Newcastle United eager to start Bruce era with a win

Posted on August 9th, 2019 | 5 Comments |

Newcastle United v Arsenal match preview.
Another tough start to the season.
Newcastle United welcome Arsenal to St James’ Park on Sunday aiming to kick-off their Premier League season with a victory.

It has been another difficult summer for the Magpies, with off-field shenanigans once again dominating the news agenda.

Rafa Benitez’s departure as manager was inevitable, leaving fans up in arms about Mike Ashley’s continued ownership of the club.

Steve Bruce has been brought in to replace the Spaniard and it’s fair to say that the decision went down like a lead balloon with much of the fanbase.

Some supporters are threatening to boycott Newcastle United while Ashley remains at the club, but Bruce will be hoping that his team’s performances help them focus on matters on the pitch.

Newcastle are priced at 18/5 to pick up three points this weekend and there could be plenty of punters searching for Ladbrokes sign-up offers to take advantage of what look generous odds.

The Magpies wrapped up their preparations for the new campaign with a 2-1 victory over St Etienne last Saturday and there were plenty of positives to take from the game.

New signing Joelinton scored his second goal in two starts since joining the club and his work-rate is likely to endear him to the fans in double-quick time.

Matty Longstaff’s stunning goal on his senior home debut was another standout moment, highlighting that Newcastle have some decent prospects at the club.

With Allan Saint-Maximin, Jetro Willems and Emil Krafth all available to make their competitive debuts this weekend, Newcastle’s squad isn’t in bad shape.

Hanging on to midfielder Sean Longstaff is an added bonus, while Andy Carroll’s arrival on a one-year deal is a no-brainer given that he has taken a massive wage cut to return to the North East.

Florian Lejeune, DeAndre Yedlin and Matt Ritchie are expected to miss out on Sunday, but they are the only likely absentees.

Hector Bellerin, Konstantinos Mavropanos and Rob Holding are all ruled out for the visitors, but new signings Dani Ceballos and Nicolas Pepe should be available for selection.

Arsenal were busy on deadline day, adding Kieran Tierney and David Luiz to their defensive ranks to complete a successful summer transfer window.

Newcastle have an awful recent record against Arsenal, winning just two of their last 25 meetings in all competitions with the North London side.

There have been just 14 goals in the last seven matches between these two sides and another low-scoring encounter could be on the cards this weekend.

Under 2.5 goals can be backed at odds of 27/25 and that looks the percentage call with Newcastle likely to try and keep things tight at the back.

NUFCBlog Author: Frankly Various Frankly Various has written 67 articles on this blog.

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5 Responses

  1. We made Norwich look like Barcelona on Saturday. There’s all this talk about ‘pressing’ football nowadays but we didn’t get close to them at all, we just stood back let them do what whatever they wanted to. It’s understandable if Man City have 63% of the possession in a game against the likes of us, but Norwich?

  2. I shouldn’t be commenting because I haven’t read, seen, or bothered with Ashley’s united since Rafa left. My only information has been news reports that I couldn’t avoid. Taking Ashley’s track record of one step forward and three back they are about now saying give Brucie ten games before you judge him just like the “Wolly with the Brolly” etc
    I just don’t get this buying a bunch of players giving them to a coach and saying make a team out of them. I had a few kitchen brigades in my time all of them I inherited but was in sole control of who I hired and fired. You build a team by employing the best person you can find to fill pacific roles (for this you need a plan in the first place though)
    Going back to last post on the other thread when I said labours ‘old boys’ I referred to Bevan, Shinwell and Bessie Braddock among others I did nearly include Michael Foot but he was another of your Oxford grad’s. I only judged them on their socialist beliefs.
    Incidentally I once had a dog that I named Bessie because she would face off anything or anybody no matter what size. Even now friends and relatives remember her as Bessie Braddock.
    I’m with you on brass bands there is a couple of YouTube entries of Ellington brass band one at the Beamish museum that I quite like have a look.

  3. Nutmag! on “buying a bunch of players giving them to a coach and saying make a team out of them” it depends on how you do it. At Manchester City they have a director of football called Txiki Begiristain. He’s one of Guardiola’s best friends from Barcelona from when they played together in the ‘Dream Team’, they understand each other completely, like Brian Clough and Peter Taylor before they fell out. At Newcastle it’s different, you have hostile forces who know bugger all about football sticking their neb in and it’s so bloody arrogant and amateurish. That Joelinton despite being Brazilian is another big lump targetman like Emile Heskey who’s supposed to be hold the ball up and bring others into play, but as a striker he doesn’t score many goals for a £40 million+ player.

    Aye, she was before my time but if I remember righly, Bessie Braddock looked like a big dinner lady? which was also said about Steve Bruce when his hair looked like a curly perm a few years back.

  4. Worky! I believe Bessie Braddock was the one that accused Winston Churchill of being drunk which brought that famous reply “Madam you are ugly but tomorrow I will be sober and you will still be ugly”
    I am not a one for calling people silly schoolboy names but someone on a blog referred to Steve Bruce as ‘Widow Twanky’ some time ago and that’s always the way I see him now.
    As I have said I don’t see any games now and nor will I till Ashley is gone. Unfortunately at my age I will be gone before that happens.
    There is only one question the supporters must answer ‘Do you support Mike Ashley’s running of Newcastle United or not, Your answer will be made at the turnstiles of St James Park.
    I know what the answer will be followed by ‘wishy washy’ excuses like ‘getting behind the team’ etc..etc..
    There is nothing more to say really!

  5. I saw that on the TV show “QI” years ago about Bessie Braddock and Winston Churchill but I’d completely forgotten about it until you mentioned it. He had a cheek anyway as he looked like a bulldog chewing a wasp himself!

    Well I think of Steve Bruce as the love child of a big blonde dinner lady and a really bad boxer and I can see ‘Widow Twankey’ with his ‘wishy washy’ excuses as well. Very funny.

    On the subject of our next opponents,Tottenham, that new stadium looks like a bit of an improvement on the old one. I haven’t been in it yet but I’ve been past it. It cost them £1 billion with all the community stuff they had to do as well. Atletico Madrid have built one that is even bigger though and that was only a quarter of the price.