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Steve Howey praises Steve Bruce for showing his ‘defiance’

3 years ago
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Steve Howey has been talking ahead of tonight’s game at St James Park.

The former Newcastle United defender concentrating on two people in particular.

Dwight Gayle and Steve Bruce being uppermost in the thoughts of Steve Howey.

Howey thinks that the biggest decision the NUFC Head Coach has to make, is whether he starts with Dwight Gayle in the team.

Steve Howey finds it really bizarre that Steve Bruce has picked Joelinton ahead of Dwight Gayle, the Brazilian a striker who isn’t even keen to get into the box and who has only six goals in seventy three Premier League appearances.

Whilst Newcastle fans know that Dwight Gayle isn’t a first choice level in the Premier League, the overwhelming majority of supporters would certainly have him in the team ahead of Joelinton, if Callum Wilson is ruled out for any games, such as this Leeds one.

However, Gayle hasn’t been given a single minute of PL football, whilst Joelinton has featured in all four league games predictably scoring not a single goal.

Newcastle fans have been chanting at matches for Steve Bruce to go and to nobody’s great surprise, the old pals act comes into place, with Steve Howey praising Steve Bruce for showing his ‘defiance’ and refusing to walk away.

Steve Howey claims that Bruce is still clinging on because ‘…there is a project to do and he wants to do that,’ whereas for Newcastle fans, they simply see somebody unwilling to go unless it is with a massive pay-off, reported to be around the £4m mark if / when sacked. As opposed to £0 if Steve Bruce did the decent thing and resigned.

Steve Howey talking to Sky Sports:

“I do like the fact that Steve [Bruce] has come out.

“He has been defiant, showed some defiance in the fact that he’s thinking: ‘Well no, I’m not walking away.’

“And I don’t blame him.

“In all fairness, he feels as though there is a project to do and he wants to do that.

“But at the same time, it is difficult.

“I think last season the players…and the manager possibly, got away with quite a bit.

“Some of the performances last season were poor but with no fans there, you weren’t getting the true reaction of how the fans actually felt.

“Now this is a big game tonight, Leeds are fourth bottom and only two points, Newcastle only one point.

“So this is a big game. 

“It [St James Park] will be full…if it goes well it will be brilliant atmosphere, but you do worry if it doesn’t, because it will turn a little bit toxic. Which is not nice to be around.”

Dwight Gayle playing against Leeds?:

“The kind of head scratching one about [Dwight] Gayle is that he signed a three year contract [up to end of June 2024] but he hasn’t featured. He hasn’t even come on as a sub.

“Now, you would have thought in contract negotiations, the player would have said: ‘I know I’m not first choice, I know it’s Callum Wilson, but if anything happens to Callum, I should be next. Because I am the next real centre-forward at this club.’

“But he hasn’t featured, so that’s a head-scratcher.

“A lot of fans are saying: ‘Well, he’s a Championship goalscorer’ and stuff like that. Listen, that might be the case, but he’s still a goalscorer and he’ll get in those little areas where defenders won’t like him to be.

“Whereas somebody like Joelinton doesn’t get in that area or doesn’t break his backside to get inside the box.

“It’s a big [Steve Bruce] call for the goalkeepers [Woodman or Darlow to start] but the big one is, does he start Gayle?”

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