Newcastle United journalist George Caulkin has criticised the club’s new owners for their inability to actually make any big decisions as of yet.
Since the Saudi-led consortium took over the Magpies at the end of last week, there has been much talk about the huge changes set to take place on Tyneside.
One key task for the club is expected to be the hiring of a new manager. As of yet, however, Steve Bruce still remains in charge of the club and will be calling the shots from the dugout against Tottenham Hotspur.
While alluding to the subject on Pod on the Tyne prior to confirmation of Bruce sticking around for the weekend, Caulkin suggested that the failure to change managers has led to a ‘very strange situation’ at the club, arguing that dismissing Bruce early doors would have felt ‘like a clean slate’ – perhaps due to contrasting mood in the stands with regards to the takeover and the 60-year-old’s tenure.
He said: “If Graeme Jones had been caretaker manager, there’s no guarantee that Newcastle would win, but it would have felt more like a clean slate.
“It’s a very strange situation. There’s stuff that the owners have said, both in public, to the media and directly to fans, and that they’ve said within the club, [is] all very, very positive.
“And it’s all exactly the kind of stuff you’d want to hear. But yeah, the decisions externally have just not been taken yet.”
TIF Thoughts on Steve Bruce and Newcastle…
Sentiment may be one reason behind the new owners failing to fire Bruce just yet. Indeed, the club’s current boss is set to make his 1,000th game as a manager and it could seem cruel to sack him just before that milestone.
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However, they may also simply not have anyone suitable lined up as a replacement yet – understandable with things moving so quickly in recent times.
Still, as Caulkin suggests, they could have instated Graeme Jones as caretaker manager for the meantime. Given the supporters’ attitudes towards Bruce, that likely would have won more fans over and helped the Magpies reach that ‘clean slate’ status.
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