Speaking recently on the ‘Everything is Black and White’ Podcast, Lee Ryder has reacted to Steve Bruce’s post-match press conference following Newcastle United’s defeat to Manchester City.
Bruce admitted that he was pleased with the level of effort from his players, despite being second-best for the majority of the match at the Etihad Stadium.
The Magpies were well-beaten by Pep Guardiola’s side, as goals from Ilkay Gundogan and Ferran Torres saw the home team wrap up a comfortable win on the day, with Bruce’s side only having 25% of the possession, despite chasing the game after 14 minutes when Gundogan opened the scoring.
That defeat means that Newcastle are now sat 14th in the Premier League table after 14 matches on the morning before their clash with Liverpool, and the club’s supporters will be eager to see them return to winning ways at the earliest of opportunities.
Ryder said: “I wouldn’t say it was a feisty one [press conference], but a few short answers compared to normal. It’s now apparent to me that the head coach and the backroom team believe that the criticism from particularly the local media after the Brentford game was too harsh in their eyes. So I think we’ve had a little bit of a reaction from that from the manager himself, there.”
Newcastle are set to return to action on Wednesday evening, when they host league leaders Liverpool at St. James’ Park, in what is certain to be a tricky test for the Magpies, as they look to get back to winning ways in the Premier League.
TIF’s thoughts on Lee Ryder’s recent comments on Bruce’s post-match press conference, following their defeat to Manchester City on Boxing Day…
You can understand why some Newcastle fans are aiming their frustrations at Bruce at this moment in time, as their tactics during matches against some of the ‘bigger teams’ in the Premier League, are set out without much attacking threat. The Magpies only had 25% of the possession against Manchester City, which makes for irritating viewing for the St. James’ Park faithful.
The local media are sometimes known for being the voice of the club’s supporters, and it wasn’t surprising in the slightest to see them criticising Bruce and his Newcastle side for their poor showing against Brentford in the EFL Cup, as they were nowhere near good enough to come away with a positive result against the Championship side.
So, there will be pressure on Bruce heading into the new year, and if they continue to struggle to pick up points, then you would imagine the calls from some sections of the club’s fanbase for him to depart, will only grow stronger.