A Deafening Silence.

I don’t expect a lot of noise from our board room concerning our present plight, its not Quinns way, however the silence really is deafening.

It goes back to transfer deadline day and wee Davey Craig standing outside the AoL saying,”Chairman Nial Quinn is off site today working on a deal”. No idea what the deal was but since that say we have lost some games, brought in a striker, lost a big signing striker, seen the pressure mount on Bruce and felt the fans unrest.

All of this and still not a peep and Quinn is not normaly short of an opinion so is there something in the theory that vegas outlined about major problems above?

We go into a week that is become a vital one for our club and one that truly could be a season defining one, yes even this early. I’m no psychologist but even I could read the body language on Saturday, moral is shot and that optimism of a few weeks ago is gone, not just amongst us fans but among the players.

We have had many threads about people out but right now I would love Quinn to come out and say something, don’t expect the full truth if we have big problems, sometimes you just cant say what you want but no spin, just a clue.

The problem that is starting to brew, IMO, is far bigger than who the manager is, its a loss of trust and credibility in Quinn and that’s something I never saw coming.

I left for the game last Saturday after watching the pre match interview with Bruce, recorded on Friday but listened to on Saturday. I knew we had problems and injuries but at least I knew we still had Bendtner and Gyan.

I arrived at the ground some 20 minutes later and found it was wrong, Gyan and left, seeds of doubt were sown and our defeat papered over those doubts, Bruce was our target but some, like bobby, spotted something.

I don’t want Quinn out in any way but I would like some reassurance please.

 

I also dont want Quinny out, I regard him as our own national treasure, but as you say, something is not right at all, and a Quinny Quote is a full blown must, because like you, I think we may well be in the poopie.......big style.

 

I agree, I think Quinny needs to address his adoring fans.
We need to know whats happening, WTF is going on ?
I have been a staunch BIB but defeat at home to Stoke will be the final nail in the coffin for me.

 

I agree that the silence from Quinn could possibly be a sign that there is more goung on within the club than we know about, but please don't give Bobby any credit for spotting this, as he just wants everyone at the club sacked after any defeat regardless.

 

The silence is expected. When has Quinn ever been vocal about the clubs internal ongoings?

A bit of reassurance would be nice, but I am not banking on it and dont really need it. I have faith in SNQ to do the best for SAFC, even if Bruce and the team needs to prove themselves in the next 3 or 4 games.

Not sure where this worry about the top is coming from, as I dont think Quinn or Bruce were expecting UAE to offer a 6million loan deal and pay all Gyans wages + more when he is going to the African cup of Nations in January. I am betting we received offers for him from other clubs, but all turned down cos not good enough - but Gyans head was turned so when UAE's offer came in at the last minute...

 

He proably cant win though, gives Bruce a vote of confidence, supporters will be up in arms (the BOBs anyway) even though we all know the vote of confidence means Bruce will be gone wthin 2 weeks. Has every intention of not leaving, says as much, something untoward happens, he leaves as he has to, he gets slated.

I think the old adage of no news is good news applies here, they may not think anything is wrong.

Liverpool, away, a very good draw
Newcastle, Home, got beat, but then we always bloody do, so really no suprise there, hurts like hell, but we will live.
CC Cup 0-0 got beat in extra time, not the end of the world, again gutted but its what the cup is all about. (Romance).
Swansea away, not an easy game, so a credible draw
Chelsea at home, was there ever going to be another outcome.

Yes it hasnt been great, but it hasnt been a complete disaster, in a way iwish we had already played the 2 Manchester Clubs and got hammered like everyone else has thats played them, it maybe a case of, well class teams, what can you do.

 

Sorry Steve I take umbrage about the accept the Mags always win point!. If the manager comes out and says how nervous he is etc. no wonder that is the case. What we need is a manager and a team that does not take that attitude and actually refuses to accept mediocre and at least it goes down fighting. Yes we had injuries last season but frankly as on saturday the team just seems to be going through the motions, we were 2-0 down and did our team until extra time look like they were busting a gut to do something about it, NO! The manager has to get the team going, when the going gets tough SB has not got a clue. We are an unbalanced side that does not look comfortable with itself, in how we are playing, who is playing where and what each individuals job is. That is down to management and coaching, it has to improve.

The only time we have looked a football team that is up for it was the 2nd half at Liverpool, since then we have been woeful.

P.S. I do not blame SB for Bent and Gyan leaving, what he is at fault for is not having plan B and other players ready to come in.

 

But they do, we have won once at home in 30 years or something daft like that, members were saying that we should get Kevin Ball to give them a team talk and a kick up the arse before the derbies, he has managed one at home, and we capitulated to a 1-4 defeat, so that doesnt exactly work either, Newcastle are like Everton for us, just a right PITA. (wish they were not, but they are).

 

Steve - just because something has been wrong so for so long still doesnt make it right.

We should be beating a poor newcastle team at home full stop. We should be beating a very, very poor Swansea side away if we have ambition to improve OR even match our 10th place (which all BiB's point to so readily). We definately should be beating a team that were 3rd division last season in the cup - home OR away, if we are a half decent EPL club. WE did none of the above.

