Must say that I’ve been pretty irritated by the way Newcastle fans have treated him, especially since he is a United legend. All the personal abuse towards him and his family has been completely unwarranted, and even a lot of his criticism has been unfair.
Comparing his Premier League finishing positions and points tally with Benitez, a man who Newcastle fans worship like God, there’s no clear disparity whatsoever:
Benitez
Season | League position | Points |
A bit of 2015-16 | 18th | 37 |
2017-18 | 10th | 44 |
2018-19 | 13th | 45 |
Bruce
Season | League position | Points |
2019-20 | 13th | 44 |
2021-22 | 12th | 45 |
It’s been argued that King Rafa managing to equal Bruce with much less resources was an amazing feat, but deep down, even Newcastle fans know this: the only difference was that they spunked £40m on Joelinton when Bruce was in charge, compared to nothing with Rafa. And we all know about Joelinton’s capabilities, or there lack of, in the Premier League.
And as I write this, Bruce has come out with an interview saying that this could be his last job. Can anyone blame him? You’d think the insults he listed that’s been against him were fake, but they’ve been recited many times by his own fans. Look at the Newcastle forum - someone genuinely responded to him saying that his parents would have been gutted looking at the abuse he’s been getting by saying “Your parents died of shame”. It’s been sickening, and no wonder if he wants to become a permanent fan from now on.