Re: The Steve Bruce thread

[Dazzle]

I bet Lampard has a plan? I don't think Lampard uses a bingo machine to pick his sides like Potato Head!

OK I am not 100% convinced by Frank Lampard as a manager as he took this job without even serving as an assistant anywhere and I am sure he will make mistakes. They have made more changes to the playing side than us I imagine and their side will take time to gel and understand what the manager wants. I have not heard Lampard attacking his clubs fans though even when they have had some poor results like losing to Rotherham!

At the end of the day some people are professional and conduct their business with a certain amount of pride and class. Potato Head is NOT one of these people which usually indicates that they know they are crap at their job and the only way they know how to defend that fact and their position is to behave in this classless manner!

We need a manager with a plan and class! This year may be a right of with them but sticking with Potato Head guarantees a season write off so the risk is worth taking?

Bruce doesn't appear to play to the strengths of his players. It's easy to tell players to pull up their socks, get stuck in and look angry (see Whelan) but we have some players like Jack and Taylor who are entirely in the wrong place. Taylor bugs me. He's a defender who isn't good at attacking. Reliance on full backs to help out the wingers isn't necessary with the attacking players we have, especially if we remove our old and slow DM so we can play two strikers. Our main issue right now is a leaky defence, so why not bring the players back, stick Taylor at LB, Chester and Tuanzebe at CB (sure, Chester will probably have to play on the left) and Hutton at RB. Adomah was great as a winger when he didn't have to defend, although Jack was there last match because we have to play him, McGinn and Hourihane. El Ghazi looks great on the right wing, except we have to play Adomah there because Elmo is in defence because we lent out De Laet and Hutton is at LB.
Just play the players in their fucking positions! Start Adomah or Bolasie on left wing, Grealish and McGinn in the middle, El Ghazi on the right and Abraham and Kodjia up front. Then fine tune it so sometimes it's Abraham up front on his own so we can bring in Jedi at DM or Hourihane or Thor or whatever, or play Hogan next to Abraham and watch the goals fly in, or whatever. But let the defence play as a defence, let the players settle, let them do their jobs, let the attack worry about attacking.

I just don’t think there’s any way we can play 4-4-2 with the line up you want and not concede goals. A middle 2 of Jack & McGinn just isn’t enough ball winning capability IMO. I think it has to be either Abraham or Kodjia as the front man, flanked by two of Adomah, Bolasie, ElGhazi. If it’s abraham up top then you could even make a case for Kodjia being one possibility to fill a wider position.
Something similar to this;
.......................................Nyland.................................
Elmohamady.........Chester.......Tuanzebe........Hutton
.........................McGinn..........Hourihane....................
.....................................Grealish..................................
ElGhazi.............................................................Adomah
(Kodjia). (Bolasie)
.................................Abraham......................................

What I’m convinced of is that Grealish is wasted out on the left and has to be integral as the link man between midfield and the front 3. The wide men are quite interchangeable and we’d have options for Kodjia to move up front with Hogan & Davis on the way back to 1st team action.

[big ming]

Jungle drums starting to beat quite loudly on Newsnow AV and the other forums. Specific names being mentioned saying contact has been made. Not just wild speculation it seems.
Feels like we are coming to a crisis point for Bruce.

[deadbuzzardalive]

Andrea Stramaccioni is the name I'm seeing on twitter, with the Italian press saying we've made contact in the last few days... But he was also linked in the summer, so wouldn't be surprised if it's just a rehash of that, and that was long before the Sawiris and Edens takeover.

[DelboyVilla]

Can't see that being a NSWE choice? Maybe a Dr X choice?
Not a big enough name and rubbish looking recent CV for NSWE?
Stamaccioni does have a point to prove and would be left field pick? Not for us though!

[big ming]

Can confirm that Bruce was at Anfield last night but was NOT scouting Cahill, as stated elsewhere.
Sensationally, Liverpoo are about to sack Klopp and replace him with Bruce!!
They have realised that Bruceball is the one true path to enlightenment and are fed up with all the press/pass/move football which has resulted in so many goals/wins.
You heard it here first.

[deadbuzzardalive]

I've had enough of hearing how he's dead man walking or how he wants the sack, just make a change already. Starting to think we're actually going to be stuck with him for the season, there's no reason whatsoever not to get rid of him, but that's been the case for a while now.

[VillaBill]

2pts per game needed for automatic promotion
Played 10
Promotion target 20pts
Current total 14pts
We need to win six in a row to get back on track, the clocks ticking Mr Bruce, tick tock tick tock

[FoxyAV]

I keep saying it, we keep him and we stay in the Championship, we get rid of him now and with the players we have the worst case scenario is we stay in the Championship. Considering what the owners have paid, and what they're pumping in, and the money Bruce has spent (not forgetting whatever money they'll have to presumably pay in in sponsorship to prevent FFP issues), they aren't in this to keep losing money and lurk around in 12th-14th place in the Championship. It's only a matter of time. If Middlesborough win we're three wins behind top of the table, even with Leeds where they are we're only two clear wins behind. We've wasted a LOT of time though, a quarter of the season gone and we're treading water. Leave it any longer and there'll be no point.

[VillaBill]

15th after this round of games & Bruce suggests we’re making progress ?

[achilles]

The opportunity has been there for us, with our 'easy' fixtures, to really put down a marker of intent and to have been clear at the top but we have just thrown that chance away and we are again playing catch up!

New Song

[deadbuzzardalive]

Such Déjà vu, as he survives again and again, I've given up hope he's going to get the sack any time soon, lose to Preston and nothing will happen, that's the pattern, people have been saying since the start of last season that he'll be gone before such and such date, and it never happens, I give up.

