As social media screamed and supporters stewed on their sofas, Steve Bruce was faced by near silence inside Villa Park.
There were no Aston Villa fans taunting their former manager with chants of, “You’re getting sacked in the morning.” There were no Newcastle United supporters to join in the chorus, willing the words to come true. And, thankfully, there were no unsavoury and unacceptable incidents involving cabbages being launched in the head coach’s direction, either.
Bruce may be under immense pressure but he finds himself in a unique situation. None of his predecessors, after all, have been as shielded from the direct ire of supporters as he is now. Steve McClaren, Alan Pardew, John Carver, Sam Allardyce and Graeme Souness all faced the wrath of an angry away support and a splenetic St James’ Park.
Yet, while stadia have historically been the domain for managerial judgment, they are now soulless arenas, inside which…
