For me he should have went last season, however to say get him out now after 2 games is a bit daft in my opinion. If and that is a big if we win on Tuesday and beat Swansea on Saturday then happy days if the opposite happens then SB will be up against it. He's got till the end of September for me to turn it round and show that we have indeed improved with the new signings, after all for the most they are experienced PL players. Saturday hurt like hell first 20 minutes we were awesome and they looked like rabbits in headlights and we all thought it was a matter of time, even if we didn't agree on the team selection. Then we just died a death as plan A wasn't working and plan B was nowhere to be seen. I said on another thread yesterday that playing with 1 striker at home is stupid the fact that the striker in question doesn't seem to give a flying rats arse anymore should have alerted SB to the fact he needs to change it. Never mind at least we have 1 point on the board.
I would love to be proved wrong about Bruce, unfortunately after two seasons and a couple of games all the old problems are there!
Maybe the title up top should be "Sunderland Fans Forum (As long as you go along with the herd!)" I certainly found this statement of a derogatory nature! I have my own opinions and I'm certainly not part of a herd...I find it amazing how quickly some Sunderland fans can turn..And if I'm being honest, it showed at the match. I never heard the Mags supporters until they scored, but then the Sunderland fans just totally lost their collective voices just when the team needed them most.
All in all the derby came at the worst time possible for us. It has completely split our support after 1 home game. If we won, of course 100% of SAFC fans would have been in heaven but we lost and so the (footballing) world is about to end and the in fighting has begun. We have ten new players. Agreed SB can't put all of them in together and it was always going to take 6/7 games for his best team to take shape. It's crazy to ask for SB head after 2 games. (lets give him 12 at least) BUT, He has now got to start by playing players in their best (correct) positions (unless we are down to the bare bones and have no choice) He has got to show more positivity at home against every team except maybe the top 4/5 (but even then why not) when we will have to tighten up and be happy with a draw. He has got to change the formation when things are not going well (instead of leaving it for another 30 minutes) Lets hope he has learnt a few things from the derby and puts it right. Quick. Because those 12 games will come round pretty fast.
I have said for two seasons I would love to be proved wrong about Bruce. The thing is now, with certain posters, any questioning of Bruce's tactical nous, automatically places the questioner into the Bruce out brigade. I think this is unfair simple as. Pigeon holing someone for having a differing opinion leads to problems. FFS I'm not slating every post where people are saying Richardson is good at LB or calling them the Richardson for LB brigade.
So MR, You have a go at Syd for 'attacking' Sunderland fans, then include the other mods, who had no part to play in it? This is my first comment, Dorset hasn't made one, please explain this comment? Strikes me you just did EXACTLY what you accused Syd of.
To be fair MR you jumped on me for sniping at you yesterday when I wasn't referring to you. I don't think you're getting the slating you think you are.
It wasn't intended as derogatory to anyone, as I was merely making a point about the way any fan questioning Bruce is being made part of a brigade or to have some hidden agenda. If you did take that sentence as derogatory to yourself I humbly apologise. But of course I'm still a BOB!
As I have said mate, I respect the right for every one to express their opinions, and I hope that people will except that I have the right to express my criticism of an opinion when I disagree with it: surely that's what makes these forums what they are...It doesn't mean to say that either of us is a better supporter than the other, and I certainly wouldn't feel any resentment or bitternes towards someone just because they don't share my views...
Once again I apologise wholeheartedly BB, a sweeping statement that was unintentional. I'm just getting so frustrated with this continual sniping at anyone who isn't seen to be towing the Bruce line. My main point stands though, threads are being started with the sole intention of having a go at the fans dissatisfied with Bruce. My feelings about Bruce are long standing and not knee jerk. Would people be happy if I started numerous threads along the lines of the fans supporting Bruce are idiots or happy clappers, not good SAFC supporters or real fans and they are going to drive ElliS and Quinn away because they will be scared to sack him. Of course they wouldn't, neither would the majority of us dissatisfied Bruce.
Apology accepted. My view is that people are entitled to their opinions, i wanted Bruce gone last season, but i vowed to give him time, so i will. I was devastated on Saturday, i took a tiny bit of solace in a massive improvement on last years derbies, for a period at least, but i also wonder why sign a player like Gardner and play 2 holders in a home game we were slight favourites to win? I know it was the Mags, but the old 'play the game, not the occasion' line the players had been saying, seemed to pass Bruce by, 2 holders was overkill, leaving Gyan isolated as Sess came deep looking for the ball. Ending on a positive, Sess showed once again that he is a footballer capable of playing at a much 'higher level' club.
