Gary Neville believes Steve Bruce is not to blame for Newcastle’s negative style of play this season, insisting Magpies fans have been served ‘dire tripe’ for a decade.
The Tyneside club were comprehensively defeated 3-0 by Arsenal on Monday night to make it NINE matches in all competitions without a win.
It was another dire performance from Bruce’s men and one which has left him squarely in the sights of a growing band of critics.
However, prior to the result, Neville defended the under-fire manager from his critics by insisting their playing style has been shaped ‘culturally’ over the years.
Speaking on Monday Night Football, he said: “The unhappiness towards this manager is embedded from the history, rather than who he is or the job that he’s doing. If I was a Newcastle fan, I’d be unhappy now.
“I’d be unhappy under Rafa Benitez, I’d be unhappy under Steve McClaren and the previous three managers before that. It’s been appalling for the past 10/12 years.
“I think looking for differences between Benítez and Steve Bruce… I don’t see any difference because the key thing for me in football is points.
“Rafa Benitez had been at two Premier League clubs before he went to Newcastle and was regarded as one of the best in the world. He was on £6m when he was at Newcastle and got 44 and 45 points in his two seasons.”
He added: “Last season, Steve Bruce got 44 points. He’s matched him for points, and at this stage of the season over the last four seasons, Bruce has got more in each of his two seasons compared to those managed under Rafa.
“What Rafa had was great PR and he had a great rapport with the fans because he stuck with the club and got them out of the Championship.
“I thought the football was awful under Rafa, and this is something that is culturally set at Newcastle. It is not a Steve Bruce problem. Newcastle have got a cultural problem where football expectation up there is attacking football but they’ve been served up dire tripe for the past 10 years.
“The ownership and the executive at that club have not delivered the football they want for years and years. I get demoralised when I go up to Newcastle when I should be inspired.”