Sob on the Tyne - who is to blame for Newcastle United's poor form?

(Written by Gareth Johnson and Oliver Cooper)

It is safe to say that proceedings are not going smoothly for Newcastle United this season. Having started the campaign with the initial optimism of a successful transfer window, the Magpies now find themselves in a dire patch of form.

Without a win in eight premier-league games, Newcastle are now sat in 15th, nervously hovering over the drop.

Traditionally, it is owner Mike Ashley who takes any and all blame for the problems associated with Newcastle United. However, this season, anger is being directed towards the manager.

Unlike his immensely popular predecessor, Newcastle manager Steve Bruce has had to deal with a lot of criticism; particularly regarding his sides poor style of play.

This article seeks to solve the conundrum of who is to blame for the Toon’s struggles - the manger, the owner or the Premier League.

Managerial Malfunction?

There is no doubt that the Magpies are in a mess on the pitch. As said above, Newcastle are in a rut, with their last win coming against West Brom back in early December.

A lack of cutting edge is a deep concern. Newcastle have not scored a goal in seven matches, with the last coming in a home draw with relegation threatened Fulham. Bruce's side are heavily reliant on Callum Wilson for goals (who has eight this season), however when he is not firing there seems to be no alternative. Strikingly, Newcastle’s second top goal scorer, Jeff Hendrick, only has two to his name.

Newcastle have struggled for goals when striker Callum Wilson hasn't been firing.

The formation that Bruce has opted for this season, 5-4-1, has seen his side struggle to go forward, being overly concerned with their defensive game. This would be effective if the Magpies defensive record was positive. However, Newcastle have shipped 30 goals this campaign, with three coming in a drubbing by Arsenal on Monday night.

Only basement boys West Brom and Sheffield United have conceded more than Newcastle in the bottom with 43 and 32, respectively. Bruce's defensive style has shown potential to grind out good results, noticeably the stalemate against Liverpool, but it is concerning when facing sides they should be beating, with a spattering of poor results against other relegation rivals.

Bruce himself admitted he got it wrong in their defeat to bottom side Sheffield United. A 1-0 defeat at the hands of Sheffield showed Newcastle at their worst.

Newcastle seemed to look to play for a draw from the first minute, a bizarre approach considering their winless opponents. Mustering only three shots on target, 283 passes (as opposed to the Blades 559), and with 33% of the possession, Newcastle were camped well within their own half for much of the game.

Sheffield United claimed their first win of the season against Bruce's Newcastle.

This will have rightly worried the Newcastle fans, as this game should have been a free three points. There is nothing worse, in the eyes of the fans, than lacklustre displays.

Losing can be accepted if the team really went for it and performed well, but the blunt display against the Blades was enothing short of terrible. Therefore, there is no doubt that Newcastle United are underperforming. However, is it really Bruce’s fault?

Ownership accountability?

Mike Ashely can count himself amongst the most disliked owners in football history. His lack of investment has often been on the grievances list of the Toon, leading to Newcastle’s lack of quality and depth in a league that demands both.

During his tenure, Newcastle have been relegated to the Championship twice and it is often not the managers that get the blame, but the owner.

In 2009, it wasn’t club legend Alan Shearer’s fault, but the fault of the shambles occurring off the pitch and the owners poor handling of what became a managerial merry-go-round. Similarly, Ashley was blamed in 2016 for the poor choice of managerial appointment, Steve McClaren.

Despite being sacked before the official confirmation, Steve McLaren is widely accepted to have to blame for Newcastle's relegation in 2016.

Rafa Benitez oversaw the relegation of the club that season, but made himself untouchable by staying on the see the club immediately return to the top flight. The departure of Benítez saw the owner become even more undesirable.

Benitez’s decision to leave came about partly due to a lack of backing in the transfer windows, which Ashely was berated for. The appointment of Benitez’s successor, the current manager Bruce, sparked even more outcry from fans.

The headline reaction to the former Sunderland managers appointment mirrored the title of this article, Sob on the Tyne. Newcastle have felt just a player or two away from reaching their potential for years now, but Ashley has given Bruce £95 million of signings, a lot for an owner accused of not financially backing his club. Is Bruce not using them well enough?

Is it really that bad?

At this stage of the season, Steve Bruce’s side are not staggeringly lower than where they were at two seasons ago under Benitez, in 15th position after 18 fixtures. In 2017/18, Benitez’s Newcastle would have dreamed of that position, as they sat in 18th after 18 matches.

