Tim Sherwood insists Newcastle fans only want Rafa Benitez or Mauricio Pochettino to replace Steve Bruce because it’s ‘sexy’ and ‘fashionable’ to have a foreign manager.
Bruce is not expected to last long once a £300m takeover deal, backed by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, goes through.
Reports claim the incoming owners have already identified Pochettino as the first-choice candidate to lead the club into a new era, while former Magpies boss Benitez has also been tipped to return.
Current Newcastle manager Bruce has struggled to endear himself to fans after taking over from the much-loved Benitez last summer, despite similar results and performance levels.
And former Spurs boss Sherwood believes Bruce is a victim of the ‘fashionable’ trend which sees foreign managers preferred over Brits.
“Bruce has done a good job,” Sherwood told the Breakfast Show on talkSPORT.
“No-one up there wanted him but he’s strung some results together, pulled them in a position of safety and has done a fantastic job.
“He’s done just as good as job as Benitez did when he was up there.
“The Newcastle fans – they laud Rafa and what sort of job did he do? It is fashionable and sexy to have a foreign manager and Rafa was sexy to them.”
Sherwood was himself replaced by Pochettino at Spurs in 2014, but has nothing but respect for the Argentine’s achievements in north London.
And while the former Aston Villa boss insists the new owners should stick with Bruce, he knows they probably won’t.
He added: “It’s fashionable to bring in a foreign manager; Pochettino is obviously a very good manager, he’s done a fantastic building job at Tottenham.
“He’s on the market and available and there’s an opportunity to bring him in in the summer.
“Brucey’s no fool. If you’re a manager, it doesn’t matter if you win or not, you’re always in a precarious position.
“New owners always put you at risk, they come in with fresh ideas.
“Would Newcastle fans like Pochettino? I’m sure they would. Would they like Pochettino over Steve Bruce? Probably.
“I’m all for giving it [transfer money] to Steve Bruce but the reality is the guys coming in probably know very little about football, they probably think throwing a load of money at it gives you a better chance of success. It doesn’t guarantee anything.”
No comments:
Post a Comment