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Opinion

Steve Bruce embarrassing yet again with ‘tired’ excuse – It is fans who are tired of his excuses

3 years ago
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Steve Bruce is at it again.

I can’t believe what I am reading from the various journalists on Thursday, simply slavishly repeating his latest excuse for the appalling job he has done at Newcastle United.

Why aren’t they challenging what Steve Bruce is claiming?

No surprise though as they never do, whatever absolute nonsense he comes out with, they just type it up word for word and put it out there, as though it’s fact.

Today’s excuse wasn’t that the dog had ate his homework, or ran away when he took it to a fireworks display…that was last week.

Instead it was a return to one of his favourite ones, tiredness affecting the Newcastle players and this a supposedly valid reason for the appalling form, only four wins in the last twenty five games.

In fact this time, Steve Bruce is backdating this tiredness excuse right back to when he first started the Newcastle job!

Steve Bruce – Thursday 6 May 2021:

“A lot of people are running on empty because it has been non-stop, basically, for two years, especially the players.

“The players desperately need a break.

“I have never experienced anything quite like when Covid hit, when it hit us after Crystal Palace.”

I find it quite staggering that Steve Bruce thinks he can get away with these type of claims, making out that Newcastle United are somehow especially disadvantaged because of the events of the past two years.

As for covid, yes it hasn’t helped but it appears every squad at one time or another has been affected by it, some more than others. As for long covid problems, it was claimed Allan Saint-Maximin was suffering from that but he straight away at the time came out and said that this wasn’t the case. As far as I recall, I think it is only Lascelles and Fernandez who are said to have been affected to an extent and even if true, they are in a position where Newcastle have most strength in depth.

This idea that Newcastle United have been most affected by so many matches in a concentrated period over the short-term, mid-term, whatever…how are we supposed to honestly believe that?

I just had a quick look and in the last three months (thirteen weeks) since 6 February, Newcastle United have played 11 matches, averaging one every nine days or so.

In the same time period I found that Man City have played 23, more than twice as many! Whilst Chelsea 21, Leicester 17, then after tonight’s Europa League ties it will be 20 for Man Utd and 19 for Arsenal.

Yet do we hear any of these managers going on like Steve Bruce does?

Going further back, after September 2020, over eight months ago, the only matches Newcastle United have had to play are their 31 Premier League matches, one League Cup game (embarrassing defeat to a weakened Brentford side) and one FA Cup match (defeat at Arsenal).

Honestly, is there any other team that has had so few games to play???

I just had a quick look as well, of Newcastle United’s outfield players, only two of them have started two thirds or more of NUFC’s 34 Premier League games this season, Shelvey with 25 starts and Almiron 24. You aren’t exactly talking about only having a very small number of players playing all the matches.

This busy busy busy schedule should actually be a massive advantage for Newcastle United and Steve Bruce:

No European football.

No travel back and forwards around Europe for Champions League or Europa League.

So few domestic cup matches.

International football – Is there any Premier League club that has as few internationals as Newcastle United? There might be one or two but the vast majority have more players travelling and playing for their countries time after time, indeed some PL clubs having a seriously high number of internationals.

I just find it laughable that the journalists let Steve Bruce make these claims about tiredness and so many matches, nightmare for Newcastle United etc etc putting them at a supposed disadvantage, without saying hold on…then listing the info above.

As always when it comes to this particular shameless Steve Bruce excuse of supposedly tired players to blame, you can’t ignore when during his loan spell last season, Danny Rose said he couldn’t believe how many days Steve Bruce gave the NUFC squad and himself off, saying it was unbelievable and far far more than he’d ever experienced with Spurs and what he knew went on at various other Premier League clubs that he knew about.

If the Newcastle players are indeed more tired than those at other Premier League clubs, is it due to the quality and amount of training at NUFC, especially the sheer amount of time off that Steve Bruce gives himself and the players?

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