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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
Speaking to The Chronicle, Jonjo Shelvey has leapt to the defence of Newcastle manager Steve Bruce following a tough beginning to his time at St. James’ Park.
What did he say?
Bruce was appointed Magpies boss after cult hero Rafa Benitez departed from the club earlier in the summer. The Spaniard’s exit compounded the fans’ fury with owner Mike Ashley, and a heavy defeat to newly-promoted Norwich certainly didn’t help matters.
Former player Michael Chopra even suggested Newcastle players had no idea what their roles are, and that criticism led Shelvey to fire back.
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He said: “We had a chat in the dressing room. It was like: ‘Does anybody even know him?’ I know he played here but he didn’t score loads of goals. It’s just people being busy to get their name in the paper. It’s just embarrassing. People can talk but we need to stick together and keep it all in house.”
Shelvey added: “Steve Bruce is here now. For me he has been brilliant. The way he involves everybody is brilliant, even the lads who aren’t in the squad. He’s probably one of the best man-managers I have worked with.
“The criticism the club are getting at the start of the season is just stupidity. It is embarrassing really. But the lads answered back against a very good Tottenham team.”
Siege mentality
One of the main reasons behind Jose Mourinho’s success as a manager was his ability to create a mentality within his squad of it being ‘us against the world’. It brought everyone closer together. It helped form a sense of camaraderie and brotherhood. It ensured players were pulling in the same direction.
Criticism from former players like Chopra may sting, but it could rather importantly help pull the squad together.
If Bruce can tap into this feeling that they need to rely on each other even more than usual, he could foster an incredibly strong spirit. Motivation can come from many different places, but Shelvey’s comments point to a particularly unique approach of getting the team to fire on all cylinders.
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