All the flak hasn’t made Bramble bitter
Nov 15 2008 by Luke Edwards, The Journal
Few players have suffered as much criticism at Newcastle as Titus Bramble, but the big centre-back is no longer bitter about the experience. Chief sports writer Luke Edwards discovered why
IT is not often you get to compare an airline pilot with a Newcastle United defender, but they have two things in common. Coping with unwanted turbulence and the grim realisation a single mistake can be disastrous.
In truth, while a pilot has the lives of the passengers and crew in his hands, a United centre-back only has the hopes and dreams of a football-mad city at this feet – but the pressure can sometimes seem just as intense.
Titus Bramble spent four eventful years at St James’s Park. A raw England Under-21 international when he was signed by Sir Bobby Robson for £5m from Ipswich in 2002, the powerful stopper is arguably one of the most infuriating players to have worn the black-and-white shirt in recent years.
Awesome for 89 minutes, but occasionally embarrassing for 60 seconds, Bramble suffered more than most at the hands of an expectant and demanding Magpies support with a palate for scapegoats.
Like everyone, Bramble made mistakes. Unfortunately, when he did, they had a tendency to be spectacular, much to the delight of the critics who seem to relish the opportunity to take a swipe at him.
Bramble’s lapses in concentration became infamous at St James’s Park, as a player with huge natural ability developed a nasty habit of pressing the self-destruct button. At times he was treated like a cult hero, at others he was singled out for sustained, and at times, unsavoury criticism.
His supporters would suggest Bramble’s confidence was constantly undermined by the fact his mistakes were highlighted, while those of others were conveniently ignored. His critics would counter a lack of concentration is a fundamental, and fatal flaw, for a top Premier League defender.
Sam Allardyce fell into the latter category, refusing to renew Bramble’s contract when he succeeded Glenn Roeder last summer and paving the way for the 27-year-old to move to Wigan on a free transfer. Few argued with Allardyce at the time, but with the luxury of hindsight, how many of those brought in to replace him have been any better?
“I still regret leaving Newcastle,” admits Bramble, who played in the Champions League and the semi-final of the Uefa Cup during his time on Tyneside. “I didn’t want to leave, the new manager came in and decided he didn’t want me. It was one of those things really.
“I loved playing for the club and I would have been happy to still be there now. People perhaps don’t realise what a massive club it is, but once you have played there, you realise. It should be in the top six every year and probably in the Champions League.
“Yeah, I had my ups and downs. The highs were great, but the lows, well they were low. I seemed to have a bit of a love-hate relationship with the fans and there were some unpleasant moments, but on the whole it was a very happy stage in my career.
“I was a young man when I went there and I left four years later knowing I’d played for one of the biggest clubs in the country. I’d played in the Champions League and I’d played for a manager like Sir Bobby Robson who always believed in me when others didn’t. That is some compliment for a player.
“Nobody makes mistakes on purpose, and everybody does make mistakes. Sometimes it is a lapse in concentration, sometimes it is bad technique, but it happens to everyone.
“Strikers miss open goals, but they can get away with it. But if defenders or goalkeepers make a mistake, the ball is in the back of the net. That’s the position we play in. That’s the way it goes.
“I’m not bitter about the treatment I received. Sometimes I felt as though it was a little harsh, but the fans have such high expectations. They do take it out on the players sometimes, but in the main they were great. I had a lot of support from them while I was there as well, people perhaps forget that. If anything I regret not being able to do enough to get a new contract.”
Nevertheless, having escaped the glare and constant scrutiny which makes life as a United defender so difficult – just ask Cláudio Caçapa following his error-strewn display at Fulham last weekend – Bramble has found a happy home at the JJB Stadium.
“I’m enjoying my football at Wigan,” he explained. “It’s been a good move. The fans have been brilliant to me and the squad has got stronger and stronger.
“I think the big difference at Wigan is the fans don’t have such high expectations. Perhaps they are more patient because they expect less, but you have to remember Newcastle are a massive club who haven’t won anything for years. It’s very frustrating for the fans.”
Bramble, like most people, has been stunned by the events at St James’s Park this season. Interestingly, though, he claimed the turmoil in the boardroom was nothing new for the players.
He added: “The club will always have a special place for me and I’m as amazed as anyone by what has gone on this season.
“But the club has always been a mess off the pitch.
“There was always stuff going on in the boardroom and the manager has always had to struggle to cope with that as well as the team on the pitch. Maybe that is why it’s been held back as a football club.
“There always seems to be some sort a distraction off the pitch and, in that respect, it’s not an easy club to play for. In the last two or three years I think the problems at the top of the club have filtered down to the players.
“If Newcastle are ever going to realise their potential – and they should be in the top five or six every season and pushing for the Champions League again – then they have to get things right from top to bottom.”
