This is my first post on 'not606', i used to use 606 and im still a user on smb, but i think smb is going downhill and seems to just be lads abusing Bruce and no actual football debate. So year after year we hear that SB is sick of major revamps to our squad. So it came as a shock to us all that he overhauled the squad for the 3rd year on the trot (naaaaaaat). After finishing 10th last season with a team full of loanees i expected for most of them to stay. Out (Inc last seasons loanees)- Onouha - Started well, but his form tricked off towards the end. Mensah - Half the player that we remembered from the previous season. Muntari - In the 1/2 a season he played for us he was poor on the whole. Welbeck - Top class, few of us thought he would return after such a brilliant season. Steeeed - Brilliant servant to the club, fans favourite, prolific tabber, less than prolific goalscorer. The thing ill remember the most is the way he kept the ball, also the way he nutmegged Milner twice last season. Cheers steed for everything. Anton - Average player on a hefty wage. Started this season well. We may miss his versatility this season. Riveros - Never really made an impact. Huge disappointment. B£nt - I know he left in Jan, but we've still not replaced him. Also he is a massive twat. Hendo - £20m is a lot of money, looks decent for them so far, good luck to the lad. Was a good player for the last two seasons. Zenden - I think we will miss him, Class act on the ball. In - Jack Colback - Has been like a new season, looks a great player. David Vaughan- Haven't seen much, Looks decent in possetion. John O'Shea - Class act against Swans, Will be a top player imo Wes Brown - As above Craig Gardner - Could be decent, smaller than i thought he would be. At least he gets forward, more than can be said for Catts. Ji Dong-won - Raw talent, could be ok. Could be ****e, Who knows yet. Connor Wickham - Looked lively against swans, £8m is a lot tbh. He will come good, hope it's earlier than we expect. Keiren Westwood - Doesn't look any better than what we've got tbh. Seb Larsson - Quality goal against pool. Been poor since, hope he improves. Was expecting more from his dead ball skills. Ahmed Elmohamady - Good enough to get a full contact, Could develop into a decent player. James McClean - Could be ok or could be the next Daryl murphy. Probably the latter. Nikolas Bendtner - Year long loan. Really happy with this, Much better than Crouch. Could be a great piece of business. Overall i think we have a stronger squad, but not a stronger starting XI. I do worry about the lack of height in the centre of midfield. Again we didnt get a LB or a LW which was so evident that we needed after the scum game. We still haven't replaced B£nt tbh and it shows, i felt we were more dangerous when we had Bent and Jones up front. Hopefully Gyan can find his shooting boots and get 20+ this season. After seeing Vaughan last night for Wales i'd love to see him start. I reckon for our next game the XI should be : ---------------------------Ming--------------------------- ---O'Shea--------Brown-----------Bramble------------Bardo ---Larsson--------Vaughan--------Colback-----------Sess-- ------------------Gyan-------------Bendtner--------------- I really cant decide between Gardner and Colback, i think Jack just shades it. Lets get behind the lads and stop this kneejerking. Lets face it the atmosphere at home can be poisonous at times, we need to correct this, it doesn't help anyone. Thoughts?
Nice first post mate and welcome. I agree with the stronger squad weaker first 11 scenario as well. Had we brought in a replacement for Bent, then the first team, on paper at least, could well be stronger. As it stands, it still remains to be seen. However, it could be argued that our first 11 could be stronger if the right players are played in the right positions. I have long argued that Richardson isn't a left back; Muhammady simply isn't a very good footballer; Sess isn't a striker and that 1 up front is a poor form of strategy at home, or away against the lesser clubs. We bought the likes of Vaughan and Gardener to improve our threat form midfield but havent seen much of them so far. We brought in Larsson for his prowess on the right wing and have played him on the left so far this season. We bought Wickham for £8m and didn't take the opportunity to play either him or Won against Brighton (until it was too late) and some of the team selections have been bizarre at best. It doesnt make any sense. A starting 11 of: Mig O Shea, Brown, Bramble, Bardo Larsson, Vaughan, Gardener, Sessegnon Bendtner, Gyan Would be a good 11 and with Brown and O Shea better than last year. Vaughan is a better more disciplined footballer than Catts and Gardener offers more as a goal threat than Jack. Up front, we HAVE to play 2 lads and now we have Bendtner, he has to partner Gyan. We need to start and take the game to the opposition and Bruce has to start and be more aggressive in games and not continue this cautious approach all the time. We are stronger IMO but not if we dont play the right players and play them in the right positions. I look forward to more of your posts mate.
Welcome and a good first post. I think you will find much of the same on here as to what you refer to in your first paragraph, it can get a bit heated at times. I think we have a better team now, if only we could have kept hold of Bent.
Great first post! Especially liking the Borat-style 'naaaat' joke. I'd agree with everything you said in terms of assessment of the players out. We'll miss Welbeck, Hendo and Onouha, and might miss Anton's versatility, butlike you said, he was on a hefty wage. Last year of his contract as well. I'd agree we have a stronger squad and I think maybe a stronger starting 11 as well actually. Only the points on the board at the end of the year will tell us whether or not we do, but I'd say so. Defence and attack looks good, but I'd go with Larsson - Catts - Gardner - Sess in midfield, Gardner and Catts playing a classic one push- one hold type game. Up front, hoping Bentdner brings out the best in Gyan. When Gyan is on form, he's brilliant, but he's not on form. I'm hoping Bentdner sees us as his chance to prove he's one of the best strikers in the world... ahem.. Im going to stick my neck out and say that Craig Gordon is one of the best keepers in the league, and I want him back in the first team and on a new contract as soon as he proves his fitness. And yes, let's get behind the lads for the long season ahead! KTF!
Nice post mate Overall i think we have a stronger squad the only weak point is up front. We are a club who cannot spend £8m on a player not proven in the PL we cannot afford to wait 3 years for him to come good. That £8m and the £10 or £12m we were going to spend on Crouch could have been put to better use. I am a Bruce man but if he fails this year because of lack of goals i don't think the fans will forgive him a second time. all though i am plesed we got bendtner and not Crouch. Bent should have been replaced with a £15m to £20m striker and for that reason the BOB will be in full swing if it goes tits up
Its this part that pisses most BOB's off mate. 8 months down the line and we still havent replaced him and we dont even play our strongest 11 without him. Bruce has so may good qualities. Qualities I admired so much when we announced his appointment but I have seen precious little of those qualities since January this year to be frank. I wanted Bruce 2 years ago but I just dont think he has what it takes anymore after 2 successive slumps, poor team selections and selling of our best pound for pound goal scorer in my lifetime without a plan B of how to cope without him. If Bruce is sacked it will be 100% his fault and no-one else's, not the fans such as myself that don 't think he is up to the tasks ahead; not the Chairman who has supported him throughout all of this and certainly not the owner who has never said no when askled the question. Bruce sinks or swims this season because of what HE does not what others do.
Cheers for the welcome lads, I do agree that this is Brucies sink or swim season, but i also hope that we give him a bit of time before calling for his head, a la 3 games into the season. I know the derby result hurt but he needs support. I'd give him till the end of the season (unless things go seriously wrong). I'd also like him to play sess out wide, i know he doesnt like it there but it will be better for the team if he can play out wide and allow us to play 2 strikers up top.
Welcome Safc mate. The best way for Bruce to get the fans off his back, is to go out to win games we should be expecting to get something from. Plus I'm pleased you didn't stick Ricco in your starting 11 .
