They ran out of black coffee in the Concourse, which I find totally unacceptable!!! Right, I bet the title got some of you ready to blast me. Lol What a great result, performance and tactical realisation from Bruce today. Think like a lot of you, we have been saying our problem was the midfield and the message seems to have sunk in with Bruce now as well. I mean, how good was David Vaughan today and where did that Craig Gardener from the last 2 weeks go to? The one I saw today was the one I thought we had bought back in August. Terrific to watch them both. However, it was in defense that we saw a real change from games with Stoke of the past. What a strong unit they looked today and although Richardson was still the weakest part of it, he stuck to his task and was helped throughout by Larsson who doubled up all afternoon and gave Kieran lots of assistance and what a cracking free kick. O Shea never broke sweat and played with his pipe and slippers on and Brown and Bramble were like a couple of mountains in the central defense. I was still a bit disappointed that we persist with this 1 up front and Sess looked a little in no mans land at times but all in all, a great afternoon and evidence (for the likes of me anyway) that the players are 100% behind the manager. I wonder what Catts was thinking as he watched Vaughan and Gardener today? How will I get back into this team most likely? I asked that we return a minimum of 6 points from these 3 games and thats 50% of them already. We go to Norwich now with a game plan and full of confidence. The WBA game a week Saturday could be a real belter now and we may have caught them at a good time too. Suddenly a team that didn't have any goals in them scored 4 and a clean sheet was a the cream on the cake. Well done Bruce and the team and MotM David Vaughan. That was a 9/10 performance today. If he had scored it would have been 10/10. Bring on the Norwich. Footnote: How ****e was Crouch today? Who said he would be a good buy. Lol I think he has made the totally wrong choice for a club and will struggle if high balls are all they have to offer him. I do still think he is a good player but not in a Stoke City team.
IMO the main difference with our defence now and against Stoke in the past has got to be the two Man U lads. That was a sensational coup by Bruce, they never looked nervy or scared by the boisterous Stoke, everybody did their job and did it well.
Just got back from Sunderland terrible journey..bloody rain, but delighted with result and display today Vaughan without a doubt MOTM great interplay and terrific closing down. agree with almost everything Cest has said but my main worry remains and that is wether Bruce will keep an unchanged team, history has shown us that the bugger likes to continually tinker. I believe if this team is left alone it is capable of turning over Norwich at Carrow Rd..so come on Mr BRUCE bloody leave well alone !!!
No one asked you ****wit but since your obsession with us has again seen your putrid infestation of our board I'll elaborate! When it is bad it needs calling but today it was good, so it gets called likewise. We have been at sixes and sevens at times this season but we cant say it was luck that has kept us in games thus far. I look forward to seeing your luck run out pretty soon (you were lucky in the cup game, against us, QPR and yesterday at Villa again not to concede goals and lose games) and when it does your in deep ****. Bruce had the personnel to change our game plan when things have gone wrong. What has Pardew got in his locker to change yours? **** all is the answer btw, so just trot on bum bandit.
Cest - always like your posts and this one is no different. Nice to see you have half-heartedly admitted that Crouch is in fact £10m saved. Your other howler would be if we ever appointed that pointless excuse of a manager - namely MON. Don't always believe in your own hype, otherwise you are the best poster on here. Bart
Jersey I said exactly the same thing to my mates in the car on the way back. How composed and classy did they both look today? You can see their pedigree and that rubbed off on Titus. He was magnificent again today. Like a rock. If we can keep this back 3 (Bardo still comes back at LB for me) together and fit, we wont concede many goals going forward this season mate. i'd still like to see Gordon in goal as well whn he is ready and that would be a very good back 5 for me. BIFFA - agreed. He has to give Vaughan and Gardener the next dozen games or so before thinking about resting either of them. Only injury or suspension should allow Catts or Colback back long term. PS - thought Colback did what he had to when he came on and this would be a good position for him as the young lad of the team. He is a very reliable pair of hands to bring on.
Hope you had your hard hat ready Cest I could feel the hatred from the BIBs as soon as I read the title.
Bart - you must think I really am some kind of self indulgent tart to believe my own hype mate. I'm not. I am very forthright mind and sometimes pig headed but I always put my hand up and admit if I am wrong. PS- Couch had a poor game but he is still a bloody good player mate and I still think O Neill is a top manager who would do well for us if he came, however, Bruce has bought himself a huge slice of my goodwill today, by showing he too can admit when he got it wrong and changed it for the better.
It's good to see us all happy for a change tonight instead of the usual Bruce out bruce in arguments between ourselves lets hope it stays that way mate.
Ha! Ha! Just thought I'd get the juices flowing and see who actually READ the post first. Luckily all so far have but I bet there's one who doesnt. Lol Talc - that was good today, no better than good it was excellent and it deserves our praise,as does the manager for having the guts to admit he got it wrong so far and changed things around. Vaughan was masterful in the centre of the park today and reminded me of Paul Bracewell in his heyday. I cant praise him any higher than that, as Brace is one of the best central midfielders I have ever seen in a red & white shirt in the last 30 years..
Was never a Brace fan mate far too sideways and backwards for me but know where you are coming from, Vaughan and Gardner were very good my one worry is that Bruce changes them round to accommodate Catts in the next game. Also thought Bramble did very well exactly 2 minutes after I slagged him off for being crap and a waste of red and white stripes to my mate. Humble pie is very nice with chocolate sauce mate it goes down a lot easier. Got a feeling one of our barcode stalkers didn't read it fully because he had a nasty word to say about you called you a mag he did or words to that effect.
Why would I hate Cest just because he may see things differently at SAFC than me? Indeed Cest himself admitted he was swayed by the Bruce needs more time argument. This one result changes nothing in the long run. What it will do is give a week of unity on this board and some much needed confidence to the team.
That win today, under extremely nervous circumstances, has given me a much needed shot in the arm Cyprus. I didn't see that coming at all today and feared that the team had shot its bolt after some awful performances. My pal said today that it was a combination of 3 things why we won in his opinion and I tend to agree. 1) Stoke looked leggy form the European trip midweek 2) Bruce changed our midfield and we looked much more dynamic and creative form the start 3) Maybe Gyans leaving has lifted a huge problem out of the dressing room and the players reacted this week in training and on the pitch I'd added a 4th to that and that was the calming influence of Brown and O Shea at the back. They look a different class in defence to be fair, than any of the players we currently have at the club and you can see their quality ooze out to the others around them. Its put a much needed smile on my face let me tell you.