The comments by others, against fans who don't like Bruce are way over the top in most cases I find. Their opinions are being derided as if they know nothing about football, some of these are well respected and have posted here a long time as well as old 606. (no I'm not including myself among these better posters.) I don't see all this anger and name calling being returned to those who think Bruce is a good manager. Like I said earlier. "I do think it is bad form to propagate this ongoing bad feeling toward other members. (Which IMHO is likely to drive said supporters away from the forum.)
Who actually thinks Bruce is a good manager? I'm not sure there's anyone that's sold on him in a completely positive light. Lot's of negatives, lot's of not sures. But I don't think anyone thinks he's great.
Like yourself I like a bet now and then and put my money where my mouth is and took us to win 1-0 and 2-0. When I saw the team he picked I honestly would have loved to take back my bets. Once again it was individual performances to be exalted over, rather than a team performance.
I'm genuinely frustrates over Gardner. I think he's the best signing we made, a big missing link we've had in the middle of the park since Hutch left, a tidy if unspectacular footballer, who makes things tick and has an eye for goal. I can't for the life of me see why he wasn't played, i accepted at Liverpool the 2 holders to keep it tight as we were facing a very tough away fixture, but, forgetting it was the derby, it was a game against a team of similar ability, at home, so we should have been set up to attack, as these are games we need to be winning this season. Newcastle, Bolton, Fulham, Everton, Villa, Stoke. To get anywhere, we need to attack, and beat these teams at home, if we don't where do we get the points needed to improve on 10th? Having 2 holders made it easy for Colo & Taylor at CB, even Sess, who was superb and had all of our best efforts, was shooting from range as there was no lay off for him. We have to go for Swansea, we need to win this game, and we need a convincing performance with Chelsea up next. I wanna see a 4-3-3 at Brighton, but i won't.
funny how when you give an opinion its just you giving an opinion and I have no problem with that, when I give my opinion, and its just mine, its a snipe. The comment about backed up by the mods, well sad to say the least. How is it wrong to say that its Quinn and Short who hold the purse strings so if the complaint is, why are we not buying a LW and striker, IMO, its Quinn and Short we should be asking questions of. Come on MR, if giving my opinion is chasing people away then I will wrap in now.
MR, I have now read all the comments and TBH its pissed me off so you will be pleased to know, thats it with threads by me for a while. I happen to feel strogly, very strongly that threads calling for Bruce to go are wrong right now. I also feel strongly that every member of this forum should have the right to voice those opinions and I have the right to voice mine. I dont have a gang I post what I feel some agree, some dont and looking at the views to comments, a lot dont care either way. What I dont come on here for is to fall out with fellow Sunderland fans, on Saturday I met Sunderpitt, I sit next to him and I dont agree with his views on Bruce. At the next game I will again sit next to him and still shake his hand and still respect him, and his opinion. I may be being childish or spitting my dummy out but TBH I have no intention of upsetting anyone so the boards all yours, enjoy.
Syd I have no wish to fall out with you or any other genuine Sunderland fan. And have defended you from attacks from elsewhere on more than one occasion. As I honestly think you are doing a great job as supermod. That being said it doesn't mean I can't disagree with you either. Your opening sentences were. "Time for Short and Quinn to move on That must be the logical conclusion if what I have read over the past few days are right." Did you read this on this forum, where you drew these logical conclusions from. All I have read is fans being disconsolate again over Bruce's tactical nous and managerial abilities, or lack there of. To bring Quinn and Short in is just unfair as I have never heard or read anyone slanging them off.
I believe that was syds point though, Bruce gets all the blame when we have a bad result, if we get a good result he doesnt get any plaudits, its all the players (its like saying SAF is crap as he cant beat Barca, and all the good results are down to the players not SAF), but if we do need a striker, LW, LB and Bruce does know this, then how is Bruce to blame, surely Ellis has the purse strings, Quinn does the transfers once Bruce tells him of a player that he wants, and Quinn and Short have said no sorry, no money, or you have had enough/bought enough, how is the left hand side all Bruces fault.
