[ad_1]
Newcastle boss under pressure Steve Bruce wants his team to “shut down some people” in the coming weeks.
Bruce has come under fire after a dismal week in which his team was defeated in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals by championship Brentford.
They then had only 25% possession when they were defeated by Manchester City on Saturday.
“Criticism hurts, but I hope to keep working hard to silence some people,” Bruce said. “The only way to do it is through results.”
Wednesday’s Premier League meeting with Liverpool offers no immediate hope of respite for Bruce and his players, as they have lost five straight games to Jurgen Klopp’s men, conceding 15 goals in the process.
Newcastle’s season is delicately prepared as they are just one win away from moving to the middle of the table and closing in on the 10th place that Bruce said was the goal of the campaign.
However, the defeats of leader Liverpool and second-placed Leicester, who visit St James’ Park on January 3, would leave them on the brink of a relegation battle.
It was the difference between Bruce’s preseason comments and those after City’s defeat, when he said his ‘job’ was to keep Newcastle in the Premier League, that has sparked further debate about his tenure.
Newcastle fans are getting riled up, especially as they see what are seen as similarly sized clubs at Everton and Aston Villa impressing at the top end of the table.
This ignores the fact that Everton lost £ 265 million in the previous three seasons and then spent around £ 60 million on new signings before the current season, in addition to the substantial salaries required to get James Rodriguez in for free.
Aston Villa has spent over £ 200 million on new players since its promotion in 2019.
In contrast, Newcastle have spent around £ 100 million in the last two closed seasons and made back £ 30 million of that by selling Ayoze Pérez to Leicester.
“I can understand the frustration, but we are where we are,” Bruce said.
“We would all love to have what Everton have been able to do for the last two or three years and certainly since I left Aston Villa, the purchasing power that has propelled them up in the league.
“But sadly, we are here at this particular time.
“The mandate hasn’t changed since I walked in the door, but my attitude about it is that we have to try to aim for the top 10. We would all like to aim for that, but first of all obviously we have to stay as a team of the Premier League. “
