Rafa Benitez Trusted The Process At Newcastle; Now Steve Bruce Must Find His

Those who least deserve the pain stand to suffer the most; it is almost always the way, and certainly when it comes to Newcastle United. Their supporters, widely regarded as some of the very best around, saw this coming from a mile off, and yet, they had to watch on, hands covering faces, as it happened anyway. Rafael Benitez’s departure was seen as unthinkable for the entirety of his three-year reign at St James’ Park, but once it was confirmed, the notion that he was ever going to stay seemed nonsensical. There were many, though, who accepted it was inevitable, and understood that getting the best possible replacement was the only way forward; those people mainly took their seats in the stands and paid their hard earned money to do so. In Steve Bruce, Newcastle appointed a man who antagonised supporters, rather than appeased them. They saw this coming, but being right only brings pain.

Saturday’s 3-1 defeat at Norwich City at Carrow Road laid bare the issues that come with the decisions Newcastle’s ignorant and arrogant hierarchy made over the summer. The result was very poor, and the performance, once again, set alarm bells ringing. Disorganised, toothless, flaky and so many other adjectives could be used to describe it, but the most damning conclusion is it shows just how far Newcastle have fallen in the matter of weeks since Bruce stepped into Benitez’s shoes. It is patently clear everyone needs to move on from what has gone before, but the trouble is there is nothing to grab onto, other than the gaping issues that are already engulfing the club currently. Odds on relegation with most bookmakers plummeted the moment Benitez left, but after this weekend, Newcastle find themselves as outright favourites, standing as low as evens in some quarters.

If Bruce were to look across his technical area at the weekend, he would see a manager of a club doing it right. At full time in East Anglia, Daniel Farke, a little known German trusted with his philosophy when hired by Norwich just over two years ago, went round off all four corners of the stadium drumming up an atmopshere his team deserved. He was like a conductor leading an orchestra, and everyone was following; it wasn’t too dissimilar to St James’ Park with Benitez last year, but he’s gone and taken that feeling of hope and togetherness with him. It is easy to say Bruce deserves time, but judging by how easy Teemu Pukki found it to score the Canaries’ first Premier League hat-trick in almost 26 years, time is a commodity Newcastle simply cannot afford.

In his post-match press briefing, Bruce remarked that he wouldn’t get the same “luxury” Benitez received after his side made the worst start to a Premier League season in their history. Ten games had passed, seven defeats and three draws, before they grabbed their first win against Watford in early November, and Benitez didn’t feel anything like the pressure Bruce is after two games. One of those points came against Cardiff City who, like Norwich, were a newly-promoted side hosting their first Premier League game, while two years ago, Huddersfield Town won at the John Smith’s Stadium at exactly the same point of the 2017/18 campaign. To claim the difference is unfair is to take an extremely simplistic view of the situation.

Throughout the dark days, Benitez’s plan was obvious. Sometimes it was frustrating and he didn’t get everything right; at times, his approach was too cautious, and while Newcastle always appeared a cohesive unit, they didn’t always give themselves a chance going forward. Team selection and substitutions could leave a lot to be desired, too. But there was trust there, from the manager in the players he had so clearly improved, and the supporters in the manager himself; he’d won numerous trophies, the most hardened evidence his plans usually worked. If Bruce was going to win over the same people, attacking was the way to go, while maintaining a structure and a plan throughout. On the evidence of Saturday, that hasn’t happened; Newcastle have lost the steel that made everyone believe in the process and long term results under Benitez, but gained nothing going forward. Forget the words used earlier, chaotic best sums up the entire outlook on Tyneside right now.

There weren’t many who believed Bruce was the right man when he was hired in mid-July, and even fewer have that opinion now. It feels very similar to the days before Benitez arrived, when tactical awareness and motivation were severely lacking. Steve McClaren never truly grasped how tough the Newcastle job could be, and Bruce will need to rather quickly if he and the club are to avert disaster. For the second week running, the players didn’t appear to understand their roles, or believe in them; the reality of the situation is this was expected upon Bruce’s appointment, he is on record saying he doesn’t particularly believe in tactics, and even those who hired him have appreciated his personality and standing as a Newcastle fan, rather than more relevant criteria which Benitez had in spades.

Crisis is famously always around the corner at Newcastle United, but this feels as bad as it has in a long time. There is no getting away from the fact they are in serious trouble, with Joelinton potentially joining fellow new signing Allan Saint-Maximin on the treatment table and games against Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester United on the horizon. But this is not unexpected; it was a sobering day at Norwich, and while Rafael Benitez is gone, the ghost of his reign still hangs over Steve Bruce, who must go back to basics if he is going to survive at his boyhood club.