Bruce’s Best Buys

Posted on November 20th, 2020 | 6 Comments |

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Our play might be boring, but Bruce has made some good signings
The 2020-21 Premier League season is well underway and this year’s Newcastle squad has a very different feel to last season. In classic Newcastle fashion though, despite the promise of a newly formed squad, results have been mixed. It’s best to seek guidance and opinion from professionals when trying to predict any fixture in the Premier League this season, but this is especially true of the Toon Army given their revised attacking options.

Bruce himself has come under criticism and pressure from fans since joining the club, and many have questioned the transfers brought into Newcastle in recent years, with Mike Ashley usually the first to be blamed. The Newcastle Chairman has given the club a cash injection under Bruce’s tenure, and it’s fair to say that the jury is still out on most of the recruitment.

When Ashley smashed the club’s all time transfer record by paying a reported £40 million for Joelinton, there was clear intent from the board to make the club competitive. However, the Brazilian striker has struggled to adapt to the Premier League, with only two goals to his name in over a year, so Ashley was forced to delve into the transfer market again.

Here I’ll rank Steve Bruce’s best three transfers as Manager of Newcastle.

Callum Wilson

We could still be in the honeymoon period of his time with the club, but since signing in the summer Wilson has clearly been the Magpies’ primary goal threat. Bruce has heaped praise on his striker, declaring that he’s got an uncoachable scoring touch which makes a huge difference to the team. Signed from Bournemouth, Wilson has been in a rich vein of form during the opening eight games of the season, bagging himself six Premier League goals. Wilson set the club back an estimated £20 million, but that could prove to be a bargain price if he continues to lead the line with such productivity.

The Coventry born goal scorer was on the radar for other clubs this summer. However, concerns about his injury record were surely key factors why the major European clubs haven’t invested in his services. Newcastle will be reliant on his goals this season, so it will be down to Bruce to ensure Wilson is well rested and that the club don’t risk losing such a valuable asset.

Allan Saint-Maximin

It hasn’t taken long for Saint-Maximin to make a name for himself at St. James’ Park. The strong and rapid winger has been a thorn in opposition sides since his arrival at the club. His flair and confidence to run at defences has drawn fans from across the country, and his highlights on the pitch even outdo those in his distinctive hairstyle. The 23-year-old Frenchman is yet to be called up to the National side, but it’s only a matter of time until the selfless attacker forces his way into Les Bleus.

Driven by assists rather than goals, Saint-Maximin is a creative influence who Bruce has personally described as a joy to watch and a unique talent. At only £16 million, Saint-Maximin was a bargain price in the current market. Hopefully the maverick can inspire his teammates into pushing for a European place.

Byline
Saint-Maximin loves to get to the by-line

Jeff Hendrick


With a winger and goalscorer acquired, Bruce needed to ensure that the spine of his team remained sturdy, and so invested in Jeff Hendrick. The Irish international had been an integral part of an industrious Burnley midfield over the past few seasons, and it’s this work rate which Newcastle were lacking. Hendrick may well be the most astute of all the signings. He brings Premier League pedigree at no cost, as he was a free transfer.

Steve Bruce clearly has bigger plans than just relying on his steel in central midfield though, and has placed Hendrick out on the right wing in a few games, much to the surprise of the Newcastle faithful. Perhaps the Magpies boss has seen something in Hendrick which the rest of us haven’t and he could well shape the 28-year-old into a versatile acquisition.

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

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Comment on this post

6 Responses

  1. Worky

    I’m afraid that’s the problem with making poor judgements, they tend to return and bite you in the ass, leaving one no choice of changing, such as stating “the club are looking to push their way up the table “which we are all aware is just not happening, it appears in fact the club are placed about where they belong in the bottom six or so and will remain there as long as our cheap-ass owner or his successor decide to spend on decent players.
    That and a manager who knows what he is doing, yeah folks we all understand why Steve Bruce got the job, apparently the history of managers under Ashley has not been a success, being no decent manager was interested we have had a steady supply of losers, the only ones interested as was our present manager, who being a local
    and not having much success jumped at the opportunity.
    Of course Rafa. our previous manager, if allowed, could have developed the club in a manner it badly needs, a decent recruiting of youngsters and the signings of his choice of players.
    Unfortunately Ashley makes all of the decisions being it’s his money and he knows best, (the decisions of a control freak) and we end up
    with a center forward that scores two goals a season.
    Plus the fact that our ex-chief scout made some really good signings that Ashley made a good profit from and we had a good season (apparently a good season @ NUFC is one where we don’t struggle to avoid relegation), soon if our dear owner doesn’t spend history will repeat itself, being we don’t have a side that’s going anywhere in an upward direction and are lucky there are worse sides below us in the league standings.
    Yeah! we are presently @ 13th spot which is deserving, about where we belong and if not careful could end up as a new Sunderland or Boro,former standard EPL clubs who have through bad management and a lack of spending sunk in the standings and are presently playing against former third division sides .
    Ah Well ! could be worse, but do we deserve such a fate ?

    t

  2. Sure we won against a side that’s going nowhere, other than -heading for the second tier and there’s a couple more ready to follow them .
    It appears some players have made a decision that the Saudi deal could be successfully renewed but made the move as free agents and jumped early, as I can’t think of any reason for suddenly feeling that a poorly run club. with a cheap owner, is the right place to be .
    The present form assures me of that, being not only have we a poor side, but one that plays one of the most boring game possible.
    Only scoring by accident hopefully from a breakaway. which seldom happens as they are too fixed on defending. yep ! it’s nothing but ugly football and if things don’t change will be playing in front of no crowd, due to boredom not “Covid 19”.

