Tony Cascarino told TalkSport (07/11/20 at 6:40 am) that Newcastle fans ‘won’t like’ the style of play they are seeing under Steve Bruce and it’s something Aston Villa fans have ‘experienced’
Following Newcastle’s defeat to Southampton on Friday night, a lot was made at how ex-Villa boss Bruce set up his team against a side that looked miles better than the Magpies in every area of the pitch.
When Bruce was at Villa, he didn’t really have a strong relationship with the fans because they simply couldn’t understand the style the former centre-back was trying to implement – he was sacked months after their play-off final defeat to Fulham.
Cascarino pointed out how Villa fans became ‘disillusioned’ under Bruce and he thinks Newcastle’s fans are currently stumbling along a similar path.
On whether Bruce is improving the Newcastle players: “It’s a tough one,” said Cascarino. “I cannot work out how good Newcastle can be.
“They are a very workman-like team. There is a technical side to them but when they are poor, they can look like they did against Southampton. Newcastle fans won’t like it, at times. But they looked very workman-like.
“Steve Bruce has had this accusation [style of play] made at him at a couple of clubs. It’s not just Newcastle. Villa certainly experienced that where fans were disillusioned by the way they were playing. He’s trusted by the board because at the end of the season Newcastle are in a comfortable position and will probably end up in a comfortable position this year.
“We are in a world now where football fans want to be entertained. They don’t want football to not be entertaining, so it’s a tricky one.”
Whether Bruce likes it or not, Villa fans were proven right in their criticism of his style of play because the more attack-minded Dean Smith managed to complete the job he couldn’t.
Villa’s problem during the play-off final against Fulham was how defensive they were, with the wingers practically defending inside their own half and playing as full-backs rather than pushing the opposition the other way.
But under Smith in their play-off final win against Derby, Villa’s fullbacks were like wingers, as was proven in the opening goal scored, and that more forward-thinking approach saw the Midlands side reach the promised land.
So, those Newcastle fans, who are fed up and frustrated with what they are seeing with Bruce, they have every right to say that a more modern manager would do a better job than the Englishman.
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