Benitez has perhaps been the most popular manager of Ashley's tenure as owner.

Newcastle’s lower-mid table slump is no revelation. They currently find themselves in a situation they have been in numerous times under Ashley’s tenure, compared to some seasons they are even doing better.

Benitez did no better than Bruce, he just had the novelty of a Championship promotion that Newcastle was inevitably going to achieve back in 2017. Why then is Bruce taking such a battering this season, when all his tenure is representing is a problem Newcastle have been in for so long, surely it is the owners fault?

The Premier League

For all his failings as an owner, one cannot deny that Ashely has tried his hardest to sell the club. Most recently, he saw a Saudi-backed consortium collapse at the hands of some shady work by the Premier League.

Much of the reporting centred around the fact that the only obstacles left were an owners test and a quick check by the Premier League to ratify the takeover. Many described these small hurdles as formalities that would only take a few days to overcome, but time rumbled by and still no decision from the Premier League.

Finally, after months of 'consideration', the Premier League blocked the takeover with little explanation as to why.

The Saudi-backed consortium, headed by Amanda Staveley saw their takeover efforts rebuffed controversially by the Premier League.

Long gone are the dreams of Paul Dummet overlapping Neymar on the left hand side at St. James Park, but on a more serious note however, it does seem that things are going against Newcastle that are simply out of their hands (think of how hard the outbreak of covid-19 hit the squad).

The problem was not so much that the Premier League blocked the takeover - that is totally their right, but they took so long that it that it hurt one of their clubs. There was talk of a bidding war between two American consortiums following the collapse of the Saudi deal, but both backed out due to a lack of time.

It can be said that Ashely has both backed his manager in the transfer window and actively sought to sell the club on, only to be denied by the Premier League, who acted really slowly. I understand the frustration for Newcastle fans, but Ashley has done the right things in the past six months. One can only hope that the next interested buyer is actually allowed to complete their deal.

Shared Responsibility?

Whilst the Premier League certainly had its part to play in hurting the future of Newcastle United, they have not been responsible for the way that the Magpies have played this season. When weighing up all sides of the debate, is there scope for blaming both Bruce and Ashley?

Tactically, Newcastle have been diabolical, however they do sit seven points above the relegation zone, something that was not achieved at this stage under Benitez. Whilst Ashely did give Bruce a handful of promising signings in the summer (such as Wilson, Fraser, Lewis and Hendrick), there is still no depth to this squad.

Ryan Fraser signed for Newcastle following the expiry of his contract at Bournemouth.

As seen this season, when Wilson is not firing in goals and key attacking players, such as Allan Saint-Maximan are unavailable, Newcastle cannot find the net. Furthermore, despite a general consensus that the business Newcastle did in the summer was good, all of the players came from Premier league clubs that were in and around Newcastle’s level.

Hendrick signed from mid-table Burnley whilst Wilson, Lewis and Fraser came from relegated clubs. Therefore, Bruce deserves the criticism for these signings. They were all gambles.

However, one transfer window does not redeem a decade of mismanagement from the owner. Ashely deserves the blame for not giving Bruce a squad with depth, a problem that all the Newcastle's managers have had to contend with.

So how do Newcastle move forward?

As mentioned earlier, Newcastle are in no way playing well, but their form this season is no different to other campaigns. This is where the frustration of the fans lies; despite actively supporting his manager this season, Ashley has no intention of making Newcastle United a great football club, worthy of the city.

Bruce does deserve criticism for the teams recent from, but he has little options at his disposal. The problem at club at this present time is a merging of big and small picture. There is no direction, Ashely only wishes for the club to hold its value so that he can make a return on the investment he made 14 years ago.

In the big picture, Ashely is not giving his managers enough depth, contributing to their poor squads and consistent low-mid table, and even sometimes relegation, placements.

However, in the short-term, Steve Bruce’s style is unadventurous, uninspiring and is the reason Newcastle have seen their form take such a slump over the winter.

Steve Bruce has seen his tactical style critiqued by fans and the media alike.

But sacking Bruce would not solve Newcastle’s problem. The former Manchester United defender is a good manager going through a bad patch. Giving Bruce more squad depth with some signings in the January transfer window would guarantee Newcastle United top-flight safety.

Long-term, Newcastle United are better off disposing of both. Alas, under Ashley, Newcastle will not challenge for Europe, only a new owner would do this. With a new owner must come a new, fresh manger with a solid philosophy, such as Eddie Howe, would allow Newcastle to improve their style of play.