Re: The Steve Bruce thread

by deadbuzzardalive Mon Sep 03, 2018 8:10 pm

Yes as long as we hear nothing, we can always hope that it's because they're sorting out his compensation or something behind the scenes before making an announcement... I suspect later this week, we'll hear something from Purslow and his plans for the club, if he talks about looking forward to working with Bruce, then that will be our confirmation that he's staying... Hoping someone like Percy tweets tonight that he's set to leave the club.

by deadbuzzardalive Mon Sep 03, 2018 9:29 pm

The sun, reporting that Bruce wants Terry back. We need a new manager first, hope the owners see through this. I'd much rather have a new manager without Terry, than Terry with Bruce.

by Army villain Tue Sep 04, 2018 12:28 am

The biggest reason for Bruce to get JT in is to rescue the dressing room, and sort out the defending. It's the same as last season,
The owners need to get rid of Bruce, start with a new boss.he has made a mess of the players, they have lost all respect of the manager.
Need the new man at the top to get rid please, save this club.

by DelboyVilla Tue Sep 04, 2018 5:29 am

Would people be happy with JT as a replacement for Potato Head?

by FoxyAV Tue Sep 04, 2018 6:27 am

DelboyVilla wrote:Would people be happy with JT as a replacement for Potato Head?

I wouldn't. We need a manager in, not a player who's training. It looks like we should be able to afford a good manager too.

by deadbuzzardalive Tue Sep 04, 2018 8:38 am

As if by magic people on social media seem to have forgotten that they wanted Bruce to go, and are now gettting excited by the possibility of Terry coming back, forgetting that that would mean a prolonged stay for Bruce. Bruce and his pals in the media know how to take the attention and pressure away from him.

by FoxyAV Tue Sep 04, 2018 9:01 am

Terry would be a disaster for us. His wages are high, he's 37 and he's not the answer. It's a step backwards to replace a 34-year-old DM played out of position at CB with a 37-year-old retiree who was already looking very tired last season. It stinks of desperation. The answer is to remove Bruce, play Tuanzebe at CB (even though he seems to also be right-sided) until we can take on a temporary player like Collins or Huth, aim to sort out the problem properly in January if necessary and draw a line under Bruce's tenure. We already have a LB in Neil Taylor who played well for Swansea in the Premier League and in James Bree a RB who also played well for Barnsley at RB (on top of De Laet who for me is first choice RB). What's happened to them that they've gone completely backwards and can be replaced by Elmo/Tuanzebe and Hutton* on such a regular basis? As much as anything Chester needs his defence sorted, he's starting to look like Vlaar who was great for Holland and looked terrible when he had to cover for the CB and RB next to him. Chester needs stability that comes from a RB who knows what he's doing, a CB who plays as a CB and doesn't have to cover the LB and a DM to help sit in front. Add to that wingers who come back to cover (see El Ghazi vs Adomah) and the problems we have don't come down to Terry replacing Jedi.

Bruce is crippling the team with his favoured old boys - Elmo, Whelan and Jedi. Can anyone honestly say despite his two goals so far Elmo is better on the wing than El Ghazi, Jedi is better than anyone as a defender and Whelan and Jedi are better than Bjarnason at DM? Sure, you can argue that Jedi is good in the air and might work better for more physical teams but Bjarnason does that too and he's significantly more mobile while also scoring goals himself. He's also fast enough to get back if he has gone forward.

If anything Terry is a smokescreen.

*I like Hutton a lot but we have yet another player in Taylor who came to us with a very good reputation and at great cost and under Bruce he's now playing in the reserves.

by Army villain Tue Sep 04, 2018 9:18 am

Agree Terry is the smoke screen, and it's Bruce last throw of the dice, Bruce needs help in the dressing room and on the pitch, no leadership on the pitch. Looks like some players are fed up with Bruce.The new man in needs to look at a lot of things that is going wrong, plus the team is unfit, that might have been down to no training the players that were injured, the coaching staff needs sorting out, and I cannot understand how our youth team play so well as a team, it's got to be all down to Bruce he needs to go.Hope we can get someone in to get us back into playing good attacking football , defence can be sorted out with the players we have, at least up to the next transfer window. Another rant over, UTV

by FoxyAV Tue Sep 04, 2018 9:40 am

Bruce admitted he should have rotated the squad after Wolves. Isn't playing Grealish, Kodjia and McGinn at Sheffield when they're recovering from injuries the same kind of thing? We should easily be able to bring in two of Hourihane, Lansbury and Bjarnason (even O'Hare) behind Audrey but no, Bruce would rather risk more injury to his main three attacking players? We have a big, expensive and very good squad. I honestly think we could take a second squad of Bruce's rejects and make a team capable of playoffs if not promotion:

Steer
De Laet - Elphick - Sulliman/Bedeau/Clark - Taylor

Blackett-Taylor - Hourihane - Lansbury - Green
Audrey - Adomah

Or whatever. That's off the top of my head. That defence has three players who've been promoted to the Premier League. Hourihane and Adomah scored, what, 25 Championship goals last season. Adomah as a striker? Sure, imagine him and Green on the left. Audrey and Blackett-Taylor have come through the academy together, we can't let Bruce continue to cripple our best emerging talent (or sending them to fucking Portsmouth) so let's play them in a second squad. In fact let's propose it to the board. We can surely share a pitch with someone.

by FoxyAV Tue Sep 04, 2018 9:42 am

Crap, I forgot about McCormack. And that lineup is only the fit players, I'd have Hogan up front with him once he's injured (well, unless Audrey goes on a scoring run).

by achilles Tue Sep 04, 2018 11:17 am

If it doesn't happen today, then we are stuck with him for the foreseeable future! The Steve Bruce thread - Page 33 1327487109

Bruce has certainly got all the media on his side, just can't understand it!

by deadbuzzardalive Tue Sep 04, 2018 11:26 am

Bruce asking the owners to bring back Terry is another reason in of itself for them to get rid of him. We shouldn't be in this position, Tuanzebe is a central defender, that's where he played coming through the ranks at United and that's where they were playing him in pre-season, ask any United fan, and they will tell you that that's his position... The only reason he's played right-back and DM for their first team, is because a lot of clubs do that when bringing through young players, they'll put them in less risky areas of the pitch whilst they're learning their trade, it's what I'd be doing with Bedeau, put him on the bench, and when we're comfortable in games, bring him on as a left-back (he's played there for the u23s), just to get some experience, and eventually he can be eased in as a central defender.