  3. Oscar the Grouch just can’t stop himself. No positivity whatsoever, constant nitpicking etc…

    We’re 12th actually, and we have a game in hand as well because of the postponement. We need to make the best of the next two or three games though because we have a nightmare series of games against all the top teams, starting with Man City and Liverpool.

  4. Yeah right, if you believe this crap side with a crap manager and the less said about the owner, the better, has the ability to finish better than the present thirteenth place this season.
    I just read an article that Bruce has just realized that our non scoring goalscorer, with three goals and came with a forty million quid price ticket, likes to play with a partner up front.
    Only took him a season and a half to figure it out, which is we really need a decent manager and a few bob spent on decent players.
    In other words NUFC will never be a decent side until we get rid of Ashley and Bruce, then rebuild, but it will take money.
    To continue adding crap players to an already crap side and playing this defensive style will no doubt land us back to the second tier, joining Boro. (and if they are lucky Sunderland), ensconced comfortably in the second tier .
    And the longer we stay there the more permanent it will become.
    Some may disagree, but go tell that to the two former top league clubs Boro. and Sunderland .
    No that appears to be our future, a non EPL side, with low crowds, unless Ashley finds a buyer and no -one wants to buy a second tier club.
    Meaning if he can’t sell this year, it may
    be too late, but he has mostly bought his way out of relegation by buying some decent French players but couldn’t resist the opportunity to make a profit from them as quickly as possible.
    Thats no way to run a football club, of course it’s always easy to find a desperate ex-player who believes they know how to run a football side, but just look at who we have had, the whole gamut of useless people that came because they were willing to do as they were told .
    That is with the exception of Benitez
    who wanted to run the club but was never given the opportunity,
    Such is life !

    ii

    t

  5. Workey
    make your mind up whether the club can push it’s way up the league or once again struggle to avoid relegation ?
    It’s my belief we will once again struggle to avoid relegation.
    As this club needs to spend some money on decent young players, as there will not be an opportunity to sign the likes of Sissoko and the quality of some of our French and Dutch players brought in by Carr, with his one way train ticket to nearby continental clubs.
    Sold as quickly as possible by Ashley, I mean (what was he thinking)
    I”m guessing it was oooh profit !
    For the most part it takes time to build a decent side, however with Ashley it’s a decision that obviously was one that he could hardly believe and had he kept those players, it wouldn’t have taken long before (assuming Carr had more stars on his list) we had the begining of a competitive side.
    And it was obvious after the sell off why we have no upper management, as it’s obvious that our owner calls all the shots and doesn’t trust anyone with his money.
    Any owner who hires the people presently within the system and those who were even more ignorant like the list of managers from the takeover to the present.
    And fired the only decent scout we have ever had, talking bout Carr.
    And for some reason, he, continued to listen to the idiots who named our three goals in a season and a half brilliant Brazilian center forward, for forty odd million quid, unbelievable, but at least we know who to blame.
    Nothing will change here as long as Ashley is in charge, being he is only interested in making an annual profit and unless the Saudis manage to buy the side, no one else being willing to splurge three hundred big ones for a crap side fighting relegation each season.
    And not only that a club based approximately three hundred miles from the capital and in a former wealthy heavy industrialized area ,
    now dependent on phone banks and other crap jobs, perhaps it’s
    Charma or something, but it appears NUFC may yet become an other Sunderland , due to a lack of upper management or simply because Ashley has no intent to do anything to prevent it, which would be a refusal to invest .

    a

  6. Hmmm !
    Brexit has been such a regular part of the menu here (on the beeb) for years, that we may miss it, not !
    It appears to have all been a horrible mistake, one that gives the UK or whatever’s left of it a much worse position than they were as a member.
    Apparently allowing fewer immigrants to an already full house and a somewhat mixed bag of refugees arriving from both the Middle East and Africa is the main reason why the voters unexpectedly voted to leave the
    EU.
    Of course there’s a deal ! everyone involved should have expected the UK
    to agree to one, being to go it alone without reconciled trading partners and a better justice system, however it was the thought of tariffs and other such problems that greased the deal.
    I’m sure we will read about it soon enough, my question is why ?
    I’m afraid referenda’s are a dangerous
    proposition and don’t appear to always work as planned.
    Well having gone through all the bulls**t, for four years now most will be happy enough to let it go, that is when they may realize all of the changes they
    the Tories have caused are about to be-come law and there will be an enormous amount of rulings that automatically take place in the coming year, in regards to travel, health insurance and god only knows what-else.
    It was best described by a major participant when asked, explained it was almost as good a deal as what we had already as a member of the
    community.
    I suppose the Scotts will now begin a renewed call for independence and god only knows what will come out of that.
    With “Norn Iron” still a part of the EU,Customs Union the UK have ignored all calls from the Loyalist to prevent the customs line down through the Irish Sea, however it also appears the population is rapidly changing , with
    Queens University once a bastion of
    Loyalis unity is now occupied mainly by Nationalists, that includes the regular school system who’s numbers are such that it’s expected that they will outnumber Loyalist’s this year and that a future NI , may be even more in the hands of the nationalist majority’
    The only reason they wouldn’t vote for unity with the republic would of course be the NHS, one of the most respected health systems there is.
    However we can only guess for the minute as things don’t always work according to the best intentions.
    And certainly Brexit doesn’t belong in that category.
    At least there will be an inevitable end to the discussions about Brexit and we can now discuss the future of NUFC, which at this present time are as bad as if not worse than I can remember.