operation straight away at the end of August and the keeper saying that it would be at least two months (end of October / start of November) before there was any chance of him playing again. However, he also later warned that two former teammates had taken at least four months to recover from the same injury, meaning he might not be back until Christmas 2020, or later.

When announcing the operation had taken place, the club said Martin Dubravka would be back playing in September, whilst on 9 September, Steve Bruce said the start of October 2020 the keeper should be back. As so often is the case, the NUFC Head Coach falsely claiming a player would be back from injury long before is practical or safe.

A worry for Newcastle fans concerned at the serious injury problems since Steve Bruce arrived at Newcastle United, whether the Head Coach wanting to rush injured players back too early, overplaying players, or continuing to play others who may have knocks, leading to more serious injury issues.

Quite astonishing to carry that level of luck, for Steve Bruce to see Karl Darlow save his bacon.

After proving to be spot on with his recovery timing, hopefully Martin Dubravka is back soon now competing for a first team place.

Martin Dubravka speaking to Sport.SK – 28 August 2020:

“During the penultimate run in Slovakia before leaving for England, when I was working on the set individual plan [provided by Newcastle United], I injured my ankle.

“I immediately informed the coaches in Newcastle.

“After arriving in England, I still trained despite the pain, but after three days I had to stop.

“A scan revealed the damage to the ligaments and I have already had a small operation in Leeds.

“Immediately after that [operation], I boarded a plane and went back home to Zilina.

“I will now rehabilitate here [in Slovakia] for two weeks and then I will go back to England.

“I will know more after two or three weeks when the brace is taken off.

“I will stay in communication with the club doctor and inform him how the procedures are going here in Slovakia.

“They injected into the damaged area.

“Unfortunately I have a crack there, which requires a break of about six to eight weeks.

“It heals differently for everyone of course and I think that despite the fact that I was still training [back on Tyneside] after the injury, we caught it [the injury] early enough.”

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