You’ll always hear pundits and players talk about the size of Newcastle United and how big a club they are, but what they generally mean is they have a ton of supporters who will back the club and they could be a real force if they had a competent owner.
Obviously that’s not the case with Mike Ashley as he has no real interest in pushing the club to win trophies or become a top-four side again, so it can make it a tough sell to new players and managers.
The potential is there with the club, but a report from This is Futbol has looked at the potential search for a new manager – presuming Bruce does go.
Burnley manager Sean Dyche is named as the main target and it’s easy to see why. He’s a proven Premier League manager who’s been able to get a team to over-perform, although it would take time to see if he could adapt to a bigger club or if he would be another Sam Allardyce in the role.
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They quote a few reactions from fans on social media and the reaction is largely positive, but it’s worrying when one wondered if Dyche might have “too much self respect” to take the job.
Ideally they want to see a new owner come in because it will create a positive feeling and make the club more attractive again, but you do fear any new manager would be just another puppet or lapdog for Ashley rather than someone who will push him to show some kind of ambition.
Rafa Benitez tried that and couldn’t get anywhere with the owner, so Dyche will realise he’ll end up in the same situation and it could stop him from taking the role.