Steve’s tone-deaf rant only cemented his disconnect with the fanbase
Pre- or post-match press conferences have always been a necessary evil for Steve Bruce, who has always seemed to struggle with them. Over the last two seasons, most of his media interviews have included at least one controversial statement. Some have been complete car crashes of content that simply rile and revile.
He has criticised his players, he has criticised the fanbase, he has criticised fellow managers, he has criticised the fanbase, he has contradicted himself, he has criticised the fanbase and he has spoken falsehoods on numerous occasions.
But he has to attend these, even if he’s awful at them.
So imagine my shock when I hear he’s voluntarily offered to speak* on a live national radio station (that I wouldn’t encourage anybody to directly engage with) outside of his contracted media obligations.
(*cosily chat with some gas-lighting sycophants who won’t scrutinise a damned word he says.)
Most managers understand the benefits of having a ‘media persona’. Using charisma, modesty or knowledge with the media can help amplify their reputation in the game. It’s an opportunity to impress a lot of people at the same time and to connect with fans.
Steve Bruce does not do this.
He deflects blame, he plays the victim and it routinely sounds like he hates his job. Every time he is given the freedom of a microphone, he gives us more reason to conclude that he simply doesn’t get it. He doesn’t understand Newcastle United Football Club. That’s frightening.
So Newcastle fans got to enjoy an incredibly rare great result and performance on Friday – great vibes all weekend, lots of credit given.
Monday hits and Steve Bruce decided to go on the radio and criticise the fanbase again??
WTF is his problem? #NUFC
‘ Adam Widdrington (@AddingRandomWit) May 10, 2021
Being the Head Coach of a proud and historic club such as ours should be an absolute privilege.
Instead, Bruce won’t stop complaining about how difficult everything is for him, and how unjust criticism of the insipid relegation battle he dragged us into was. It should be an honour, but Bruce sees it as a hassle. Last time I checked Steve, seems you’re free to leave at any time.
His regression into the ‘Geordies are delusional’ discourse with his chums Jim White and Simon Jordan is not so much surprising, but incredibly offensive.
Insinuating that unrealistic expectations still plague this club, making his watered down role an impossible job. I’m not sure Steve, we woke up on Friday and the club was 17th in the league less than two years after you told us all you were going to beat Rafa’s 10th placed finish.
His out-of-touch verbal garbage told us we shouldn’t expect world record transfer fees anymore, with smug condescension. It epitomised the entire hopeless episode.
The disconnect he has forged with a weary fanbase is brazen.
If he was shrewd, Steve Bruce would’ve used this run of form, and that great win against Leicester City to build bridges with the fans. For once, he had a reason to speak about positivity and optimism directly to the fanbase.
This could be a’platform to tell us what we can expect from the team and him moving forward. Perhaps a bit of humility to recognise what very nearly happened this season and his accountability for many failures along the way.
Instead, his ego and self-congratulatory swagger take over and he has to tell us how great his achievements are – in spite of the fans.
His true ambition for the club does not match that of the majority of the fanbase. And yes, there’s a middle ground between expecting Champions League football and the Bruceball we’re more used to being served up.
What a hero he is for going a little way towards righting his own catastrophic wrongs.
Steve Bruce will never be one of us.
Adam Widdrington (@AddingRandomWit)