[DelboyVilla]

So that's 1 win in 9 for Bruceball now and Potato Head reckons we are making progress? I have had it with listening or talking about this fucktard and the new owners need to act quickly!

#Bruceout

[deadbuzzardalive]

Unless they surprise us and sack him today, I can see him being here for a while yet, as our next two games are against Preston and Millwall, the two teams bottom of the division, the perfect set of fixtures for him to save his job going into the international break.

[achilles]

The thing is I don't think we will beat Preston and Millwall but I also don't know if it will make a difference, only the fans can make a difference by protesting.

Yes, Bruce implies we are making progress, 15th in the league for f**k sake with about £100m worth of talent at his disposal!

Bottom line he just has to go, anybody could do better with this squad although totally unbalanced, it is a mess!

[Dazzle]

The thing is I don't think we will beat Preston and Millwall but I also don't know if it will make a difference, only the fans can make a difference by protesting.

Yes, Bruce implies we are making progress, 15th in the league for f**k sake with about £100m worth of talent at his disposal!

Bottom line he just has to go, anybody could do better with this squad although totally unbalanced, it is a mess!

Agreed, I don’t think it’s a given we pick up wins in next 2 fixtures. #bruceout

[deadbuzzardalive]

According to Alan Nixon the owners aren't making a decison until after the next two games, he also says if Bruce does go then Dean Smith is top of the wishlist... Image of article.

[DelboyVilla]

Just going to make promotion harder this season then? Two games against two of the worst teams in the league will show them nothing! If they have decided he is going then just get rid! Potato Head will still be there at Christmas and we will be still in 15th and no manager can turn that round? If they want Dean Smith then go get him now!

#Bruceout

[achilles]

Just going to make promotion harder this season then? Two games against two of the worst teams in the league will show them nothing! If they have decided he is going then just get rid! Potato Head will still be there at Christmas and we will be still in 15th and no manager can turn that round? If they want Dean Smith then go get him now!

#Bruceout

As you say the next two games will prove nothing as they are the bottom two in the league, we are expected to beat them, but will we?

Not certain about Dean Smith either, think Brendan Rodgers would be better as he has least dealt with prima-donnas!

[VillaBill]

Even if we win the next two fixtures 5-0, he needs to go, he should of been sacked at half time at Wembley in the play off final, he showed then he sets up not to lose, he’s not brave enough to set up to attack,
We have no set formation, no set style of play, no idea, occasionally the players dig out a result, this is in spite, not because of Bruce.

[STO67]

We ARE making progress, towards the bottom! There is even more pressure now on Bruce because the next two games are against the bottom two teams and we should be expected to win them both. If we do, then we are back on course, coming up to a whole different and much tougher set of fixtures leading up to Chrimbo. Anything but 6 points from the next two and I think he's toast. It will also tell us a lot about the owners and Purslow, because they are going to have to show us what they are made of. Sack, or stick? Two options with wide ranging differences between the options. I say sack him, but not for Dean Smith. Surely we can do better?

[DelboyVilla]

Yes Dean Smith does seem a little bit small time and not very forward looking with the Premier League in mind but look how Dyche and Howe have performed in recent seasons? Now, today I would take anyone but Potato Head however you would like to think that Purslow and NSWE would have a more interesting name in mind?

[achilles]

I thought I would re-post this from Risso on the H&V forum as it highlights already why we are unlikely to get promoted this season:

_________________________________________________________________________________________

I thought it'd be interesting to see of the three teams who have been promoted in the last few years, where each team has been after 10 games, and how many points they have. Teams with an * going up via the play offs.


2017/18
Wolves - 4th 20 pts
Cardiff - 1st 23 pts
Fulham* - 10th 15 pts


2016/17
Newcastle - 3rd 19 pts
Brighton - 4th 18 pts
Huddersfield* - 1st 22 pts


2015/16
Burnley - 6th 18pts
Middlesbrough - 2nd 20 pts
Hull* - 5th 18 pts


2014/15
Bournemouth - 15th 12 pts
Watford - 3rd - 20 pts
Norwich* - 1st 20 pts


2013/14
Leicester - 3rd 23 pts
Burnley - 1st 23 pts
QPR* - 2nd 23 pts (after 9 games)


So in 5 years with 15 teams going up, only two teams have ever been outside of the top 6 this at this stage of the season, and only once has a team going up automatically having been outside the top 6 at this stage.  Both of the teams, Fulham and Bournemouth, went on unbelievable unbeaten runs to make up for a poor start.  The clear and obvious stat is that to go up, it's extremely difficult to make up for a poor start, hardly anybody ever does it, and most teams who go up average about 2 points in their first 10 games.

In short, that hopeless arse Fistface has buggered us for another season.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

[deadbuzzardalive]

That makes for depressive reading, especially after the fixtures we've had, only crumb of comfort is that this year there doesn't seem to be any stand out teams who are going to fly away with it, so it won't be as hard to make up the ground as it would have been in previous seasons.

Another depressng thing is that it illustrates why we desperately need to win the next two games, but in doing so it would probably save Bruce's job.

[deadbuzzardalive]

Meanwhile Birmingham Mail are saying that Bruce doesn't have two games to save his job, but his position will be reviewed in the international break. That seems quite contradictory to me, unless they mean that his job will be reviewed whatever happens. They also that Dean Smith will not be considered, they've been more reliable than Alan Nixon recently to be fair as well.

[big ming]

Not really about Bruce, but are we one of the few teams that don't seem to have a long throw specialist? Surely we have someone who can chuck it to the penalty spot at least.
When our crap defence is tested with a long throw, my heart is in my mouth everytime. It's an extra weapon we could use (seeing as how we have so few).
To make it a Bruce point.......Bruce out! (for not having a long throw specialist!!).

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