And if Bruce doesn't think that Tuanzebe is a good enough central defender for us, then he shouldn't have signed him in the first place, as we didn't need him for right-back or DM, that loan could have gone towards a central defender who we were actually going to play...

by deadbuzzardalive Tue Sep 04, 2018 11:37 am

achilles wrote:If it doesn't happen today, then we are stuck with him for the foreseeable future!

Bruce has certainly got all the media on his side, just can't understand it!

If he doesn't go this week, and I'm now resigned to the idea that he won't, then I believe we will be stuck with him for the season.

by achilles Tue Sep 04, 2018 11:58 am

The loans for the two goalkeepers should be enough in itself to get him the sack, utterly pathetic!
Steer was perfectly adequate, to take a risk on foreign goalkeepers is insane!
Bruce has tracked Nyland for 4 years apparently, another reason to get rid of Bruce!

by Fpuppys Tue Sep 04, 2018 12:41 pm

Just seen a tweet from Alex Bruce Saying that they had finally laid his grandparents to rest yesterday, Could be why the club have not held talks with him as yet.

The Steve Bruce thread - Page 33 Dmmzkq10

by achilles Tue Sep 04, 2018 12:59 pm

Why tweet about this, except to get a sympathy vote?

Personally I think it is a private and very personal thing, but hey I am old school, not into using twatter!

by nickf21 Tue Sep 04, 2018 1:56 pm

Terrible shame this type of thing is shared on Twitter. I also don't really see the point as it should be a private matter, and even with best intentions, its going to invite some commentary that wont be helpful or kind.

But putting that aside, I like Bruce as a bloke and I think given the personal circumstances he handled himself with dignity last season.
However, football is now big business and there is little place for sentiment.

I don't think Bruce will leave over the international break. I presume it will be the new CEO's job to pull the trigger and I think its too early for him to do so.
I hope when he goes (not if) we have a replacement ready to go, not have the "interim manager" situation. Potentially the CEO has already worked on this before his appointment, or he is sounding people out. That could be a reason for delay. The points tally is now below promotion targets and more importantly we just have been playing badly. Losing the dressing room rumours are never good.

Perhaps my biggest concern is the December fixture list. Boro, WBA, Stoke, Leeds, Swansea.... We have to be in touch before that run. I know its only September but if we dawdle now, the season could well be over by Boxing Day.

by deadbuzzardalive Tue Sep 04, 2018 3:45 pm

Now would have been the perfect time to get rid. Really thought these guys wouldn't mess about. Very frustrating.

by achilles Tue Sep 04, 2018 8:51 pm

Yes, I don't think it will happen now, so the opportunity will be lost.

Think it is going to be another depressing season with the occasional wow game ever now and again but not enough to make the ultimate goal achievable.

by VillaBill Tue Sep 04, 2018 10:09 pm

The target is 2pts/ game, already 3 behind, we need to win the next three just to catch up

by Dazzle Wed Sep 05, 2018 8:31 am

Disappointed that Bruce remains today, but still optimistic that the Blackburn game could be the tipping point for him. It could be that this international break is a good time for the owners to be talking to potential replacements and have someone in the bag and ready to go post Blackburn, maybe pre blackburn. Perhaps this is the owners hedging their bets and not allowing the circus of press attention to fill the vacuum that would have been created by sacking Bruce at the start of the international break?

by DelboyVilla Wed Sep 05, 2018 9:21 am

It is depressing to think that the new owners are making such a big mistake just 6 weeks into their tenure? I wanted to see that poisonous short armed dwarf and Potato Head gone by now but no we have to put up with stupid tweets and hoof pinball! What is the point of keeping players like Jack and loaning in prem quality if you give them to an idiot manager? There is a reason why monkeys don't fly airplanes?

by achilles Wed Sep 05, 2018 9:50 am

VillaBill wrote:The target is 2pts/ game, already 3 behind, we need to win the next three just to catch up

That is the problem, once you start to fall behind, as we have found out over the last couple of seasons it is extremely difficult to catch up.

It looks like Bruce is staying until the end of the season or until it will make no difference to our extinguished promotion hopes.

Another wasted season awaits us then! Drumroll Please

by deadbuzzardalive Wed Sep 05, 2018 9:53 am

If we lose to Blackburn we could be eight points adrift, it's alright talking about it being a marathon and not a sprint, but we said all that last year. Besides after Blackburn we play Rotherham a few days later at home, so that will save him... It wouldn't surprise me all that much if we actually went on a good run over the next five or so games, but that will inevitably be followed by a another bad run,of which we have too many under Bruce, to be serious automatic promotion contenders.

by DelboyVilla Wed Sep 05, 2018 10:15 am

Ron Toss coming out in the Bham Mail saying don't judge Potato Head too soon? He should keep to discussing his own shitty little club! We have put up with far too many of Potato Head's mad cap formations over the past 2 years, with his favorite mediocre players being shoe horned into the side! Just go Potato Head we don't want you!

by Sponsored content