I fear the worst.

Something on Planet Sunderland isn't right. The noises that emanates from the hierarchy sound good. We are only 3 (4 now) league games into the season; we have credible draws at Liverpool and Swansea and were just unlucky with the others; the team need time to settle in; its ridiculous to talk of crisis and we are football people who understand the game. Everything that the Owner, Chairman and manager talk about seems to be from the same mythical 'hymn sheet' and the club just plough through the dissenting noises but the reality is very, very different indeed.

Something is very, very wrong IMO. Bruce hasn't been given any additional money this summer. Thats a fact as all he has been given to spend is the Henderson money. The Bent money has been saved. Bendtner was brought in at the last moment only after Anton was shipped out. One big wage out and one in. We needed a left sided midfielder and a forward to replace Bent. We got neither. Instead we got 2 lads that cost us £10m and who may well turn out to be good players but who are not ready at all for the requirements of the current season. Short trusted Bruce to solve the problems but all he can see are problems mounting on a daily basis and a manager that has woefully under supplied a squad capable of changing things. However, both Wickham and Won, who scored a late consolation today, will have to be thrown in to the deep end now with the unbelievable departure of Gyan today. Far form blooding them slowly, they will have to be chucked right in at the deep end as we are totally ****ed up front AGAIN.

I cant even begin to discuss that as I am a little ****ed off tonight to get into slanging matches with fellow fans, save for adding that I am less than impressed with the managers and the clubs explanation of yet another striker being allowed to leave, without a replacement coming in. Only a deaf and blind man knew that Gyans heart was no longer in SAFC. Towards the end of last season he had lost the will and certainly this season he had too but why then was another striker brought in to allow him to go. Bruce MUST have know he could lose Gyan at a moments notice and yet he dithered and ****ed about bringing in 2 lads (and spending the budget in the process) for £10m who were not first team plans. I mean, is anyone one actually in charge at the club? Why are these decisions being made time after time and whya are we losing our better players so quickly?

What is it with Bruce and strikers? When he came to the club we had Jones. He bought Bent and it didn't work. He sold Jones. He brought in Gyan. Bent went from finding the club of his dream to wanting out in 12 months. We sold Bent. We didn't replace him. We got rid of Gyan. All this inside of 18 months. This time last year we had Bent , Welbeck and Gyan to boast about. 12 months on and we have a loan player looking to revive his career and 2 lads who have seen 4 games between them at the top flight. The common denominator is the manager. What is he doing to these players to piss them off and make then want to leave inside of 12 months of signing them? To lose one striker is poor. To lose 2 is ridiculous but to lose 3 strikers and 3 top strikers (whatever I thought of Jones, many on here rated him highly) is negligence of the highest order.

I could start to discuss the poor team selections again today (where is David Vaughan); the poor tactical decisions; the musical chair approach to who plays one week and who plays the next; the pathetic re-shuffling of players during games; and the hapless substitutions but you know what, I cant be ****ing arsed with Bruce now to bother. We went with a game plan to defend and lose by as few goals as possible so SB could save face. Only when all hope was lost and Chelsea quite frankly were bored to death, did Dumb and Dumber (Bruce and Black) throw another forward or two at the game and you know what, we actually looked like we might score and did.


Yes my friends, something at SAFC is very, very wrong and I think the unacceptable spectre of relegation is facing us this season without a shadow of a doubt unless Short pulls the chain sooner rather than later. At this moment in time, Martin O Neill, Mark Hughes and Alan Curbishley are all available, experienced and able managers that could better utilise the squad of players we have at out disposal than Bruce is or will do. There could be the prospect of David Moyes but to be honest, I dont think we could get him. Stoke City will come to the SOL next week full of confidence. Defeat there and surely even the most ardent Bruce supporters must concede defeat. Or do we wait a little longer? Norwich? WBA? Which game do we wait to get rid of him? Our home form is one of the worst in my memory and our overall form in 2011 is appalling. I dont see many chinks of light to make me think otherwise. Admit it BiB's, your man is dead in the water. A lame duck manager who has reached the end of the line.

The SAFC PR machine may well be in total overdrive tonight but does anyone actually believe it anymore?

I certainly dont.

 

Well put. But it's not just Bruce who is the problem.

x

 

let the debating commence!

Haven't read the article yet. Will do that now.

 

Bit critical like

 

Agree 100%

 

Cest. You have to learn to write less.

x

 

Never! Lol

 

Totally agree 100%, i so wanted Bruce to succeed but it is plain to see he is not going to. I do not agree that SNQ is to blame as some are suggesting but i do hope he now has the mental toughness to do the right thing otherwise we run the risk of sess et al getting that fed up that he will be off aswell.
I gave Steve Bruce another chance after last season but if you **** up in a job you deserve the sack.

Unfortunately i already think 2011/2012 will be another mediocre season but with Bruce in charge it will be a disaster.

.tf

 

Best article of the week this and once again Cest you put into words what a lot of us feel.

I read this why trying to retrieve a sheet from the rooftops of the travelodge with a pigeon in my mitts and hoying rice to the revellers below. I do think it's a Short game now and don't be surprised to see a favourite go.

It's a shambles at the moment and needs to be rectified asap..

 

Absolutely spot on but what can we do? Emails, Letters, Demonstrations, Protest marches or a heavy leaflet campaign??? We need to bypass the chairman and let the owner know we're in deep trouble if Bruce remains.

Peaceful Protest anyone??

 

Chairman is part of the problem,
x

 

Well , the owner was there again today and he couldn't help but notice the empty seats, the lack of atmosphere and the shambles that went before him.

Defeat v a top quality Chelsea team wasnt going to define Bruce's management but the hapless team formation, the constant shifting of players to accommodate 1 up front and the total ease with which they won and dominated the game did. Not until we actually put more than 1 forward on the pitch did we look like scoring and guess what, we did.

The question is simple. How much longer will he put up with Quinn's excuses for his pick as manager. Quinny is going to have to harden up and sacrifice this lame duck manager, or else he too will become part of the problem not the solution.

 

Cest. Its what I've been saying all night. Quinn aint good enough. We are less than STOKE ffs.

 

FFs.

 

DITTO. protest my arse, were red and white, not the other kind. But also Agree with cest.

 

It's not a protest we need, its just some hard decisions from short and Quinn. Bruce is a busted flush. It's only a matter of when now, not if.

 

Well I'm still a BIB. One of a vastly diminishing number it seems.
Bruce has for me the next six games to show what his team can do. That will take us to the end of October, if things are still looking bleak then, it will be the time to wield the axe.
Of the next 6 games I expect at least three wins and a draw. Anything less and Bruce will be on very shaky ground.

 

Are you a mag in disguise?? Have you ever said ONE good thing about SAFC?? As Comm said - FFS

 

Cyprus. You and I rarely agree on much to do with the club and you won't be that surprised to hear I don't here. However, your loyalty to Bruce, however misplaced imo, is very honourable.

I don't think we can afford to wait another 6 games. That would be a quarter of the season gone and a bottom 3 place. You must know in your heart its over for your man and I think he knows it too. Better we act immediately and give the new man the chance to have a look at things before January.

Bruce thought on another day we might have got sometimg from the game. I can only guess he had been drinking heavily and only Bruce and David IKE thought likewise.

 

That's the thing for me Cest. I don't see us being anywhere near bottom three come November.
Obviously I don't get to games and you lot see a great deal more than me going on at the SOL so I could be backing a dead donkey here.
One thing I have always said is if Bruce loses the fans then it's time to go. In that respect he's a goner already.