Groundhog Day For Bruce

Manager Steve Bruce has again been desperately trying to take the positives following yet another defeat in 2017 – this time to Newcastle United.

With a search for positives, clearly there were few as he spoke to the Official Site in his post game press conference following the two nil defeat and one of the biggest blows on the evening was the injury suffered by Scott Hogan.

‘It doesn`t look great. We`ve seen the video evidence that he`s definitely turned over his ankle. We won`t know the full extent until we get him scanned in the next 24-48 hours. Let`s keep our fingers crossed that it`s not serious. It`s been a miserable night as it is – that would compound the misery.’

As for the overall performance, Bruce felt we edged it in the first 45 minutes but of course we didn’t take our chances and they got their nose in front before the half time whistle.

Bruce knew it was a familiar story.

‘In the first half in particular we edged it. We did enough to be in the game but we have given away two bad goals. I have said that post-match four or five times now. We have been in games, not taken our chances and that is a worry. Over the time I`ve been here, if Jonathan Kodjia doesn`t score, we don`t score. We have to address that and be more clinical. But we have to defend better and do the basics better because it`s let us down again. Every little mistake is being punished. They haven`t had to do much for their goals – that`s the disappointing thing.’

The game did of course see a return for Mile Jedinak, and Bruce was pleased with his run out given the protection he offers to the defence.

‘He gives our defenders protection – and he`s a man in there. We have missed that, especially away from home. It`s the way we played when we went on our run when I first arrived. It was good to see Mile back.’

There was also praise for January capture Neil Taylor.

‘I thought Tayls had a very, very decent game. It was good to see him back in the team.’

With a clash against Derby County now on the horizon, he ended by saying.

‘I am very disappointed because we walk away from this game having taken on the top of the table and there was nothing in the match. They got the breaks and we didn`t. We have to stay with it. Derby are going well at the moment. Hopefully that`s the game that turns it around for us.’