We have scored 2 goals this season. We have played some 65 mins of decent football in 5 games (45 of them at Anfiled when we should have been dead and buried after half an hour and 20 mins at hime v the craas but we nver looked like scoring). The rest has been utter ****e, as it has been for the best part of 9 months. How much longer can we afford to let it keep going on? Stoke? Norwich? WBA?

Bruce cannot turn this round now as its gone too far downwards. We are in that dreaded spiral of failure, where results over 9 months have been rubbish and players are deserting the ship (we have lost 5 big players inside 13 months) and I cant remember ANY manager that has managed to pull a club out of it fromm this position. We need a change.

Quinn and Short are abscent becasue there are some hard calls to make over the next 2 weeks and we all know its coming. Better he keeps a low profile until that is made, or he may just promise us all something else he cant ever deliver on. There have been too many of those already in the past 4 or 5 years.

 

I hate to say it Cest, as I dont like agreeing with you. But I am thinking now the time is right for Brucie boy to go.
I am the forever optimist and have been thinking, surely he will turn this around sooner or later, problem is I have been thinking that for the last year or so.
Time to pack your bags Bruce, you have done your best but that just aint good enough.
Mark Hughes for me next.....

 

But my point is do we have bigger problems? Is there a big behind the scenes problem and did we not get a striker and LW player because Bruce did not go for one or because he was not backed to get one.

I'm not sticking up for Bruce I'm asking is the problem bigger than Bruce.

 

Maybe he wasnt backed for a new striker as Short has already decided Bruce's future ?
We have a good squad still, we now need the club as a whole to be pulling in the same direction and for me Bruce is no longer the man able to lead the club.

 

Sess - I dont call for a managers head lightly. I dont do it with any sense of glee. That Bruce has failed is gutting to me as I was so coinvinced 2 years ago he was the right man for us. I was delighted he was appointed but the job has proved to much for him. He looks lost.

Perhaps it doesnt matter who comes in, maybe it will always be thus. However, to do nothing is the wrong decision. We have to bite the bullet and look for a fresh start. Thats football. Blackburn will be next and I would rather we have the pick of the alternative managers before they do.

MoN is my first choice but Hughes wouldnt disappoint me either. Whoever it is I wish them every success and will support them in their task of turning this round. The season can be salvaged but only if action is made now.

PS - Sess. You and I have never agreed on much but one thing is for sure. We agree that the club is the only important thing here. Its success is the reason we argue so much as fans but we all want the same thing in the end, only we come from varying angles to get there. Its not personal.

 

Maybe its just a simple answer though Syd. The Owner and the Chairman just didnt think the manger was up to the task set by them and that any money would be kept in case a new man was needed before the next window.

I would imagine its an easier sell for the baord to a new manager, to say come on board and turn this round and by the way, we have 10m or 15m for you in January, than to say come in and try and turn this around but we dont have a brass farthing for you until August next year?

I dont see bigger problems other than the manager we have hasnt performed, has made a drama out of 5 consecutive transfer windows leading to instability and ultimately, has lost 8 home games out of 9 attempts.

Its not hard to see what is going on for me.

 

You're my new best friend. I can feel the love.

 

Thing is Syd although the music industry and football industry are very different they are also very similar. I have seen similar situations and it always comes down to the people at the top who are controlling the money.

I am sure SSN this morning said Quinn was going to make a statement later today, I guess we will wait and see.

I could be wrong but I personally don't think a change of manager will make any difference, simply because I don't think we can attract any of the names people have been talking about.

 

I think the problem is bigger than Bruce. Friday's overnight negotiations with Al-Ain suggests that people inside the club are acting without even Bruce's knowledge now.

 

and thats what concerns me cutey. Cest says they did not back Bruce, maybe, because they have los faith and to me thats criminal, if true. If they have lost faith then they should have sacked him, back or sack.

Now we dont know but I tend to agree more and more that just changing the manager we not be the answer. Lets hope the statement that vegas is talking about gives some clues.

 

losing all but 1 home game in the derby is not an excuse, but in derbies the outcome is never certain so we should not expect any manager to win in a derby. There is no guarantee that MON or hughes (or insert other name) would have got a different result from the derby.

The only game, imo, where we can claim we lost expected points is against Swansea.

At the moment we have no serious injuries, and the next 3 games will be telling (as hopefully no new bombshells will be released just before the games - effecting morale) so I am in wait and see mode - while before i was firmly in the BiB group.

 

Undoubtedly money is a problem as Syd is suggesting we are far from being a bottomless 'Citeh' club. However that has not stopped us spending £10m on Ji and Conner, two good young lads for sure but not ready for the fray just yet. We could and should have spend that money on Bentdner, Cisse, the german lad or whoever we were sniffing around for who was ready to hit the ground running. Also there is nothing wrong the lads that were brought in but as well as striker we needed a LW and a LB as priority, why bring those players in when we had a bigger need for others?

It is this poor planning by the management of the club that is worrying, as Gary Bennet mentioned, the management must have known that Bent/Gyan would be away quickly if more money was offered where was plan B. Or even plan A concerning the need for a LB and a LW.

Put that together with the 'little boys lost' sense you get from our lads on the pitch partly due to the team being unbalanced, players out of position and looking as if they have not been drilled into what their job is atm and we have a big problem